Nebraska Season Ends As Excruciatingly As It Began

Nebraska hosted the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes Friday, and the final score was closer than it probably should have been. The Hawkeyes capped a perfect regular season with a 28-20 victory.

Mike Riley finishes his first season as the head coach at Nebraska and though last year’s firing of Bo Pelini stunned a lot of fans, including myself, expectations were still high for the program. In a weak division, Nebraska was supposed to be one of the last teams standing in the hunt for Indianapolis. Six losses in the team’s first nine games was the last thing anyone expected from this talented roster. The only wins they manage through the first two months of the season were against South Alabama, Southern Mississippi and Minnesota, who regressed tremendously since last season.

The Huskers showed how dangerous they can be when they shocked Michigan State a few weeks ago, and though it looks like they may still win the east, the Spartans are on the outside of the college football playoff, looking in. The Hawkeyes are seen as vulnerable in the eyes of many, and Nebraska was hoping to play spoiler once again. The Cornhuskers hung around for most of the game, but were never really in it considering how poorly quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. performed.

Armstrong has been explosive but mistake-prone in a frustrating season, and showcased his flaws with a disastrous four interception performance against the Hawkeyes. His season ends with 16 pics and 21 touchdowns.

Imani Cross was the offensive standout for Nebraska on Friday with two touchdowns on the ground, but managed just 55 yards on 19 carries.

The Hawkeyes didn’t play a perfect football game, but Nebraska made it pretty easy for them to keep their perfect season intact. As for the Huskers, next season should definitely show improvement under Riley, who you should definitely expect to be back. 2015 was a disaster, but I wouldn’t expect this to become a habit for Nebraska.

Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten Football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.