It looked so good for Nebraska with even 30 seconds left. Alas. Fifty-five seconds left. Tie game. Nebraska-Iowa, we’ll have the usual. Served up just that way.
It might not be for everyone, but it’s like the NFL on Sundays at 2:50 CT. Turn it on then and you’ll have something dramatic happen before your eyes.
Sometimes, the game doesn’t need a full final minute even for the script to flip, only to have the page turned over again. So it was in Nebraska’s 13-10 loss to Iowa.
Fifty-five seconds left is actually when Iowa began its second-to-last drive. And the way that drive would play out, including a Jimari Butler sack, there seemed no way the Huskers could lose it in regulation, especially after Iowa was the first to step in a cow pie.
Nebraska’s defense had owned the second half. Then Hawkeyes QB Deacon Hill had his third-down pass intercepted by Tommi Hill.
Hill toHill, and Nebraska’s scooted to the Iowa 37-yard-line with 31 seconds left it felt like maybe the Huskers had beat Iowa at its own game. A late pick to set up the offense? Memorial Stadium momentarily had a heating pad on its lap. Cold. What cold?
Alas, the refs called Tamon Lynum for a holding call while trying to block for his buddy. It wasn’t a small change penalty. It cost Nebraska 18 yards back to its own 45. With the wind against the Huskers, they’d now need at least 25 to 30 yards for a kick, which still wouldn’t be easy, as proven by a Tristan Alvano 44-yard miss earlier in the fourth quarter.
On first down Purdy scrambled for three yards out of bounds. To the 48. Then Nebraska had to use a timeout even though the clock wasn’t moving. The last timeout.
«Just put it on us. I think some young guys got in there,» said Husker head coach Matt Rhule of that timeout. «Billy (Kemp) went down. Billy was trying to come back. Some young guys got in there and just got confused about where to lineup. Anything like that, it falls on me. But that was just a play call and when Billy goes down, you’re down to really four wideouts that play for us. Guys trying to play different positions just got a little confused.»
With no timeouts left, the Huskers knew they needed a play that picked up a first down and stopped the clock. The pass play called had options at three levels to it and Jaylen Lloyd was a deep possibility. The near option to the sideline was Thomas Fidone and the pass appeared be intended for Alex Bullock crossing the middle.
Chubba Purdy has had some good snaps the last couple weeks, including four third-down completions in the second half of this game in which he finished 15-of-28 for 189 yards. The last snap, though, came with a heavy price.
Rhule said he’d have to see the play back on film. Purdy clearly didn’t see the Hawkeye defensive lineman dropping back into the lane needed to hit Bullock. It looked like it was meant for the Iowa defender. Worse yet, Iowa’s Ethan Hurkett ran it back to the Nebraska 37 with 15 seconds left.
Nebraska had found its own mess, and this one was way worse, given the spot on the field and the way the flags were whipping.
The Hawkeyes had the wind, and suddenly also hope to avoid overtime. However, they’d also had two field goals blocked and it had been problem enough they were going to let their backup kicker have the next swing at it.
Consider Nebraska’s defense had five three-and-outs on the previous six possessions and Iowa had all of 40 yards in the second half to that point. Stuff them on one or two plays and the Huskers could very well earn a chance to win the game still in OT.
But Iowa running back Leshon Williams, who did dent Nebraska’s normally stingy run defense for 111 yards on 16 carries, finally got loose in the second half at the worst time. His 22-yard run suddenly turned a very tough kick into one you expect to make.
«It was Big Ten football. Back and forth, back and forth,» said Husker defensive lineman Ty Robinson. «Nobody was freaking out that we had to go back out there and get a stop. Everyone knew that it was going to come down to us, or it was going to come down to (their defense). Someone has to make a play, and either they do or we do. Unfortunately it ended up being their way.»
Robinson wasn’t sure what happened on the play. He was being double-teamed.
«Shoot, I know our guys were humming to the ball. That’s been Coach White’s thing all year is 11 dudes to the ball every play.»
Robinson thought a Nash Hutmacher hit earlier the game may have dinged Hill a bit, so he wasn’t surprised the Hawkeyes ran it there. «I think they kind of had to play with that they had.»
Overtime has not been kind to Husker football in recent years – and certainly not last week. It would’ve been a nice place to be this Friday, though.
Robinson, as we know from his announcement earlier in the week, was not talking to us a final time in a Husker uniform. He believes in this staff and said it «it’s only up from here» for this program. It’s a big reason he’s coming back.
Tough medicine, however, as a team and its fan base tries to digest a winless November and missing a bowl game for the seventh straight year.
Rhule believes where it’s going, even if this season has met its end, with five losses by a total of 19 points making it another ‘what if’ year around Lincoln.
«I’m very grateful for that senior class,» Rhule said. «As I’ve said, they stood in the gap. Everyone might not be able to see it. I truly believe they’ve built something really, really special. Just hate the way it ended. Credit to Iowa. They’re a really good football team. They play a certain way. The things that have affected us all year affected us.»