Injuries were part of it, yes. The Huskers played multiple games without Jordan Westerkamp, and almost four full games without Cethan Carter. Left guard Jerald Foster missed the first nine games. Other O-linemen got dinged. Starting QB Tommy Armstrong missed a game and was clearly slowed as a runner against Iowa.
Still, the sharp dive in the numbers won't look good to Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf.
After the Iowa trip, NU's total offense average dropped to 386.1 yards per game, which ranks 85th nationally and is 60 yards less per game than last year's output, which ranked 34th.
The scoring offense dipped to 26.8 points per game, which ranks 76th nationally, NU's worst output since it averaged 25.1 in 2009.
Nebraska also hasn't crossed the 30-point barrier since the season's fifth game, against Illinois on Oct. 1. A late, long Terrell Newby touchdown kept the Huskers from going all conference season without scoring in the 30s.
Rushing offense? Newby had his moments, specifically in fourth quarters, though he'll still need 136 yards in the bowl game to give this team a 1,000-yard rusher. The goal Riley set of being a top-three rushing offense in the league probably won't be met.
Nebraska currently is sixth in the league in rushing yardage, and 63rd nationally, averaging 178.2 yards a game. (By the way, before holding up Iowa as a shining example of ground-and-pound football, just know the Hawkeyes ranked 72nd nationally over the long haul of this season.)
If you go by average yards per rush for the Huskers, it was slightly worse, with NU ranking 77th, averaging 4.3 per carry. The Huskers averaged 4.7 a rush last season.
NU's passing offense, meanwhile, ranked 90th, with the Huskers picking up 207 yards per game in the air. Armstrong's completion percentage is at 51.4, which is almost 4 percentage points below last year and just below his freshman season.