Iowa masterfully trolls Nebraska after Cornhuskers denied them of a pregame handshake

Fresh off their first win in well over a month, the Nebraska Cornhuskers did a marvelous job of acting like they have never been in the end zone before in their end-of-year rivalry with the Iowa Hawkeyes. I call it Cornucopia, you can call it whatever you want. More importantly, what the hell was that to start the game over in Iowa City? Nebraska thought it was too cool to slap skins with fine folks from Iowa.

As it turned out, that was another bad idea put forth by Matt Rhule's program. The Huskers fell at Kinnick in a very winnable 13-10 game. Nebraska may be going to a bowl game for the first time since the Barack Obama Administration, but they are only a 6-6 team. Iowa is not the sexiest football team by any stretch of the imagination, but Kirk Ferentz lives for these low-scoring games, as they are 8-4.

Nebraska blew a 10-0 halftime lead by not scoring a single point in the second half. Iowa had just enough offense and special teams heroics to propel the Hawkeyes to yet another victory and presumably another under hit. While Ferentz is not going to coach forever, we have to wonder how much longer Nebraska is going to let Rhule make such a big mess of things when it matters the most.

This is a terrible look for a football team that used to be terrible, as Iowa masterfully trolled Nebraska.

With so many Huskers expected to enter the transfer portal, 2025 feels like now or never for Rhule.

For more Rivalry Week content, check out FanSided’s Ultimate Guide to College Football Rivalries, an in-depth and interactive look at the deep traditions, rich history, iconic venues and memorable moments of college football’s biggest rivalries.

Iowa puts Nebraska into a blender with a masterful social media troll post

We have seen the Matt Rhule schtick time and time again in college football. In year one, his team is largely terrible. That was the case at Temple and Baylor, and to some degree last year at Nebraska. In year two, he leads an improved, but still mediocre team to a bowl game. Nebraska getting to 6-6 ensures us all that it will be the case in 2024. Then in year three, his teams win double-digit games.

While that is still in play, he has not exactly done the best job of keeping the Huskers ultra-steady this season. Steadiness, for better or worse, is Kirk Ferentz's bread and butter. He wins with defense and special teams. My FanSided.com colleague and False Start co-host Cody Williams and I call that Three Yards and a Cloud of Punt. Ferentz goes full-blown Martyball every day and twice on Saturday.

I just feel like every time I watch Iowa, the Hawkeyes get more and more comfortable playing in these type of games. In time, I would suspect water will eventually find its level in Lincoln. In the meantime, the cooler head will prevail in this Thanksgiving rivalry going forward. This is one that Nebraska let slip through the cracks. Simply put, the better coached and more disciplined program won the big game.

Nebraska still has a bowl game to be played, but you have to wonder if this one will sting for a while...