LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 16 Iowa scored the final 22 points of the game to rally and upend Nebraska, 28-21, at Memorial Stadium on Friday.
The Hawkeyes retain possession of the Heroes Trophy by virtue of their seventh straight victory over the Cornhuskers. Friday was also Iowa’s fifth consecutive victory in Lincoln, dating back to 2013, something that only the University of Texas has done over the last 70 years.
The win, Iowa’s fourth straight to finish the regular season, moved the Hawkeyes to 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten. Iowa clinched at least a share of the Big Ten West Division title. The Hawkeyes would win the West Division outright and represent the West Division in the Big Ten Football Championship Game next Saturday in Indianapolis, if Minnesota beats Wisconsin tomorrow in Minneapolis. The Hawkeyes last claimed a division title in 2015 when they finished the regular season with an unblemished 8-0 record in Big Ten play.
RB Tyler Goodson rushed for a career-best 156 yards on 23 attempts, while the combination of quarterbacks Alex Padilla and Spencer Petras completed 13-of-27 passes for 178 yards.
Iowa struggled to find the end zone on its first eight offensive possessions, settling for four Caleb Shudak field goals through the first 54 minutes of the contest.
Nebraska led Iowa 21-6 with 5:54 remaining in the third quarter. Shudak kicked his third field goal of the game with 27 seconds left in the third period. Iowa didn’t gain complete momentum until Henry Marchese blocked a Nebraska punt and Kyler Fisher returned the punt 14 yards for a special teams score.
Iowa erased a 12-point fourth quarter deficit (trailed 21-9), its largest fourth-quarter deficit in a win since trailing by 14 points against Pittsburgh in 2011. The last double-digit fourth quarter deficit erased by Iowa in a win was in 2014 (trailed Ball State 13-3 entering the fourth).
Linebackers Jack Campbell and Seth Benson led the Hawkeye defense, recording 16 and 10 tackles, respectively.
“It’s a good feeling,” said Zach VanValkenburg. “It was obviously a victory from the jaws of defeat, but we kept fighting. We never lost faith that we were going to come out with a victory.”
TE Sam LaPorta (61 yards) and WR Charlie Jones (31 yards) each caught three passes.
Iowa has won 19 conference games over the last three seasons, the most successful three-year stretch since Iowa won 20 conference games from 2002-04. Iowa has won at least six conference games in three straight years for the first time under Kirk Ferentz (19 wins). The last time Iowa won at least six conference games in three straight seasons was 1981-83 (19 wins).
Iowa has won 10 games or more for the seventh time under head coach Kirk Ferentz (2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2019, 2021).
