Bo Pelini had one word to describe quarterback Tommy Armstrong's performance against Iowa: gutsy. "That is one of the gutsiest performance I've ever seen," the head coach said.
While it wasn't a perfect performance, Pelini's description was correct. Looking at Armstrong's numbers, he took a poor first-half performance and turned it around to help the Huskers come back in the second.
When it comes down to it, the success of the 2014 season really can be credited to the players. From seniors Kenny Bell and AmeerAbdullah to sophomore Nate Gerry and freshman De'Mornay Pierson-El, it was a team effort that got Nebraska to its 9-3 record.
Before taking any questions after the game, Pelini was clear that it was the players who made all the difference.
"I've been around a long time and coached a lot of years but I don't know if I've ever been more proud than of the guys in that room," he said. "The character they showed, the fight. I mean, a lot of guys down. A lot of things going against us and they kept fighting. It's all you can ask as a coach."
With talk about Pelini's future controlling most of the conversation recently, it would have been easy to get distracted. The injuries to veteran starters and the short week before Iowa also could have been problematic, yet the Nebraska players kept fighting.
Things looked bleak when the Huskers were down 24-7. Yet, the players didn't quit. And if there's anything worth celebrating, it's that.
"I knew our kids would keep fighting," Pelini reiterated during the postgame press conference.
That's a true statement for most of this season. It wasn't always pretty and it didn't always end in the result fans wanted, but it was a team that kept fighting.
Abdullah specifically carried this team from start to finish (both against Iowa and all season). Back in September, Nebraska was struggling to defeat McNeese State. That was until Abdullah had something to say about it.
"He put the team on his back and won the game," Pelini said at that time. "Thank God for Ameer. He showed why he is who he is."
Against the Hawkeyes, Abdullah wasn't alone. He had teammates like Pierson-El out to make the big plays too. After Iowa's punter prevented the freshman from returning a punt, Pierson-El decided that things would be different the next time. "He got me one time, I wasn't going to let it happen again," he said.
And sure enough, Pierson-El returned a punt 80 yards for the touchdown, which secured Nebraska a 28-24 lead at the time.
"He competes, he loves to play," Pelini said about Pierson-El. "He doesn’t act like a freshman. He has a smile on his face. He loves the moment. To be a freshman and go back and return punts the way he does, it’s not easy to do. He’s fearless about it and he played really well."
If nothing else, the performance against Iowa showed resilience. Despite all of the talk surrounding the future of Nebraska's coaches, the players tuned it out and kept playing. That alone is what made 2014 a success.
There will be a lot of talk going forward around Pelini's job, as well as the jobs of his assistants. It was brought up again in the postgame press conference before Pelini brushed it aside, saying it's the last thing he's currently thinking about.
And it likely is the last thing on his mind. During many games this season, Pelini's team stepped up when it needed to. So when it's time to give credit where credit is due, it should fall to the players who made it happen.
Is there anything more a coach could want? Not as far as Pelini's concerned.
All quotes and stats obtained via Huskers' postgame press conference, both against McNeese State and Iowa, unless otherwise noted.
Read more Big Ten Football news on BleacherReport.com