Nebraska Football: 3 reasons the Huskers can beat Iowa

The run game can open things up for the offense

The Nebraska offense has been on a roll lately and despite a tough day against Michigan State, in some difficult weather conditions, the Huskers have racked up 450 yards of total offense in seven of the past eight games.

Martinez has been a big part of that, but maybe the most important piece of the offense has been running back Devine Ozigbo, who has been on an absolute tear. The senior ran for 74 yards on 15 carries against Michigan State last week, which owns the best-run defense in the Big Ten, so the fact that the Hawkeyes rank second in rush yards allowed shouldn’t faze Nebraska.

After a slow start to the season, Ozigbo has averaged 123 yards per game over the last seven outings and he also has nine rushing touchdowns.

Running the ball against Iowa or really in any game is always going to be key. But if the Huskers can keep ahead of the chains and force Iowa to devote more resources to stopping the run, it will open up some big plays and also be of great help to the offensive line, which really needs to keep Martinez upright to win.