Matt Rhule hints at bitter motivation as Nebraska prepares for showdown with Iowa

With the blowout loss to Penn State, Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule knows that his team's game against Iowa has taken on more importance. Granted, considering how bitter the rivalry is and how often the Hawkeyes have won of late, it was already important.

Earlier this week, he talked about the game, and while he gave plenty of lip service to respecting Iowa and the job its coaches do, his comments underline that there is no love lost for the team just across the border.

"I don't know how they feel about us." Rhule said while addressing the media on Monday. "I respect any coach that's done what they've done, as long as that's true. I think all of us are just— we're focused on us right now. And at the end of the day, it's about trying to win a game."

Why Matt Rhule’s comments signal a fired-up Nebraska ahead of Iowa matchup

Then the Nebraska head coach let it slip that he's got a bone to pick with Iowa.

"You know," Rhule added. "Two years in a row. And I've watched them, you know, kick a field goal to win it and walk off the field and watch them celebrate."

"Tell us, you know, hey, have a Merry Christmas, you know, because they knew we weren't going to a bowl. So to the victor belongs the spoils, you know."

While the Nebraska football head coach claimed there wasn't any bad blood, the situations he referenced hint that he at least doesn't remember them in a fond light. He'll always want to beat Iowa for apparent reasons. It sure feels like it would be extra sweet, though.