Lincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for the BlackFriday showdown with Iowa practicing for just more than 90 minutes on Wednesday afternoon inside the Hawks Championship Center.

Head Coach Bo Pelini met with media members after practice, noting that the team has had a good short week of practice leading into Friday’s matchup with the Hawkeyes.

“We finished up the week well, I think our kids are looking forward to the game. I know we have a lot of friends and family in town, so it is going to be their job to keep that in perspective, enjoy their families but get ready to play football,” Pelini said. “We are looking forward to it. As far as injuries and who is starting, most of that will be a game-time decision.”

With Nebraska playing on Black Friday every year since Pelini has been here, Pelini noted that he isn’t going to change anything up in his short week of preparation for Friday’s showdown in the Hyvee Heroes game.

“Exactly the same formula, obviously you have to compact it a little bit more,” Pelini said. “Obviously, I have been through that a number of times in college and in the pros. I like the schedule we have built there and understand in a short week you can still get your work done.”

Taking a step away from football, earlier on Wednesday, members of the Husker football team took time out of their schedule to visit Lincoln area hospitals. Members of team visited Bryan LGH Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Regional Medical Center, Madonna Rehabilitation Center and the Nebraska Heart Institute. The football team has visited area hospitals on the day before Thanksgiving each of the past several years.

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Thursday for a short walk through.. The Huskers will host Iowa in the third annual Hyvee Heroes game on Friday at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

Lincoln, Neb.-  The Nebraska football team continued its week of preparation for Friday’s regular-season finale against Iowa on Tuesday afternoon. The team practiced in shoulder pads and helmets for just over two hours inside the Hawks Center and outside at the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.

Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck addressed the media after practice, focusing on the 23 seniors who will play their last game at Memorial Stadium on Friday.

“It’s been an honor being able to be around these guys,” Beck said. “I’ve had the chance to watch them grow up as young men and persevere through a lot of tough times. They’ve had a lot of hard-fought games, and I’m proud of them for the work they’ve put in together.”

According to Beck, saying goodbye to the seniors will be difficult, but the emotions won’t linger too long after the kickoff. After all, there’s still a rivalry game to be played.

“These games are always emotional,” Beck said. “Once the game gets started, though, I don’t know how much that emotion still plays in. When you’re beating on a guy and he’s beating on you, I don’t think you’re too worried about all that other stuff.”

One senior Beck especially admires for his performance and leadership this season is wide receiver Quincy Enunwa. The team captain has 44 catches for 578 yards and nine touchdowns this season, including a 27-yard touchdown at Penn State on Saturday. According to Beck, Enunwa’s great work ethic has been the key to his success.

“The work that (Quincy Enunwa) has put in has shown up on the field,” Beck said. “He’s a great example of the fact that if you’re humble and work hard every day, you’re time will come. You’re going to get you’re moment, and he’s had it.”

The biggest concern for Enunwa this season has been the health of his quarterbacks. With fellow senior Taylor Martinez out due to injury and freshman Tommy Armstrong limited in practice again on Tuesday, the Huskers will most likely turn to senior Ron Kellogg III against the Hawkeyes. However, Beck mentioned that in the case of another injury, he’s confident in redshirt freshman Ryker Fyfe’s ability to step in and lead the team.

“(Ryker Fyfe) throws the ball very well, he can run and he’s tough,” Beck said. “He’s very instinctive. Sometimes he might throw to the wrong guy, but he makes up for it with a great pass. If we have to go to him, we’ll hang on and go.”

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Wednesday afternoon as the team moves closer to its final home game of the season. The Huskers will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — With one final kick, Pat Smith was swooped up and off for a ride on the shoulders of his Nebraska teammates.

He made the clutch kicks that Penn State’s Sam Ficken failed to make — and got the win, to boot.

Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal on Nebraska’s first possession in overtime to lift the Cornhuskers to a 23-20 win over Penn State on Saturday night.

He sent the game into OT with a tying field goal late in regulation, then had a 37-yarder in OT called back on a false start. Smith had no trouble with 5 extra yards, giving the Huskers (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten) their third win in four games.

“This is what you dream about. This is the reason I came to Nebraska,” Smith said. “It’s really unbelievable. This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. A lot of guys have been asking me, were you nervous. I was pumped up; these are the moments you live for.”

Ficken, who missed an extra point in regulation, missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt to open overtime. The Nittany Lions (6-5, 3-4) lost for the first time in three home OT games this season.

The Huskers could have won the game late in the fourth after Ameer Abdullah, who rushed for 147 yards, sprinted for a 60-plus yard touchdown run. But wide receiver Sam Burtch was flagged for a personal foul, wiping out the go-ahead score. Nebraska chewed more time off the clock and settled for Smith’s tying 19-yard field goal.

“It was tough out there today,” he said. “It was cold and windy and late in the game. You never know; you can leave it short.”

Not a chance.

Christian Hackenberg, who threw two touchdowns and ran for a score, gave Penn State a short-lived 20-17 lead when he found James down the sideline for a 46-yard TD pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Nittany Lions, who beat Michigan and Illinois in OT, couldn’t send the senior class out winners in the home finale.

Hackenberg hit Robinson in the second half for a 43-yard gain, perhaps the last big home-game gain for the junior wide receiver. A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Robinson holds Penn State single-season records for catches and yards and has put himself in prime position to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft. He has said he will wait until after the season to discuss his future.

Hackenberg threw an interception two plays later and Nebraska converted the turnover into a field goal for a 17-13 lead.

Turnovers and wasted plays on both sides defined this one.

Ron Kellogg III was stripped deep in Nebraska’s own territory, and defensive end C.J. Olaniyan was there to recover the fumble. Hackenberg quickly capitalized, fooling everyone on a fake handoff, then sprinting to his right and into the end zone for a 13-7 lead.

Snow was swirling, the band was playing, and the students who braved the cold were going wild.

Kenny Bell sucked the enthusiasm out of Beaver Stadium with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 14-13 lead. Purdue’s Raheem Mostert had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week. PSU coach Bill O’Brien said he planned no changes to the special teams unit, and Nebraska made PSU pay.

“We’ll continue to work hard in special teams,” O’Brien said. “They’re good kids working hard.”

Kellogg got the chance to lead the Huskers in the first after Tommy Armstrong Jr. was forced out with an ankle injury. Kellogg completed four straight passes, including a 27-yard TD pass to Quincy Enunwa early in the second quarter for a 7-6 lead.

“I thought Ron did some really good things out there today. There were some really tough conditions,” coach Bo Pelini said. “He provides great leadership. He obviously made some mistakes, but he did some good things.”

With leading rusher Bill Belton out with strep throat and a bad shoulder, the Nittany Lions gave the bulk of the carries to Zach Zwinak. He carried six straight times on Penn State’s third drive and that put the ball on Nebraska’s2. Hackenberg hit Adam Breneman for the short TD pass and the 6-0 lead.

Ficken’s point-after hit the upright and was no good, a costly miss that helped the Huskers keep the 7-6 lead at halftime.

Zwinak finished with 149 yards rushing. Robinson had eight catches for 106 yards.

The harsh penalties the NCAA levied against the program in 2012 in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal included a four-year bowl ban and scholarship cuts. The NCAA gave players an out — they could leave if they wanted without having to worry about transfer rules and play right away.

In the end, 10 players transferred, though more than 90 percent of the team stayed.

The bulk of this year’s class stuck it out, a group of players that impressed O’Brien daily with its work ethic, strong bond with the coaching staff, and ability to embrace a leadership role when the program needed them the most.

The seniors ran through a tunnel of teammates and greeted their families at midfield. They earned a video tribute that said the players, “led by your commitment, led by your loyalty, by your actions, led by example.”

“This senior class has a special place in Penn State history,” O’Brien said. “They stuck with this team in a very tough time.”

Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team concluded its preparations for Penn State by practicing for 90 minutes at the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday.

Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke to the media after practice and said he was pleased with the week overall.

“I thought we finished up well today,” Pelini said. “I liked the tempo today. I liked the energy. It will be a game-time decision with some of the guys up front. It’s kind of like last week as far as who’s injured and who’s going to play on the offensive line. We’ll go from there. I think our guys are looking forward to going out there and playing.”

With the Huskers banged up along the offensive line, the head coach discussed the development of sophomore guards Givens Price and Ryne Reeves. Pelini said both players have made excellent strides in recent weeks and are headed for bright futures in the Nebraska program.

“(Givens) has practiced well,” Pelini said. “He’s getting better. I think he’s had a good couple weeks. I think his confidence is growing. He’s excited. He has great energy. They’re just young but I’ve liked the way they’ve practiced the past couple weeks. I think it’s a work in progress with Givens but he’s a prideful kid. It’s important to him. He plays hard. He does the right things on and off the field.”

Pelini did say that receiver Jamal Turner will be part of the 70-man travel roster for the trip to Penn State. Turner has missed the past three games with a leg injury, but hopes to return to action on Saturday in State College. Pelini added that fellow receiver Taariq Allen could also be a factor in Saturday’s matchup.

“We have confidence in Taariq,” Pelini said. “I think his legs are getting more underneath him again. He came back so early that he was way ahead of schedule when he came back from his rehab. We thought it would be about right this time that he would be 100 percent. It’s almost on cue what our trainers said. It’s played out that way. I think he’s starting to feel better and he’s confident.”

The Huskers and Nittany Lions kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday and can be watched on the Big Ten Network.

Nebraska (7-3, 4-2 Big Ten) at Penn State (6-4, 3-3), 3:30 p.m. EST (Big Ten Network)

Line: Penn State by 2.

Series Record: Nebraska leads 8-7.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Nebraska is out of the Big Ten race after losing to Michigan State last week and is now jockeying for the best possible bowl. For Penn State, it’s Senior Day, and the Nittany Lions can assure themselves a winning record before they go to Wisconsin to finish the season next week.

KEY MATCHUP

Penn State WR Allen Robinson vs. Nebraska secondary. The semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award leads the Big Ten with a school-record 81 catches and better than 120 yards a game. CB Stanley Jean-Baptist, who matches Robinson’s height of 6-foot-3, probably will spend most of the afternoon assigned to Robinson. This should be fun to watch.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nebraska: QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. The question is how the redshirt freshman will respond after he committed three of his team’s five turnovers in the loss to Michigan State. He was able to survive at Michigan Stadium two weeks ago, so the atmosphere at 106,000-seat Beaver Stadium will be nothing new.

Penn State: The duo of RBs Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak will challenge the Huskers’ front seven. Each has run for more than 700 yards this season. Zwinak carried 21 times for 141 yards in a 32-23 loss to the Huskers in Lincoln last year.

FACTS & FIGURES

Nebraska and Penn State were designated as crossover opponents when the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. With the conference growing to 14 teams next year and splitting into West and East divisions, Nebraskaand Penn State aren’t scheduled to meet again until 2017 … Christian Hackenberg has a Penn State freshman-record seven 200-yard passing games. He’ll be facing a Nebraska pass rush that is fourth nationally with 32 sacks … Penn State’s 31 first downs against Purdue last week were its most in a game since 2005 …Nebraska’s punt return average of 3.6 yards is on track to be the Huskers’ lowest in the post-World War II era. The 1979 team averaged a school-record low of 5.7.