Iowa players share wild interactions with Nebraska coach Matt Rhule

The annual Iowa-Nebraska game doesn’t generate the same hype as Alabama vs. Auburn and some other college football rivalries, but emotions are running high in the battle for the Heroes Cup. And on Friday evening things got wild.

The jokes started before the game. Iowa linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson told reporters some surprising anecdotes after the Hawkeyes’ thrilling 13-10 win on a walk-off field goal.

Higgins revealed that the Nebraska team captains made no move to shake hands before the game, “so that was a little strange,” he said. Then Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walked through Iowa’s pregame warmups.

“So we knew right away what type of game it was,” Higgins said.

After telling all this, Higgins deadpanned, “Any questions?” This sparked laughter from the reporters.

Jackson joined him at this point and Higgins had more to share.

“So in the first series we were on their sidelines and I got a little close to their head coach,” Higgins said. (The way he referred to Rhule as “their head coach” in each case is funny.)

“And I said, ‘It’s probably not a good idea not to shake hands,'” Higgins continued. “He asks, ‘Who are you?'”

Then Higgins and Jackson wondered aloud if Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz would ever act like Rhule.

“Would KF, would…Kirk Ferentz ever do that?” Higgins asked.

“No,” Jackson said.

“This is just incredible,” Higgins said.

“Come to Iowa,” Jackson said.

“Come to Iowa, come and be a Hawk,” Higgins repeated.

“Be a Hawk, you’ll see the difference,” Jackson said.

Jay Higgins shares that Nebraska’s captains didn’t shake hands before the game and Matt Rhule went over Iowa’s pregame warmups.

Exchange with Nick Jackson: “Would Kirk Ferentz ever do that? Never. Come to Iowa.” pic.twitter.com/ytncpAScW2

— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) November 30, 2024

While Rhule may have believed his tough-guy image set the tone for the game, the Hawkeyes had the proverbial last laugh when Drew Stevens kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired for the win.

Iowa’s Drew Stevens hits a game-winning 53-yard field goal against Nebraska … but viewers on NBC miss seeing the ball actually go through the uprights. pic.twitter.com/ooC3ENmeCs

– Awful Announcement (@awfulanncreasing) November 30, 2024

Higgins had the perfect end to the evening after this winning goal.

“So after the game,” Higgins said, “since they didn’t want to shake our hands before the game, I went up to their head coach, shook his hand and told him, ‘Good game.'”

(Eliot Clough)