The black-clad crowd at Kinnick Stadium sang “Seven Nation Army” at the start of the fourth quarter, hoping that the fight song from The White Stripes could will the Hawkeyes to victory. Minutes later, their prayers were answered by a one-man artillery unit: running back Kaleb Johnson.
Reeling in a screen pass from quarterback Jackson Stratton, Johnson juked incoming Nebraska cornerback Marques Buford Jr. before blasting through linebacker John Bullock like a cannon ball against plywood.
“I just told myself, ‘I’m gonna score. I don’t care what’s in my way,” Johnson said in his postgame press conference.
Turning down the right sideline and into the open field, all Johnson had to do then was look over his shoulder. Not a legitimate threat behind him, just the goal line beckoning for his eventual entrance. He’s done so in every game this season. Friday night would be no different.
“The team needed me in that moment, I was not gonna let my seniors down,” Johnson added. “Like I said, I’ve got to make a play for the team and put the team on my back.”
The 72-yard catch and run was more than triple the total yards of offense Iowa had in the first half and served as the game tying touchdown of what would become a 13-10 victory delivered by Johnson’s prowess, relentless defensive line play, and a redemption for kicker Drew Stevens, who nailed a 53-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa its eighth win to close out the regular season.
Johnson, likely off to the NFL next season, finished the evening with 117 total yards as a score while Stratton completed 8-of-15 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Husker counterpart Dylan Raiola completed 22 passes for 196 yards and running back Emmett Johnson had 96 total yards. Nebraska compiled 334 total yards of offense and 20 first downs while Iowa managed 164 and five, respectively.
While walking off the field at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz couldn’t help but think of a quote from Albert Einstein: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.”
“I think that sometimes explains the way things go in sports,” Ferentz said. “That’s what’s so interesting. As much as you want to analyze it, slice it, dice it, cut it up, all that stuff. I know statistics are important but sometimes you’ve got to find a way to win, and our team did that.”
Despite the offensive discrepancies, defense proved the difference. With Raiola leading his squad for a potential game-winning drive with less than a minute remaining, Iowa defensive lineman Max Llewellyn strip-sacked the quarterback and gave the Hawkeyes the ball at the Nebraska 36-yard line. The takedown was one of four sacks and four forced fumbles for Iowa.
“He’s grown a lot, especially from two years ago,” Iowa senior defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett said of Llewellyn. “Just watching his journey, it’s been super cool. He’s one of the more talented guys I’ve been around. His spin move is unbelievable.”
Two plays later, Stevens shook off last season’s ghosts. Back in the two teams’ 2023 matchup, Stevens wound up benched after missing two field goals. Watching from the sideline as backup Marshall Meeder nailed the game-winner in Lincoln, Stevens got his chance back in Iowa City. A Nebraska timeout didn’t matter. Just inside the upright.
In response, Stevens, his right arm pointed toward the opposite end zone, led his squad to collect the Heroes Trophy.
“That was the most tired I’ve been in a football game, sprinting down there,” Stevens said.
After a first half that featured all three-and-outs for the Iowa offense, the Hawkeyes opened the third quarter with a chance to capitalize on two Nebraska mistakes, but only garnered 31 yards and three points. A wide-left field goal from Nebraska kept the score 10-0 for Iowa, but Iowa gained 29 yards on five plays afterwards – nearly all from a 25-yard run from Johnson.
On Rhys Dakin’s ensuing punt, Cornhusker Vincent Shavers Jr. muffed the return and the Hawkeyes took over at the 4-yard line, but gained two yards and three plays. Stratton’s roll-out pass to tight end Luke Lachey fell incomplete and Iowa settled for a 20-yard field goal to make it a one-score contest.
“Sometimes you can’t be a fan,” Ferentz said of the decision. “You just have to think about what’s going on, how we’re playing, and think big picture. I mean, I’ll be brutally honest. I didn’t have confidence we were going to make it … If we didn’t get points at that point, it could be problematic.”
The Huskers opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal on its opening drive, which featured three-plays of at least 10 yards and a potential score on a deep throw if Raiola hadn’t overshot his intended target. After gaining 64 yards on the drive, Nebraska struggled to move the ball for the rest of the first half – Hurkett recorded two sacks – but found life in the final five minutes of the period.
Raiola hit wideout Jacory Barney Jr. for a 23-yard gain before scrambling nine yards to get inside the 15-yard line. Three plays later, running back Dante Dowdell plunged one-yard into the end zone to extend the lead to 10-0.
Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes couldn’t muster a possession of more than nine yards, going three-and-out in its first four possessions before a 22-yard Cornhusker punt set them up at midfield. On the ensuing play, Kaleb Johnson got the home team’s first first down with an 11-yard dash up the middle. Such would be Iowa’s only first down of the half, but Stratton’s long ball to Jacob Gill fell incomplete amid a hand fighting between the receiver and Husker corner.
The Kinnick crowd roared for a pass interference flag, but none arrived. Instead, the Hawkeyes wound up punting for the fifth time of the evening as the home team finished the opening 30 minutes with similar putrid offensive numbers that defined its 2023 season.
Iowa compiled 20 total yards, completed only two passes for eight yards and averaged one yard per play in the first half. While the second half was a stark improvement, it wasn’t anything to write home about – 144 total yards, 0-for-4 on third down. Nevertheless, for Stevens, the offense wasn’t meant to do the heavy lifting. Football is a three-phase game, and Iowa embraces that philosophy to the fullest.
“I feel like that is an Iowa football staple win,” he said.
Future plans
With over 1,500 total yards and 22 touchdowns this season, Kaleb Johnson is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back. He has another season of collegiate eligibility but can also declare for the NFL Draft.
“I don’t even know my decision yet. I will probably play in the bowl game, but I don’t know yet … I got too many thoughts right now. Like I said, I love my team. I love every one of them. Especially Coach Ferentz.”
Senior linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson both said they will participate in the bowl game.
Injury news
Defensive lineman Brian Allen was a surprise name on the Hawkeyes’ injury report on Friday. Ferentz said the sophomore has been dealing with injuries during the season and “decided this week he couldn’t go any further.”
The head coach said Allen has two upcoming surgeries – one most likely next week and other in January. The lineman will miss the bowl game and the spring season.
Quarterback Brendan Sullivan hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury on Nov. 8 against UCLA, but suited up and took warm-up reps with the second-stringers on Friday. Ferentz said Sullivan was available as a backup but had limited mobility.
“He’s still sore. I don’t think the medical staff thought he would make it this far, but he had a good week,” Ferentz said. “Perfect scenario is to keep him out.”
McNamara opt-out
Iowa senior quarterback Cade McNamara watched his final collegiate game in street clothes on the sideline on Friday night. A sixth-year in his final season of eligibility, McNamara was one of the 23 seniors that Iowa planned on honoring before the game, but did not participate in the pregame ceremony where each senior runs out of the tunnel individually to meet their parents.
A transfer from Michigan in December 2022, McNamara suffered multiple injuries during his time in Iowa City, including a season-ending ACL tear in 2023 and a concussion earlier this season. Ferentz said he hoped fans would be empathetic of the quarterback’s struggles.
“He declined the chance to come out. That’s strictly up to him,” Ferentz said of McNamara. “It was his desire, so we’re going to honor that. We’ll see where it all goes here. Hopefully he is feeling better.”
Up next
Iowa will play in a bowl game, which will be announced Sunday, Dec. 8. After donning a stocking cap on the sidelines in temperatures that hovered around 20 degrees on Friday night, Ferentz welcomes travel away from the Midwest. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl in North Carolina is a projected option, as is the Reliaquest Bowl in Florida.
“One thing I do know for sure, wherever we end up, it will be warmer than it was tonight,” he said with a smile.