LINCOLN, Neb. – Fresh off of a thrilling 15-13 win over Illinois to clinch the Big Ten West title outright, the No. 17 Iowa football team will look to finish its regular season strong against Nebraska on Black Friday.
The game is set to kickoff a few minutes past 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on CBS.
The Hawkeyes come into the contest 9-2 and hungry for the Heroes Trophy, which they lost possession of last season after a 24-17 defeat to the Cornhuskers.
A victory on Friday would earn Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz his eighth 10-win season in his 24 years at the helm and keep border-rival Nebraska out of bowl game contention. The Hawkeyes have won 17 of its last 18 November games and eight of the last 10 contests against the Cornhuskers.
Defensive lineman Deontae Craig was listed as questionable but participated in padded warmups. Center Logan Jones was also listed as questionable and did not participate in padded warmups. Tyler Elsbury will start at center. Sideline reporter Rob Brooks said Jones will wait to return next week.
Per Iowa radio, wideout Diante Vines has a good chance to return next week for the Big Ten Championship.
COIN TOSS: Iowa won the toss and elected to receive.
1Q 13:23: Kaden Wetjen catches the kickoff at the goal line and returns it 25 yards. Two straight runs by Kaleb Johnson and Leshon Williams for a total of one yard. Deacon Hill throws a dime to Nico Ragaini on third down but it bounces off of his hands, and Iowa is forced to punt.
1Q 10:14: Nebraska starts its first drive on its own 33 with Chubba Purdy under center, the younger brother of former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy. The Cornhuskers convert on third down to keep the drive alive. Iowa then gets a stop on third-and-3 to force a Nebraska punt. Wetjen signals a fair catch at Iowa’s 10 yard-line. Iowa ball.
1Q 4:35: Hill throws a screen pass to WR Kaleb Brown on first down for a loss of one yard. Hill goes right back to Brown on second down, who catches the ball near the Nebraska sideline for a first down. Johnson rushes the ball for a gain of one. Johnson earns six yards on second-and-9. With a defender in his face, Hill completes a pass to TE Addison Ostregna to keep the Hawkeye offense on the field.
Williams carries the ball for four yards. Incomplete pass intended for Ragaini, just a bit too high for the 6-foot wideout to snag. On the next play, Hill completes a pass to Ragaini for six yards on third-and-6. Two running plays for a total of four yards to bring up a third-and-6. Hill’s pass is incomplete to Ostrenga and punter Tory Taylor will trot out to the field.
1Q 2:24: Taylor punts it 40 yards and Nebraska’s Ethan Nation returns the ball four yards before Iowa’s Jaxon Rexroth knocks the ball out. Iowa recovers on Nebraska’s 17 yard-line. The Hawkeye offense is stopped three plays in a row to bring out the field goal unit.
Drew Stevens hits a field goal from 25 yards out, but Iowa is called for a delay of game. Stevens’ field goal attempt from 30 yards is blocked — a huge missed opportunity for the Hawkeyes. Nebraska will start with the ball at its own 20.
1Q 1:26: The Iowa defense pressures Purdy and forces a quick three-and-out.
1Q 1:14: Wetjen returns the punt eight yards to Iowa’s 34 yard-line, and then a Nebraska defender is penalized for unnecessary roughness for a late hit out-of-bounds, which the crowd inside Memorial Stadium did not agree with. The 15-yard penalty gives Iowa the ball at its own 49.
Williams starts the drive with a 7-yard run and a 1-yard run, respectively. Hill then completes a pass to Ostrenga, who crosses the first-down marker before going out-of-bounds near the Nebraska sideline.
END 1Q: The Iowa offense will have the ball on Nebraska’s 38-yard line to start the second quarter.
2Q 13:22: Hill opens up the second quarter in shotgun and completes a 37-yard pass to TE Steven Stilianos, who runs the ball down to Nebraska’s 1-yard line. On third-and-1, Hill sneaks the ball in for a touchdown. The extra point by Stevens is good.
Iowa 7, Nebraska 0
2Q 11:52: Iowa defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett bursts through the line of scrimmage and tackles RB Anthony Grant for a loss. On third-and-11, Purdy completes a 22-yard pass.
On the next play, Hawkeye defensive back Sebastian Castro forces a fumble on a delayed blitz and linebacker Jay Higgins recovers the ball. After review, the ruling of a fumble recovered by Iowa stands. The Iowa offense gets the ball at Nebraska’s 44-yard line.
2Q 5:12: Hill escapes the pocket and runs for eight yards on third-and-9. Iowa challenges the spot, and the refs rule that Hill was short of the line to gain. Hill sneaks the ball for one yard on fourth down to keep the offense on the field.
On third-and-8, WR Kaleb Williams catches a pass and runs nine yards down the Iowa sideline for the first. Three straight rushes go nowhere, and Iowa is forced to kick a field goal.
Stevens’ 28-yard attempt is good.
Iowa 10, Nebraska o
2Q 3:43: Stevens’ kick goes out-of-bounds. Nebraska will take over at its own 35.
On third-and-11, Purdy throws a 66-yard TD pass to Jaylen Lloyd to get Nebraska on the scoreboard.
Iowa 10, Nebraska 7
2Q 0:50: Iowa takes over at its 25. Johnson rushes the ball up the middle for six and eight yards, respectively. Hill overthrows Ragaini. Leshon Williams fakes a Nebraska defender out and bolts for 53 yards. Kaleb Williams drops a pass in the end zone on third down. Stevens’ field goal attempt is blocked, and Iowa comes up empty-handed in the red zone once again.
Nebraska will take over at its 14.
2Q 0:20: Iowa defense forces a three-and-out and punt. The Hawkeye offense kneels the ball to end the half.
HALFTIME: Iowa 10, Nebraska 7
3Q 11:41: Stevens’ kickoff goes out-of-bounds to start the second half. Purdy runs it on third down and gets the first. Iowa then gets three straight stops, capped off with a pass breakup by defensive lineman Logan Lee.
Iowa will take over at its own 21.
3Q 10:41: Hill is pressured and gets rid of it. Leshon Williams rushes up the middle for seven. A pass goes through Ragaini’s hands, and Iowa is forced to punt.
Nebraska has the ball at its own 31.
3Q 6:18: Purdy is hurried by Higgins, and the QB throws it away. Purdy completes an 11-yard pass for a first down. Then, on third-and-11, Purdy completes a 25-yard pass. The Iowa ‘D’ gets three stops to force a field goal, and the 44-yard attempt is good.
Iowa 10, Nebraska 10
3Q 4:50: Iowa regains possession at its own 25. Johnson rushes for three and two yards, respectively. Hill nearly throws an interception on third down. Iowa punts, and Nebraska takes over at its 27.
3Q 3:06: The Iowa defense does its job and forces a three-and-out. The Hawkeyes take over at their 21 after a fair catch by Wetjen.
3Q 1:35: An incomplete pass and two rushes for a combined seven yards by Leshon Williams bring the Iowa defense back on the field.
Nebraska will take over at its 37.
END 3Q: Nebraska will face a second-and-11 from its own 49 to start the fourth quarter.
4Q 13:15: Purdy fumbles the ball on third down, but it’s recovered by Nebraska. Regardless, Nebraska punts it away, and the Huskers down it at the 1-yard line.
4Q 11:09: The Nebraska defense gets three stops. Taylor has to punt it from the back of the end zone. The Huskers take over at midfield.
4Q 5:07: The Iowa defense once again forces a third-and-long, and Nebraska converts. A few plays later, Purdy completes an 8-yard pass on third-and-6. Iowa finally gets a stop on third-and-12, and Nebraska misses the 44-yard field goal to take the lead. The score remains 10-10.
4Q 2:18: Hill completes an 8-yard pass to Ragaini on 2nd-and-10 and then shovels a pass to Ostrenga for a first down. Leshon Williams is dropped for a loss of two on first down. WR Seth Anderson catches a pass for nine yards, but Iowa is stopped on third down.
Nebraska will take over at its own 11.
4Q 0:55: The Huskers convert one first down, but the Hawkeye defense eventually gets a stop on third-and-5 to force a punt. Iowa takes over at its own 27.
Hill throws an interception on third-and-12. A holding penalty on Nebraska gives the Huskers the ball at their own 45. The Huskers are forced to call their final timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty. Then, Purdy throws an interception right to Ethan Hurkett and he returns it to Nebraska’s 37.
Leshon Williams bursts up the middle for a huge 22-yard gain. Marshall Meeder’s game-winning 39-yard attempt is good. Iowa reclaims the Heroes Trophy and finishes the regular season 10-2.
FINAL: IOWA 13, NEBRASKA 10
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