The Hawkeyes used the rally in the second half to defeat the Huskers in the Heroes Game

IOWA CITY, Ia. – It was a defensive slugfest Friday night at Kinnick Stadium between Iowa and Nebraska that ended in a similar fashion to last season’s Heroes Game.

The Hawkeyes rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to pull ahead of the Huskers 13-10 in front of 69,250 fans. For the second straight year, the contest ended with a walk-off field goal and the exact same score as the 2023 meeting in Lincoln.

It was Iowa’s second straight victory over Nebraska, and now the program has won nine of the last 10 in the series. Coach Kirk Ferentz couldn’t be prouder of his team. Finally, the Hawkeyes held on after a scoreless first half, took advantage of the Huskers’ turnovers and made the necessary plays in the final period. What’s even more telling is the fact that Iowa was able to pull off the win despite finishing with a season-low 164 yards of total offense.

“I know stats are important, but sometimes you just have to find a way to win and our team did that,” Ferentz said. “Losing 10-0… I think our guys really dug in and played when it mattered most, and that’s really what you have to do if you want to be successful. We kept working, it’s already starting to happen and they believe in each other too, such big things.”

However, the Hawkeyes got off to a shaky start. Quarterback Dylan Raiola led Nebraska (6-6) with a 10-play drive that lasted more than five minutes after halftime on its first possession. After that field goal, the Huskers later put together a 12-play touchdown drive near the end of the first half. The crowd was silent, and obviously Nebraska had all the momentum.

The halftime stats were embarrassing for Iowa. The Huskers had 10 first downs and the Hawkeyes had none. Nebraska had 182 total yards of offense and Iowa had 20. Additionally, quarterback Jackson Stratton had just eight yards through the air and running back Kaleb Johnson totaled just 16 yards on the ground.

However, Ferentz made some adjustments at halftime and the Hawkeyes kept their heads high in the second half. Although there wasn’t much offensive fireworks in the last 30 minutes, there were some big plays. Nebraska missed an opportunity to take a 13-0 lead after a failed field goal attempt, and momentum shifted to Iowa’s side for the rest of the game.

Shortly after, Husker wideout Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda thwarted a punt return, which the Hawkeyes were able to recover. The loss of possession gave Iowa’s offense excellent field position at Nebraska’s four-yard line. The Hawkeyes failed to score in the end zone, but kicker Drew Stevens got the team on the scoreboard with a 20-yard field goal. Ferentz believed he made the right decision at the moment by taking the points instead of going for fourth and goal.

“I mean, I’ll be honest, I didn’t have confidence that we were going to make it to fourth-and-1 down there,” he said. “I know that if we don’t get points at this point it could be problematic, so I’m hoping something would happen later in the half and luckily it happened.”

Iowa’s defense went one better after that, stopping the run and completely shutting down Nebraska’s offense. The biggest offensive play of the game came in the fourth quarter. Johnson caught a pass from Stratton out of the backfield, broke five tackles and took the pigskin 72 yards to the house.

The stunning play sent the crowd into a frenzy and ended the game at 10 minutes. Late in the fourth quarter, the game was heading toward overtime when the Huskers had possession of the ball at their own 43-yard line with 25 seconds left on the clock. Then came the biggest defensive play of the evening. Raiola dropped back to attempt a pass, but linebacker Max Llewellyn sacked the Gunslinger and also forced and recovered the fumble.

Nebraska’s loss of possession gave Iowa’s offense excellent field position to win the game with a field goal. Despite the freezing temperatures and a tough football, Stevens hit a 53-yard field goal as time expired and the Hawkeyes excitedly stormed down the field. Ferentz was so excited that Stevens proved to be a team hero, considering he was benched in the final game due to inconsistency.

“Drew has done nothing but mature, he worked hard and deserved everything he got,” said the 69-year-old coach. “He’s done the hard work, he kicked with great confidence in windy conditions last week and tonight it wasn’t a chip shot. I think we all felt like, hey, he’s going to make it.”

The Hawkeyes celebrated with the fans as they lifted the Heroes Trophy and headed back to the locker room. After the smoke cleared, Iowa outscored Nebraska 8-4 in the second half. The Huskers led the Hawkeyes in total offense, plays, first downs and time of possession, but still lost. Iowa didn’t convert even a single third down the entire game.

Because of this, stats may be less important to Ferentz, and the only thing that matters to him is a win in November. Stratton completed eight of his 15 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Johnson was held in check most of the time and only hit the ground after 45 yards. However, he led the team in receiving yards and scored the Hawkeyes’ only touchdown of the game.

Defensively, Iowa was tenacious and made a statement in the trenches. Linebacker Jay Higgins had a team-best 12 tackles, including one for loss. Defensive back Sebastian Castro added 11 stops and forced a fumble. Ethan Hurkett was a threat off the edge with nine tackles, including three for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Defensive lineman Aaron Graves also let Raiola eat grass.

Now the Hawkeyes have a lot of momentum heading into the upcoming bowl season. Most importantly, Ferentz is glad he was able to send off his seniors with a great win and a lasting impression on the fans.

“I’m really proud of the boys for how they finished on November 3rd and 1st. We had a lot to overcome, so we’re just proud of the effort everyone put in.”