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Game Report: Iowa Hawkeyes 40, Nebraska Cornhuskers 16
Hawkeyes make it seven straight in Lincoln, and for the first time in eight years, this one wasn’t close
Nov. 28, 2025 2:33 pm
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LINCOLN, Neb. — A closer look at Iowa’s 40-16 win over Nebraska Friday at Memorial Stadium:
Iowa botched the fielding of an early second-quarter kickoff and Nebraska recovered at the Iowa 26 with the score tied at 10.
The Huskers stalled out at the Iowa 11, though, and settled for a field goal. The Hawkeyes then went 75 yards on 10 plays for a go-ahead touchdown, with the key play a Mark Gronowski quarterback keeper for 29 yards to the Nebraska 14 on third-and-6.
Iowa had a 17-13 lead. It was the third lead change of the game. There would be no more.
2 — Gronowski and running back Kamari Moulton had two rushing touchdowns each. That gave Gronowski 15 this season.
7 — This was Iowa’s seventh straight win over Nebraska in Lincoln.
7 — The streak of seven consecutive games in this series decided by one score ended.
8 — There were eight scores in the first half, which ended with the Hawkeyes ahead 24-16.
26 — It was 26 degrees at kickoff. The press box announcer said it felt like 18. That seemed plausible.
50 — Iowa hadn’t allowed a play of 50 or more yards all season before Emmett Johnson’s 70-yard run to the Iowa 1 in the first quarter.
217 — Johnson rushed 29 times for 217 yards. The last opposing player with 200-plus rushing yards against Iowa was Mohamed Ibrahim of Minnesota, who had 263 yards against the Hawkeyes in 2022. The Hawkeyes won that game, too.
410 — This was Nebraska’s 410th consecutive home sellout. Or so it claims. The attendance was 86,410, roughly 18 times the population of Ogalalla, Neb. There weren’t 86,410 used tickets.
* At halftime, this game seemed to range from quirky to downright weird.
Nebraska had two more possessions than Iowa. It had the same number of scores as the Hawkeyes, but Iowa had three touchdowns to the Huskers’ one in taking a 24-16 lead.
Johnson had 177 rushing yards in the half for Nebraska, more than anyone else had gained against the Hawkeyes in an entire game this year, yet his team trailed by eight points.
* This was Iowa’s highest point-total against Nebraska since its 40-10 win here in 2015.
* Nebraska had a second-and-4 at the Iowa 18 with about three minutes left in the first half. The Huskers had rushed on all seven of its plays on that drive to that point, with success. TJ Lateef threw an incompletion, Johnson had a 1-yard run, and Nebraska settled for a field goal.
On second-and-4 at the Nebraska 41 midway through the third quarter, the Huskers threw two straight passes though Johnson hadn’t really been contained to that point. Both Lateef throws were woefully incomplete, and his team punted.
Did the Huskers’ coaches overthink things a bit, or under-think them?
* Everyone will be happy to know the captains of Iowa and Nebraska shook hands at midfield before the pregame coin toss.
The Huskers did not extend their hands to the Hawkeyes in that ceremony last year, and Iowa’s players took umbrage.
* Iowa running back Xavier Williams was held out of the game with an injury.
* Hawkeye free safety Keon Entringer started the game, but left early and didn’t return.
We don’t know for sure. But it will be a bowl game.
It’s possible the winner of this game was going to become the front-runner for the Big Ten’s spot in Tampa’s ReliaQuest Bowl, known as the Outback Bowl the six times Iowa played in it.
Should it be the ReliaQuest, the opponent will be from the SEC.
Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com
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