It was the kick Keith Duncan’s entire season has been pointing to.

Tie game. Hostile environment at Nebraska. The Heroes Trophy on the line. Almost 90,000 rowdy fans. Spitting rain. Cold weather. Six seconds on the clock. A perfect time for Duncan to win a game.

With a fifth-straight victory over Nebraska at stake, Duncan nailed a 48-yard field goal to down the Huskers in Lincoln, 27-24.

“Every field goal I’m hungry for — especially a situation like that,” Duncan said. “Tough conditions, 48-yarder — that’s what you live for right there. That’s why you want to become a kicker.”

Iowa had built the moment perfectly for Duncan.

After the Hawkeyes took a 24-10 lead into halftime, Nebraska battled back to tie it at 24 by the time the fourth quarter rolled around.

The Huskers had a chance to win the game after a Mekhi Sargent fumble, but the Hawkeye defense stepped up to give the offense one final shot.

The ensuing drive included a long near-catch that was overturned, a potential targeting call ruled legal, and confusion from the officials, but Iowa eventually moved the ball into Duncan’s range with a 22-yard pass from Nate Stanley to Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Stanley connecting with Sam LaPorta over the middle for another 22.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost tried icing Duncan with two timeouts, but it was no use. His practice kick split the uprights. A few minutes later, the kick that mattered followed, and Duncan celebrated by wagging his finger and blowing kisses to the Husker sideline.

“I’m so glad he called the timeouts, actually,” Duncan said. “It allowed me to get my mindset focused on what I needed to focus on, find my spot in the background where my spot is to kick. In the second half, we didn’t have that many opportunities to kick — no extra points, no field goals. So, it was kind of — not tough, but I should get back into the rhythm of things.”

The opportunity stemmed from Iowa’s decision to go for the points instead of taking a knee and heading into overtime.

It proved to be the right call.

“Keith has proven that he’s one of the best kickers in the country, so we knew that all we had to do was get 30-40 yards,” Stanley said. “He’s proven time and time again in practice and in games that he’s going to perform for us. We knew we didn’t have to score a touchdown.”

Duncan’s final field goal marked the second time in as many years that Iowa has toppled Nebraska with a game-winning kick.

Last season, Miguel Recinos hit from 41 yards out.

This time around, Duncan’s 48-yarder did the trick, keeping the Huskers out of a bowl game and keeping the Hawkeyes’ hopes for a 10-win season alive.

His ability to convert clutch kicks and his NCAA-leading 29 field goals are big reasons the junior was awarded a scholarship minutes after the game.

His teammates trust him. His coaches have seen the work he’s put in, even when Recinos earned the starting job over him two years in a row.

After a stellar season that has Duncan ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring and one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, it’s clear that Iowa runs on Duncan.

“I had all my eggs in one basket in Keith,” Iowa wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette said. “I knew he was going to come through. Even on the attempt to freeze him — nailed it. Then, the actual one — nailed it. So, I’m going with Keith Duncan 100 percent out of 100 plays.”