Iowa escapes Nebraska with late interception, game-winning Marshall Meeder field goal

LINCOLN, Neb. — Kirk Ferentz recalled an email he received last week — “a positive email, someone who likes us“ — that described Iowa’s win last week as an ”ugly win.“

“I got a chuckle out of that,” Ferentz said. “Big Ten football, November football, that’s kind of the way it works.”

That way worked again on Friday as Iowa (10-2, 7-2) won in another chaotic, one-of-a-kind fashion, this time edging border-state rival Nebraska (5-7, 3-6) in a 13-10 result to conclude the regular season.

Marshall Meeder, the backup kicker called upon after starter Drew Stevens’ adverse first half, hit a 38-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.

It was his first field goal attempt as a Hawkeye.

“My biggest thing is just staying ready, no matter what,” Meeder said. “I was continually getting reps in the net, ready for every opportunity.”

Iowa defensive lineman and Cedar Rapids native Ethan Hurkett made the game-changing interception near midfield with less than a minute remaining to help set up Meeder’s moment.

"I was kind of sitting back there in my zone, and I saw the ball get thrown,“ Hurkett said, crediting Nick Jackson for the presnap call to put Hurkett in the middle zone. ”It was like almost in slow motion, and fortunately God allowed me to catch it.“

Iowa running back Leshon Williams, on the first play after Hurkett’s interception, had a 22-yard gain on the first play of the drive to put the Hawkeyes in realistic field goal range.

The game-winning drive broke a 10-10 stalemate that lasted for much of the second half. It also capped off an eventful final minute of the game.

The Hawkeyes had an opportunity to string together a game-winning drive with 55 seconds remaining following a 24-yard Nebraska drive and subsequent punt.

But Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill threw an interception on the third play of the drive, meaning the Huskers simply needed to go about 20 yards to have a shot at a game-winning field goal themselves.

Nebraska instead advanced the ball 3 yards before Hurkett’s interception.

“I had complete faith in our defense,” Hill said. “Who wouldn’t? They’re the best in the country.”

Meeder and Hurkett’s late contributions, Ferentz said, is “kind of the way it’s gone this year” for the Hawkeyes.

“Somebody steps up and does a great thing,” Ferentz said.

Linebacker Jay Higgins, speaking to reporters after the dramatic final minute, said he was “really happy” with how the team fought.

“This one’s really just the definition of what Iowa football is all about,” Higgins said. “Can’t flinch when you face adversity.”

It appeared at one point in the first half like any final-minute theatrics would not be necessary.

Iowa first scored with a 1-yard Hill sneak at the 13:22 mark in the second quarter. Hill connected with Steven Stilianos three plays earlier for a 37-yard reception to set up the stellar field position.

It later expanded its lead to 10-0 with a Stevens 28-yard field goal before going more than 30 minutes without any scoring.

During that stretch, Stevens had two field goals blocked. (He also had two kickoffs that went out of bounds.)

That prompted Iowa to go with Meeder, the Central Michigan transfer added to the roster earlier this year.

Iowa’s defense had an uncharacteristic blunder, allowing Nebraska’s Chubba Purdy to complete a 66-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Lloyd in the second quarter on third-and-11 to trim the Hawkeyes’ lead to 10-7.

Purdy, the younger brother of former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, finished the day 15-of-28 passing for 189 yards. He had one touchdown and one interception.

Iowa’s offense, meanwhile, had some ups and downs.

Hill finished 11-of-28 for 94 yards. He completed eight of his first 14 passes, but later had seven straight incompletions.

The Hawkeyes’ rushing attack had some big plays — including a 53-yard gain by Williams and his 22-yard gain in the final minute — but also had stretches of the game where it struggled to gain significant yardage.

“We knew there was going to be a lot of ugly runs, and that is the proper term for that,” Ferentz said. “But then if you stay with it, hopefully you pop a couple, too.”

However chaotic, unconventional or “ugly” the game may have looked, it nonetheless marks the fifth time in the Kirk Ferentz era the Hawkeyes have won 10-plus regular-season games.

“There’s not a lot of Iowa teams that can say they had a 10-win regular season,” Higgins said. “So we understood what we had at stake this game.”

Iowa will have an eight-day week to prepare for the Big Ten championship game as it takes on the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan.

“Obviously a lot of work to do between now and next Saturday, but it’s going to be nice to enjoy this thing a little bit,” Ferentz said.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com