Nebraska and Iowa may not have the longest rivalry in college football, but the bad blood is real, and the scoreboards have told plenty of that story over the years. Since the Cornhuskers moved into the Big Ten, the conference leaned into the annual meeting between the neighboring states, eventually making it the league’s premier Thanksgiving weekend matchup. And even with all that buildup, the series has often tilted hard one way or the other.
That’s what makes the most one-sided games in the matchup stand out so sharply. Over 56 meetings, there have been some bruising results, and a few of them were flat-out routs.
The biggest hammer job in the series came in 1980, when Nebraska blasted Iowa 57-0. The Huskers were ranked in the Top 10 and had just opened the season with a 55-7 win over Utah, then followed it by putting Hayden Fry’s Hawkeyes through a nightmare afternoon.
Jeff Quinn only threw 10 passes, but Nebraska barely needed the air game because the ground attack piled up 456 rushing yards. The defense was just as punishing, holding Iowa to 44 rushing yards and only 7 first downs while Nebraska racked up 33.
Another especially memorable blowout came when Kirk Ferentz made his debut against Nebraska. The Huskers won that one 42-7, and it also marked the first meeting between the teams since 1982, when Nebraska had also rolled 42-7.
This time, the Huskers put up 543 total yards, including 347 on the ground and 196 through the air. Eric Crouch was a major part of the damage, running for 99 yards and three touchdowns.
Then there was the 2017 game, which turned into a rough ending for Mike Riley’s tenure. Iowa, an 8-5 team that year, overwhelmed a Nebraska squad that looked like it had run out of steam.
The Hawkeyes won 56-14, piling up 505 total yards and 313 rushing yards. It was the third straight game in which Nebraska gave up 50 or more points, and the fourth time in six games that happened.
The Huskers finished 4-4 and then dropped their final four games, while Iowa extended a run that has now reached 10 wins in the last 11 meetings. Those 56 points remain the most Iowa has ever scored in the rivalry.
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