A 53-yard field goal by Iowa kicker Drew Stevens capped an all-time comeback in Week 14, defeating Nebraska 13-10 in the closing seconds of the game in Iowa City on Friday night.

Trailing 10-0 until the end of the third quarter, Iowa managed five first downs on the night and failed to convert third down on 10 attempts.

The game was a throwback to the days of Big Ten West football, a year after the conference’s newly introduced expansion to 18 schools.

Towards the end of the first half, there were 13 drives in which both teams traded punts or field goals. It was the final drive on which the Cornhuskers, who finished their season 6-6 and were bowl eligible for the first time in eight years, reached the end zone.

The Hawkeyes were led by quarterback Jackson Stratton and running back Kaleb Johnson. Despite less than stellar numbers, Stratton’s single touchdown pass to Johnson was enough to keep Iowa afloat.

Nebraska failed to secure the ball in the final seconds of regulation as quarterback Dylan Raiola fumbled to give the Hawkeyes a short field, which ultimately led to the game-winning kick.

Iowa and Nebraska end the regular season in opposite directions

Iowa’s win capped an 8-4 regular season. It won its last two games and three of its last four, including wins against Maryland, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the Cornhuskers’ season spiraled out of control after they were ranked No. 1 in the AP poll in late September. After starting the year 5-1, with their only loss to that point coming against Illinois, they managed to lose four straight. The loss included a 56-7 loss to Indiana, a four-point loss to Ohio State and subsequent losses to both West Coast Big Ten schools: UCLA and USC.

Now both teams are waiting for their bowl fate. Entering Week 14, Iowa was projected to earn a spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl against South Carolina, while Nebraska was predicted to secure a spot in the Duke Mayo Bowl against Syracuse. Both projections are subject to change pending the results of Saturday’s games and next week’s conference championship slate.

Iowa has now beaten Nebraska the last two seasons, with both games ending with a game-winning field goal.

Long live the Big Ten West.