LINCOLN, Neb. - It’s become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition unlike any other - close games between Nebraska and Iowa.

The last seven matchups between the Hawkeyes and Huskers have been decided by seven points or less with the last two going the way of Iowa on walk-off field goals. The Huskers say the reason for the clsoe games simply comes from the style of play.

“It’s a battle of culture and a battle of attrition,” Linebacker Javin Wright said. “The game is always going to come down to the fourth quarter because of the way we play and the way we approach the game.”

“It’s just the way our team and their team play football,” offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky said. “Both of us are comfortable in those close games now… It’s been one score since I’ve been here and Im sure it was before then too, but it just comes down to how the two teams play football.”

Iowa leads the series with Nebraska 10-4 as Big Ten opponents. Tight end Heinrich Haarberg says the Huskers and Hawkeyes see each other at offseason camps. He and Derek Branch say it’s a game of toughness.

“It’s a battle for who’s the toughest and hardest working,” Haarberg said. “I think this game really signifies that.”

“It’s a buckle your chin strap game,” Branch said. “It’s smash mouth, it’s going to come down to the fourth quarter and making a few plays at the end of the fourth quarter. Thet’s what we’ve been trying to pride ourselves on, which is this is a culture vs. culture game.”