Mark Dukes / 1600ESPN
At various times, college football brass have attempted to make sportsmanship a point of emphasis. Friday night at Kinnick Stadium, sportsmanship became a point of contention.
Nebraska captains refused to accept the handshakes of Iowa’s when the players met at midfield for the pre-game coin toss. That gesture stoked the ire of Iowa players and fans, resulting in video shown far and wide and reactions later from players and fans of both squads.
Was it the emotional turning point in what became an unlikely Iowa win? Hardly. Was it a “thing?” You bet, perhaps depending on which colors you wear.
For Iowa fans, the no-handshake gesture was viewed by many as classless. Some Nebraska folks think Iowa had it coming.
Mitch Sherman, who covers Nebraska for The Athletic and is a former Omaha World-Herald writer, offered the following:
“Seems some people need a reminder that Nebraska football does not like Iowa. The Hawkeyes have disrespected Nebraska repeatedly and did it again on Friday. Whether Nebraska has earned their respect is immaterial. The Huskers repaid the favor. Spare us the insincere audacity.”
Some words and actions in sports are the result of heat-of-the-moment reactions to an outcome (witness the aftermath of Saturday’s Michigan-Ohio State game). This, however, was planned.
Where did this all start? Perhaps it was after last year’s walk-off Iowa win in Lincoln, eerily similar to what happened in Iowa City Friday night. Perhaps it started long before.
Before the Black Friday game, Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule made this comment about his team’s 2023 walk-off loss: “Walking off the field after losing the way we lost, their players were waving at our guys (to) have a good Christmas; that was really painful.”
Was there more?
Rhule took a walk around the perimeter of the field before Friday’s game, apparently trapsing through the Iowa “warmup area” in the North end zone. And Iowa had six security officers positioned at midfield during warmups to “guard” the Hawkeye logo, where Nebraska players usually have a pre-game prayer.
Both seem petty. Rhule didn’t appear to disrupt any Iowa player activity during his stroll. And it seemed odd for Iowa to restrict access to a painted logo.
But the Cornhuskers took exception, to Hawkeye players’ perceived words and actions last year and to circumstances before this year’s game.
There are still unknowns. Was the handshake snub Rhule’s idea? Was it the Husker captains’ doing? Does Rhule endorse this? Nebraska captains were not made available for questions after the game. Rhule was not asked about it during his post-game news conference.
Since Iowa won, it is quite easy for Hawkeye players and fans to make it a big deal. Had Iowa lost, it would have been a mere footnote.
However large or small the issue may seem, it will not soon be forgotten by either side, making next year’s game in Lincoln all the more interesting.
In the meantime, have a good Christmas.
