Another walk-off moment for Iowa football against Nebraska

IOWA CITY – For the second straight year, the Iowa-Nebraska rivalry came to a 10-10 deadlock in the second period of the fourth quarter.

But this time the shoe was on the other Iowa foot.

Drew Stevens, a year after being substituted at halftime of Iowa’s game at Nebraska, hit a 53-yard walk-off field goal to give the Hawkeyes their only lead of the game and a dramatic 13-10 victory with one out a disjointed, ice-cold audience at Kinnick Stadium.

A year ago, Ethan Hurkett’s improbable last-minute interception and Marshall Meeder’s flurry 39-yard field goal set up the Hawkeyes for a 13-10 walk-off win at Lincoln and the Heroes Trophy.

Kaleb Johnson was held in check with 45 rushing yards, but his 72-yard touchdown reception lifted Iowa to a 13-10 victory over Nebraska.

This time, Max Llewellyn was the defensive hero for the Hawkeyes, who finished their regular season with an 8-4 record while handing Nebraska a devastating loss and a 6-6 finish.

Without the heroics of Kaleb Johnson, the Hawkeyes could have escaped from their own building.

Johnson made a superhuman play on the first play of the fourth quarter, Iowa trailed 10-3 and its offense was nearing the end of a completely futile performance. But on a screen pass on 2nd-and-13, Johnson bounced off a tackler at the line of scrimmage, appeared to stack back up for a short gain, but kept his legs going and somehow got loose down the right sideline. From there, Johnson made a sharp cut near midfield to separate two Nebraska defenders, who collided and then outran each Cornhusker all the way to the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown reception. We thank Dayton Howard for continuing to stick with the game and offering help with downfield blocking.

On this night, it felt like a Johnson long gainer or a defensive touchdown were the only two ways for Iowa to get into the end zone, and that’s exactly what happened as the score tied at 10-10 and made it one A hectic finish came for the 69,250 fans who braved the freezing cold at Kinnick Stadium.

An unusual third quarter gave the Hawkeyes a chance

With the exception of the Ohio State game, the third quarter has been Iowa’s quarter this season. The Hawkeyes had a 115-55 lead in the third quarter of that game and, in bizarre fashion, won the third quarter 3-0.

Nebraska missed a short field goal wide left with 9:26 left in the third period, highlighting a strong opening drive after halftime. Iowa scored a field goal of its own with 4:30 left in the quarter, but that was a major disappointment after the game’s first turnover had prepared the offense for more. John Nestor recovered a botched punt return attempt at the Cornhuskers’ 4-yard line. But two unsuccessful Johnson runs and a 2-yard pass to Luke Lachey set up Iowa’s fourth-and-goal on the 2-yard pass, and Kirk Ferentz opted to seal the three points with a 20-yard kick to get Stevens.

Iowa entered the fourth quarter with 65 total yards, but still had a chance while trailing 10-3.

Iowa’s first down plays in the first half? Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run

One of those was a two-yard scramble by Jackson Stratton, but the point remains the same. Eight games, no passes. The Hawkeyes were so timid about relying on the pass that Nebraska fearlessly set up the box and was in absolute control of the first half.

The Hawkeyes gained 20 yards on six-plus possessions in the first half. Twenty snaps, 20 yards, one first down. Johnson, the Big Ten’s all-time leader, managed a first-down run for 11 yards, but his other six first-down carries were minus-1, minus-1, 4, minus-1, 4 and 0.

When people complain about defenses “stacking the box,” it can sometimes be an exaggeration. But Nebraska rightfully had all 11 defenders within seven yards of the offensive line at times, daring offensive coordinator Tim Lester to make a pass. Stratton was 2-for-6 passing for 8 yards in the first half and was sacked once for minus-6 rushing.

Lester has been good all year at making adjustments in the second half. In this case he was probably too slow. But the three-play drive that ended with Johnson’s 72-yard touchdown catch began with a 17-yard pass from Stratton to Jacob Gill. Given Nebraska’s defensive game plan, it made sense to finally open things up.

Poor punting conditions alter Iowa’s usual game plan

In addition to the poor offense in the first half, Iowa’s punt game was as bad in the first 30 minutes as it has been all year. Newcomer Rhys Dakin’s first cold-weather game got off to a rocky start, with uncharacteristically ugly-looking kicks compared to his usual high spirals.

It’s not that the Kicks were terrible, but having Tory Taylor for four years probably makes the team feel spoiled. For example, in the first quarter, Ferentz decided to punt on quarter-and-inches from Nebraska’s 49-yard line. Dakin’s wobbly kick from 32 yards to Nebraska’s 17 yards lacked the coffin-corner precision needed to reward such a decision.

After Dakin’s first punt of the day went 45 yards, his next five punts were 34, 32, 36, 34 and 33, for an average of 35.7. Considering Dakin entered the game with a 44.9-yard average, ranked 18th nationally, that was a significant disadvantage in a back-and-forth first half that left the score 3-0 after 11 possessions. Consider the yardage of five first downs that Iowa normally considers gone.

To be fair, Nebraska punter Brian Buschini averaged just 33.8 yards per kick in the crucial first half. A punting trip in cold weather is rarely a pretty sight.

Dakin’s punting in the second half was much better. His high punt in the third quarter definitely added to the Nebraska muff. And early in the fourth quarter, he hit one for 49 yards, then 54, when Iowa needed him to bring Nebraska back to its own 20 yards with 1:42 left.

No bowl for Wisconsin; What’s next for Iowa?

Black Friday began with a somewhat shocking development considering how Wisconsin football felt when it hired Luke Fickell two years ago. With a 24-7 home loss to Minnesota, the Badgers went from a 5-2 start to a 5-7 finish… ending their 22-year streak of bowl appearances.

Losing bowl prep in December is a big deal for a developmental program, and that’s why Iowa always welcomes any bid for a bowl game. Ferentz’s teams have been invited to bowl games 12 years in a row and 16 of the last 17 years. The Hawkeyes are using the additional practice sessions in December to increase the reps of younger players who have been either special teamers or scout teamers before returning to the “league.” Regular players” in the last week or two before the game.

With the win, Iowa’s most likely bowl destination is the Reliaquest Bowl on Dec. 31 in Tampa. This is the former Outback Bowl, a game the Hawkeyes have played in six times under Ferentz but not since the 2018 season. Assuming four Big Ten teams make the playoffs (Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana), that would likely put Illinois in the Citrus (which wants a fresh team after losing in the last had Iowa twice in three years) and Iowa plays in Tampa against an SEC opponent is still being determined.

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