Lincoln – The Nebraska football team (5-7, 3-5) dropped its final game of the 2015 regular season on Friday afternoon with a 28-20 loss to the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes improved to 12-0 on the year with the win, marking their first undefeated regular season since 1922.
Nebraska’s defense did its best to hold Iowa’s offense in check, as the Blackshirts held Iowa to 0-for-9 on third down, but NU was unable to overcome four turnovers.
While Iowa quarterback CJ Beathard was 9-for-16 for 97 yards and one touchdown on the day, Tommy Armstrong Jr. was 25-for-45 for 296 yards, but didn’t throw for a touchdown and threw career-high four interceptions.
Iowa had its biggest advantage on the ground, as Jordan Canzeri rushed 17 times for 140 yards and two scores. His biggest rush was a 68-yard score in the third quarter that came after Nebraska had cut Iowa’s lead to four.
With the game scoreless late in the first quarter, Iowa took over at its own 34 and on second down Freedom Akinmoladun forced a fumble that was recovered by Nate Gerry that would have given the Huskers the ball to NU inside the 40, but the turnover was erased by a Husker penalty prior to the turnover.
Iowa took advantage of the second chance and ended a six-play scoring drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Beathard to George Kittle and after the PAT the Hawkeyes held a 7-0 lead with 13:50 left in the first half.
Sam Foltz was called upon for the third time in the first half on NU’s following drive, but Desmond King muffed the returned and Mick Stoltenberg pounced on the ball at the Iowa 31 to setup the NU offense. Imani Cross was stopped in the backfield on first down, but then Armstrong connected with Cethan Carter for a 25-yard pass that gave Nebraska 1st-and-goal at the eight. Following the play, Iowa’s sideline was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. With the ball on the four, Cross pounded his way up the middle for his 26th career touchdown, and after the PAT by Drew Brown the game was even at 7-7 with 10:18 left on the clock.
After the NU defense forced the fourth Iowa punt of the first half, Nebraska took over deep inside its own territory at the 11 yard line. Following a short run on first down, the Huskers tried to run a screen pass, but Parker Hesse tipped the ball in the backfield, hauled in the interception and returned the pick four yards for a touchdown that put Iowa back on top, 14-7. It marked Iowa’s fourth interception return for a touchdown this season.
The teams then traded punts before the Huskers got the ball back at the Iowa 21 with 1:11 left on the clock in the first half. Armstrong led the Huskers on a six-play drive, that included back-to-back completions to Carter for 20 yards or more. With seven seconds left on the clock, Brown kicked a 39-yard field goal that cut Iowa’s lead to 14-10 at intermission..
Nebraska received the ball to start the second half and had an opportunity to take its first lead of the game with a touchdown. Instead, Nebraska went just nine yards in three plays and was forced to punt, with King returning the punt 26 yards and Iowa got an extra 15 yards on a NU late-hit penalty. Canzeri carried the ball twice on the drive, including a 29-yard touchdown that pushed Iowa’s lead to 21-10.
The Huskers answered right back with an 11-play scoring drive that spanned 75 yards, and Cross capped the drive a four-yard touchdown run, the seventh career multi-touchdown game of his career. The score cut Iowa’s lead to 21-17 with 7:00 left in the third quarter. Iowa fumbled the ensuing kickoff but recovered the fumble and then swung the momentum back in its favor when Canzeri sprinted 68 yards down the sideline on Iowa’s first play to put the Hawkeyes back ahead by 11, 28-17, just 17 second after Nebraska cut the lead to four points.
An impressive 27-yard reception by Brandon Reilly put Nebraska in Iowa territory on the following drive, but on the next play Armstrong tried to get the ball to Alonzo Moore and instead Greg Mabin intercepted the ball at the four-yard line. Nebraska’s defense held its ground and forced an Iowa punt.
Brown added his 10th straight field goal late in the fourth quarter, a 42-yard try, but NU was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and Iowa ran out the clock to secure the win.
The Huskers still have an outside shot at a bowl game, as there may not be enough teams with records of .500 of better to fill all the bowls. Bowl assignments will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 6.