The Iowa Hawkeyes won a wild game in Lincoln to improve to 10-2 on the season.
What did we learn about Iowa this weekend?
The Process Was Ugly, But The Result Is Pretty
The Iowa Hawkeyes are averaging 246 yards of offense per game in 2023. Since 2000, the previous high win total mark for a team averaging fewer than 250 yards was four. The Iowa Hawkeyes managed to win ten games somehow. The 13-10 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Black Friday was a perfect encapsulation of the Iowa season, and somehow, someway, Iowa wound up ahead on the scoreboard yet again. Despite four first-half trips inside the Nebraska ten-yard line that resulted in only ten points and despite managing a total of 57 yards of offense in the second half, the Iowa Hawkeyes kicked a field goal as time expired and moved to 10-2 on the season. In many ways, this has been a season unlike any in recent memory. With levels of offensive ineffectiveness that draw guffaws from the national media weekly, Iowa finished the regular season at 10-2.
The Final 1:22 Was Pure College Football Chaos
With the game tied at ten, a clock malfunction caused a play to be run with no time coming off the clock. That appeared to help Nebraska as they were on offense, but it would eventually haunt the Huskers. The Nebraska drive ended with a punt to the Iowa 27-yard line with 55 seconds remaining. Deacon Hill was sacked, and on third and 12, his pass was intercepted by Nebraska’s Tommi Hill. Hill returned it to the Iowa 45-yard line, and Nebraska was yards away from being in range for a game-winning field goal. After a short gain, Chubba Purdy threw a pass on second down that was perfectly on target but to the wrong team. He threw it directly to Iowa linebacker Ethan Hurkett, and it was returned 16 yards, setting Iowa up with only 15 seconds remaining. Remember that play that took no time off the clock? Those seconds gave Iowa a chance to get into field goal range. On first down, Leshon Williams ran for 22 yards. Hill took a knee in the middle of the field, and backup kicker Marshall Meeder was called on to attempt his first field goal of the season. Meeder knuckled a kick through the uprights after Tory Taylor barely held onto a poor snap. Iowa escaped with a 13-10 victory.
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Iowa’s Defensive Line Shines
The biggest reason for Iowa’s 10-2 record is undoubtedly the outstanding work done by Phil Parker‘s defense. The Hawkeyes are as good as anyone in the country at shedding blockers and bringing down ball carriers. Nebraska was held to only 75 yards rushing on 30 carries. That’s a net of 2.5 yards per attempt. The Hawkeyes routinely broke through Nebraska’s offensive line blocking and disrupted plays in the backfield. The Cornhuskers had only ten first downs in the entire game, and the defense essentially won the game with the Hurkett interception near the end of regulation. Iowa is 10-2 by the slimmest of margins, with an average margin of victory of only 5.8 points per game.
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