Iowa City, IA (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 36 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 Sports Network