Nebraska football loses heartbreaker to Iowa in reminiscent fashion

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The Nebraska football team lost another one score game to Iowa on Friday, getting beat 13-10 at Kinnick Stadium.

The loss marks the fourth time in the last six years Iowa has won on a game winning field goal as time expired, including 2018, 2019 and 2023.

Nebraska had the ball with less than one minute left in the game, but Iowa’s Max Llewellyn got a strip sack on Dylan Raiola to set up a 53-yard field goal from Drew Stevens as time expired.

On paper, Nebraska completely dominated the game on offense and defesne.

The Huskers tallied 334 total yards, compared to Iowa’s 164. The Hawkeyes only rushed for 49 yards, while Nebraska ran for 144 yards.

Nebraska totaled 20 first downs, while the Hawkeyes only had five. Iowa was also 0-10 on third down conversions.

But the game came down to the turnover margin. Iowa recovered two fumbles, coming out on top of the turnover margin +2.

Raiola finished the game completing 22 of his 32 passes for 190 yards and no touchdowns.

Jahmal Banks led the Huskers through the air with 41 receiving yards on four catches. Tight end Nate Boerkircher was right behind him with two catches for 39 yards.

Emmett Johnson was the lead back for Nebraska, tallying 71 yards on 18 carries. Dante Dowdell scored the lone touchdown for the Huskers while also racking up 50 yards on 13 carries.

Quarterback Jackson Stratton completed eight of his 15 passes for Iowa, totaling 115 yards and a touchdown.

Out of his 115 yards, 72 of them came on a touchdown pass to Kaleb Johnson in the fourth quarter. Johnson was the lead receiver for the Hawkeyes with two catches for 73 yards.

Only one other receiver had more than 10 yards for Iowa.

Johnson led the Hawkeyes with 45 yards rushing on 17 carries.

The Huskers finish the 2024 campaign with a 6-6 record, and will wait to hear their bowl game placement in the coming weeks.

First Quarter

The Nebraska defense took the field first and looked strong early. The Blackshirts forced a long third down and got off the field, giving the ball to the offense.

Dylan Raiola and the offense took the ball down the field in efficient fashion, but they stalled out in the red zone and got a 31-yard field goal from John Hohl, giving Nebraska a 3-0 lead.

The Blackshirts were strong throughout the first quarter, allowing zero first downs and only 10 total yards.

Second Quarter

The second quarter was much like the first, a strong Nebraska defense with an offense that was putting together some drives.

Towards the end of the first half, Nebraska put together a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown rush from Dante Dowdell, giving the Huskers a 10-0 lead at the break.

The Blackshirts were the story of the first half, only allowing 20 total yards and 0 points.

The defensive line held the second leading rusher in the country to just 16 yards rushing on 10 attempts.

Jackson Stratton completed two of his seven passes for eight yards.

Raiola completed 10 of his 14 passes for 96 yards and no touchdowns. Jahmal Banks led the Nebraska receivers with 35 yards on three catches.

Emmett Johnson was the lead back for the Huskers, tallying 46 yards on nine carries.

Third Quarter

Nebraska started with the ball in the third quarter and put together an 11-play, 65-yard drive but a missed field goal from Hohl gave the ball to the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes punted the ball away on the ensuing drive and the ball was touched by freshman linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr. and recovered by the Hawkeyes inside the Nebraska 5-yard line.

But the Blackshirts stood tall once again. The Hawkeyes were held to a 20-yard field goal, making the score 10-3 Nebraska.

Fourth Quarter

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Stratton threw a swing pass to Johnson, and he took it 72-yards to the end zone to tie the game at 10.

The two teams went back and forth the rest of the way, but on Nebraska’s final drive, Raiola dropped back to pass and fumbled the ball after getting sacked.

Iowa recovered the fumble and kicked a game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Hawkeyes a 13-10 win.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The Nebraska football team looks to wrap up the 2024 regular season on Friday, as the Huskers travel to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes at 6:30 p.m. on NBC.

The Huskers head to Kinnick Stadium with some momentum following a 44-25 victory over Wisconsin, giving the Big Red their sixth win and bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

This is the 14th-straight season the Huskers and the Hawkeyes will matchup against each other, and the 55th time overall.

Nebraska owns a 30-21-3 edge in the all-time series against the Hawkeyes, but Iowa has a 9-4 record against Nebraska since playing as Big Ten foes.

The road team in this series has won the past three matchups and nine of the last 12 meetings overall, including Nebraska’s 24-17 win at Kinnick Stadium in 2022.

The past six meetings have been decided by a total of 29 points. Iowa has a 5-1 record in that span, including game winning field goals as time expired in 2018, 2019 and 2023.

Nebraska and Iowa will battle for the Heroes Trophy, but more importantly, the teams will honor a hero from each state. Edgar Estrada will be the Nebraska honoree.

Iowa need-to-knows

Iowa comes into the regular season finale with a 7-4 record and a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten.

In their last showing, the Hawkeyes ran all over Maryland, racking up 268 yards on the ground and beating the Terrapins 29-13.

Overall, the Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in rushing yards per game with 213.5. That mark ranks them 13th nationally.

One of the biggest improvements for Iowa this season is running back Kaleb Johnson. So far, Johnson has ran for 1,492 yards and 21 touchdowns, making him one of the best running backs in the country.

He is averaging 6.7 yards per carry and hasn’t put the ball on the turf all season.

The Hawkeyes once again have one of the best defenses in the country. They allow just 17.7 points per game and rank first in the Big Ten in turnover margin.

Third string quarterback Jackson Stratton is making his second start for the Hawkeyes on Friday. He is a walk-on transfer from Colorado State.

In his first start, Stratton completed 13 of his 20 passes for 104 yards and no touchdowns.

Nebraska will have a significant advantage at the quarterback position if they can stop the Hawkeyes on the ground.

This week’s numbers

6: The past six meetings between Nebraska and Iowa have been decided by 7 points or fewer, including three games by three points. The total margin in the past six games is 29 points.

35: Friday’s game will mark the 35th consecutive season Nebraska has played on Black Friday, including the past 14 years against Iowa. The Huskers own a 20-14 record since 1990 in Black Friday games.

44: Nebraska’s 44-point scoring outburst against Wisconsin was the highest point total in two seasons under Matt Rhule. It was also the most points scored by Nebraska since beating Northwestern 56-7 in 2021, a span of 41 games.

Score predictions

Nate Johnson: Huskers win, 27-14

Jake Homan: Huskers win, 27-17

Mark Fischer: Huskers win, 28-10