With Senior Day and the Huskers’ final attempt at a bowl berth, everything was at stake for Nebraska. Despite a solid defense that was able to make big stops, the Blackshirts missed several chances to stop the run, allowing Iowa State’s offense to perform better than it has for most of the season. I did. On the other hand, Nebraska’s offense was not at its best, facing a tough defense and committing three turnovers in the game.
As a result, the Huskers lost in Big Ten fashion on a Hawkeye field goal in the final minute, ending the game and Nebraska’s season 10-13.
“Credit to Iowa,” head coach Matt Rhule said after the game. “They’re a really good football team. They play a certain way. Obviously, we had a chance going forward. We just couldn’t make it happen. Things that affected us all year long It also influenced us.”
The Blackshirts got off to a strong start with a three-and-out on the Hawkeyes’ first drive, followed by another forced punt. But Nebraska’s defense really shined after freshman defensive back Ethan Nation fumbled on a punt return, giving the ball to the Hawkeyes.
Iowa State sophomore wide receiver Caleb Brown was active with an 11-yard run, but was called for an illegal shift penalty on the next play and couldn’t do much after that. The Huskers were able to hold them to fourth-and-goal, and on a field goal attempt, junior defensive lineman Ty Robinson blocked the kick to keep the Hawkeyes scoreless.
Meanwhile, Nebraska’s offense made little progress in the first quarter with two forced punts and one turnover. Sophomore quarterback Chuva Purdy opted to throw for most of the first quarter but was unable to penetrate the Iowa defense.
On the Huskers’ punt at the end of the first quarter, an unnecessary Nebraska roughness penalty provided a nice impetus for the Hawkeyes, who made a number of runs down the field, including a 37-yard pass to senior tight end Steven Stilianos. I was able to achieve a gain. On third-and-1 at the beginning of the second quarter, Iowa defeated the Blackshirts with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore QB Deacon Hill and an extra point to make it 7-0 against the Huskers.
However, Nebraska could not fight back as Purdy fumbled on first down on the next drive and the Huskers committed their second turnover.
The next Hawkeye drive was the longest of the first half. In a span of 6 minutes and 40 seconds, Iowa’s best offense had two third-down conversions, as well as a fourth-and-1. However, the final third-down attempt resulted in no gain, allowing a successful 28-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0.
After a disappointing final drive, the Husker offense started to come to life. At first it looked like he might be forced to punt again, but on third-and-11, Purdy made a deep pass to freshman receiver Jalen Lloyd, who ran it home for a 66-yard touchdown with four minutes left in the first half. I decided. . Freshman kicker Tristan Albano made a nice extra point attempt and suddenly it was 10-7.
The next drive was also good for the Iowa offense, allowing them to make big gains on the ground as junior running back Leshon Williams ran 53 yards for a first-and-goal. However, after two incomplete passes by Hill, the Hawkeyes elected to attempt a 24-yard field goal. Nebraska again managed to block the kick, this time by junior defensive lineman Nash Hutmacher. The ball was recovered by Iowa, but it was ruled a dead ball and Cole stood.
At the end of the first half, three more points were scored and Nebraska was out. The Blackshirts showed again in the first half with two blocked kicks and a career-high tackle. Senior linebacker Luke Reimer had seven tackles in the first half, ranking third in Nebraska with 290 total tackles, and junior defensive back Isaac Gifford had eight tackles in the first half.
The start to the second half was slow, with each team’s first drive resulting in a punt and Purdy and Heil having trouble making passes. But on Nebraska’s next drive, a pass to freshman running back Emmett Johnson led to an 11-point gain and helped the Huskers get a first down. He continued that momentum on third-and-11 with a 25-yard pass to senior wide receiver Joshua Freaks for another first down. Although the third down conversion was unsuccessful, Albano made a 44-yard field goal to tie the score at 10-10 with six minutes left in the quarter.
The remaining drives in the third quarter were all 3-and-outs, with each defense making big stops to stop the runs. On the Huskers’ final drive of the quarter, Purdy attempted a 14-yard rush and then fumbled the ball. Rather than being turned over again, the ball was recovered by senior wide receiver Billy Kemp IV, much to the Huskers’ relief. Still, Nebraska was forced to punt to end the drive.
After a great punt by junior punter Brian Buschini brought Iowa to the 1-yard line, the Blackshirts again pushed past the Hawkeyes to the 50-yard line. Despite the false start penalty, Nebraska’s offense was able to complete a flurry of passes to Kemp and sophomore wide receiver Alex Bullock for a few points. Still, the Iowa defense was able to hold Albano to 4th-and-11 on a 44-yard field goal attempt that went wide to the left but was no good.
With five minutes remaining, there was a sense of urgency for both teams to score. On the next drive, the Iowa offense successfully converted on third down, but didn’t do much after that. Two-thirds down the drive, a pass from Hill to senior wide receiver Nico Ragaini was broken up by junior defensive back Tommy Hill, forcing another punt.
As time expired, the Huskers had a chance to score with 2:18 left. After a 9-yard gain on first down, the Huskers received a false start penalty, prompting a rule timeout. Nebraska got its revenge and got back on the field, gaining a first down on a 15-yard pass from Purdy to freshman wide receiver Malachi Coleman. Despite this glimmer of hope, a series of incomplete passes forced the Huskers to punt with his 55 seconds remaining.
Iowa’s offense was unable to make any headway on its first few attempts, resulting in an incomplete pass and a 2-yard sack of Hill. On third-and-12, Tomi Hill intercepted Hill’s pass and gave the ball back to the Huskers with 30 seconds left.
It was set to be the ending to Nebraska’s fairy tale. Purdy rushed his 3 on the first attempt and then got a timeout in the rules. With the game in jeopardy, it was a chance for the Huskers to end it in some way.
Hawkeye had other plans. On the next play, Purdy was intercepted by Iowa junior defensive lineman Ethan Harkett and returned 10 yards. A stunning play that left Husker fans speechless.
As for what happened with the pick, Rhule said he can’t say so he’ll have to look at the tape.
“Obviously there were no timeouts left,” Rhule said after the game. “They were trying to take a shot over Jalen.” [Lloyd] Also. Three levels of flooding occurred there. They made all three downs there. It looked like we picked it up…we shouldn’t have seen the defender there. ”
With 15 seconds left, Iowa’s Williams rushed for a 22-yard first down, then took a knee and attempted a 38-yard field goal. The kick was made in the final seconds in front of 86,000 fans, giving Iowa a 13-10 victory.
Despite the devastating loss, Rhule remains optimistic about the program’s future and believes the consistent mistakes will be corrected.
“Everything will get better,” Ruhl said. “Maybe this is where we are now. Sometimes people look at it from the outside and think, “We did something amazing,” or “We lost another short game.” I looked at it like, ‘These guys, how many guys are going to go down and keep putting guys in and then we just fight, right? “I believe. ”
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