Drew Stevens made a 53-yard field goal as time ran out, leading Iowa to a 13-10 win over Nebraska on Friday night.
Stevens got the chance after defensive end Max Llewellyn forced and recovered a fumble from Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola at the Huskers’ 36-yard line with 20 seconds remaining. Kaleb Johnson ran the ball twice, taking the clock down to three seconds before Stevens kicked the game-winning field goal.
“Drew’s a fricking beast,” Llewellyn said. “What a kick.”
This was a moment of redemption for Stevens, who had been replaced by Marshall Meeder for the game-winning field goal in last season’s 13-10 victory over Nebraska.
“I’ll be honest — I was looking forward to this one,” Stevens said. “I can say that now.”
Stevens recalled how it felt last season when he didn’t get the chance to kick the game-winning field goal.
“I mean, it sucks when somebody else is out there doing your job,” Stevens said. “Especially when you train all year round. So yeah, this one felt really good. I was confident going out there.”
“Basically, he got benched last year,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “What a contrast with this year. We had all the confidence in him.”
Stevens said the experience helped him improve his play this season. He has made 19 of 22 field-goal attempts, including five in Iowa’s 29-13 win at Maryland last Saturday.
“I feel like I had been doubted after last season,” Stevens said. “So yeah, that’s fuel.”
The Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten), who were down 10-3 going into the fourth quarter, tied the game with 14:44 left when Johnson caught a short pass from Jackson Stratton and turned it into a 72-yard touchdown after breaking five tackles.
“He was making (defensive backs) miss, as usual,” Stratton said. “He’s a great running back, and he did what he does every game. He’s way faster than me. I was trying to go down there and block for him, but he’s way faster than me.”
Nebraska (6-6, 3-6) led 10-0 at halftime. John Hohl made a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter, and then Dante Dowdell ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left in the half.
Iowa struggled offensively in the first half, gaining only one first down and 20 yards. They had three-and-outs on five of their first six possessions.
“They clearly had momentum at halftime,” Ferentz said. “But down 10-0, our guys really dug in.”
Iowa got a break in the third quarter when Nebraska’s Vincent Shavers Jr. muffed a punt and Iowa recovered it at the Huskers’ 4-yard line. However, Iowa only gained two yards on three plays and had to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Stevens.
Nebraska outgained Iowa 334-164 and had 20 first downs compared to Iowa’s five. Johnson, who entered the game second in the nation with 1,492 rushing yards, was held to just 45 yards on 17 carries.
“I can’t imagine being some of those seniors, and then just happening like this again against Iowa, especially the way we played,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said.
