Abdullah, Ferentz talk Iowa-Nebraska series

IOWA CITY - Iowa and Nebraska enter the fourth year of their season-ending series on 'Black Friday.” The schools were stuck together as designated rivals and so far there's room for growth in that area.

Nebraska won the first two games, 20-7 and 13-7, while Iowa claimed last year's game 38-17. Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz was asked this week if the series has turned into a rivalry, and he's not quite ready to declare that.

'It feels like a big game but as far as rivalry goes, we really haven't played that often, historically,” Ferentz said. 'So if you put it in perspective of some of the teams you mentioned (Minnesota and Iowa State), and some of the other teams in our conference, it's probably not the same that way. Whether it's a rivalry game or not, they're certainly big games certainly, especially when you're in conference play.

'I think in our case, we just played Wisconsin and they were up one on us and now they're up two. Historically, it's in the 40s, 40-plus on each side whereas on this side, I know we played (Nebraska) four times in the late 70s and early 80s, twice in ‘99 and 2000 and now four times at it. This is like in the infant stage, if you will.”

It's obvious the series needs a spark to turn it into a rivalry game. That could come from a winner-take-all, division-deciding game, or one where the underdog takes something away from the favorite. Maybe even a controversial call or a close game could stoke passions among the fan bases. It does have a unique spotlight with game aired nationally at 11 a.m. on ABC.

But when it comes to playing on the field, it's a hard-hitting, intense series. Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah said he expects Iowa's best shot.

'Our rivalry has grown over the couple of years, so I know they're going to play with a little bit more energy than they even do in other games,” Abdullah said. 'They're a great tackling bunch. Speaking from an offensive perspective, they're always a hard physical bunch up front. Defensively, they get after you, they blitz you, sometimes they feel like they can brute you. They're very well-coached.

'Kirk Ferentz is a great coach, I got to meet him at Big Ten Media Days. Great person as well. They're a prideful team, I expect their best shot coming down their road pretty soon here.”

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