Associated Press Photo
IOWA CITY, Iowa (Sports Network) - Alonzo Whaley picked off Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg late in a defensive battle, and the 17th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers clinched a berth in the Big Ten championship game with a 13-7 victory over the Hawkeyes.
Down at halftime, Rex Burkhead put Nebraska (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) ahead with a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The Cornhuskers' defense did the rest of the work, smothering Vandenberg and the Iowa offense.
The Hawkeyes' defense did manage to limit Taylor Martinez to 63 yards on 8- of-14 passing and 41 yards on the ground.
Nebraska, which has won six in a row, edged Michigan for the Legends Division crown and will face Wisconsin in the conference title game Dec. 1 in Indianapolis.
Iowa (4-8, 2-6) ended its season on a six-game slide.
The Cornhuskers were far from conservative on their first possession of the second half. Trailing 7-3 and facing a 4th-and-1 from the Nebraska 44-yard line, Burkhead moved the chains with a 5-yard gain. The drive eventually stalled and Brett Maher drilled a 52-yard field goal.
Nebraska got the ball back off a Vandenberg interception, but Iowa's defense forced a three-and-out. But on their next touch, the Cornhuskers needed only four plays to grab the lead.
Starting from the Iowa 43, Ben Cotton made a 19-yard grab, Braylon Heard ran for 18 yards and Martinez preceded Burkhead's score with a short run.
The Cornhuskers prevented the Hawkeyes from crossing midfield over the final 18:10.
Nebraska started the game by orchestrating a 16-play drive that chewed up eight-plus minutes of the clock and ended with Maher connecting from 26 yards.
Iowa, though, responded on its first possession when Vandenberg capped a 12- play trek by scoring on a QB keeper.
The second quarter was highlighted by missed opportunities for the Hawkeyes. They recovered two fumbles, one on a punt and another by Martinez on an attempted handoff, but wound up turning the ball over downs and punting.
Iowa kicker Mike Meyer also missed a 42-yard try in the dying seconds of the first half.