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Nebraska is far-and-away the all-time leader in AP Poll appearance streaks with a string of 348 consecutive weeks in the AP Poll from 1981-2002.
It was thisclose to being even longer. The Cornhuskers started the 1981 season at #6 and dropped to #7 before playing a game. Then they lost at Iowa by a FG and dropped to #17. A home win over FSU got them up to #15 but then they lost at home to Penn State by 6 and failed to appear in the AP Polls released on September 28 and October 5 but by October 12 they were back at #19 after blowout wins over Auburn and Colorado.
The thing is that Nebraska's two early losses weren't bad in retrospect. Iowa finished 8-4, BigTen Champions, and #18. Penn State finished 10-2 and #3 and, for their part, Nebraska finished 9-3 and #11 (the third loss that season was to NC Clemson in the Orange Bowl). Nebraska was ranked in every poll from 1978-1980, only missed one in 1977, and was ranked in every poll from 1970-1976. As impressive as Nebraska's streak is, it was VERY close to being 11 years longer.
Hayden's hawks had 28 passing yards in the game
HAWKEYES STUN HUSKERS IN OPENERThere weren’t many among the 60,160 who jammed Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium who thought they were watching a matchup of the eventual Midwest entries in the Rose and Orange Bowls. There probably weren’t a whole lot more who thought Iowa would avenge a 57-0 slaughter the Hawkeyes had suffered in Lincoln the year before.
However, Iowa took advantage of excellent field position to jump to a 10-0 first-half lead, then held on to win a 10-7 stunner over the seventh-ranked Huskers.
The Hawkeye defense held the Huskers to their lowest total offense output of the season – 234 yards – and stopped the Nebraska offense three straight times in Iowa territory after Roger Craig’s one-yard TD had pulled the Huskers within 10-7 early in the final period. NU was stymied in the fourth quarter by a missed 30-yard field goal, a fumble, and Lou King’s diving interception, which secured Iowa’s victory with 39 seconds remaining.
In the first half, the Hawkeyes capitalized on a short punt and an interception to set up a two-yard TD run by Eddie Phillips and a 35-yard field goal by Lon Olejniczak. Meanwhile, the Huskers were held scoreless through three quarters for the first time since 1973 and didn’t get out of their own territory until late in the second period, partly because of Iowa punter Reggie Roby’s 50-plus yard average.
NU quarterbacks Mark Maurer and Nate Mason completed only 8-of-18 passes for 81 yards and rushed 12 times for minus-2 yards.
Iowa used its upset win as a launching pad to defeat such teams as UCLA, Michigan and Purdue and post its first winning season since 1961.
