3 takeaways as Iowa registers walk-off win in classic Heroes Game battle
Long billed as a defensive struggle, the Black Friday Heroes Game between Nebraska and Iowa lived up to that calling card. In fact, the game ended with a 13-10 final score, allowing the under to hit from a historically low point total entering the game.
Remarkably, both teams had multiple shots to find a way to win late in the fourth quarter of this one. Deacon Hill and Chubba Purdy exchanged interceptions, and it eventually led to an improbably (yet somehow predictable) walk-off field goal for the Hawkeyes.
Here are the key takeaways as Iowa improves to 10-2 and Nebraska falls short of 6 wins at 5-7 to wrap up the regular season:
Leshon Williams rescues the Hawkeyes
Facing a tough defense like Nebraska, Leshon Williams was a player Iowa leaned on throughout the game. He had already delivered a strong game, but Williams saved the crucial run of the game for the final minute of action.
With the game tied up and coming off an interception by Ethan Hurkett, Williams took a hand-off 22 yards and rolled all the way to Nebraska’s 15-yard line. Any concerns about a long field goal went out the window with Williams’ crucial big play.
What a turn of events. 🤯
Here’s how @HawkeyeFootball won in the final seconds at Nebraska. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/eQrAtOYjs9
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 24, 2023
When it was all wrapped up, Williams finished the game with 111 yards on 16 carries, giving the RB an average of 6.9 yards per carry. There’s no overstating that type of performance in the Black Friday matchup.
Deacon Hill regresses after signs of recent growth
Deacon Hill’s struggles were well accounted for this season, but he did a nice job down the stretch of the season. Entering Saturday’s game, Hill had completed better than 60% of his passes in 3 straight games. Unsurprisingly, the Hawkeyes won each of those games to secure the B1G West title.
Playing a frigid game in Lincoln against the Huskers, Hill regressed and went just 11-for-28 for 94 yards and an interception late in the fourth quarter. Part of that can be attributed to Kaleb Brown being banged up in the game, one of Hill’s favorite targets in the past two games, but that alone cannot account for the struggles.
Hill had a chance to make plays against the Huskers but left something to be desired as the Hawkeyes struggled yet again.
A special teams… disaster?
To be fair, the punting of Iowa and Nebraska was on full display in this one, much to the appreciation of some fans in the stands. Tory Taylor and Brian Buschini both delivered strong showings, but the rest of the special teams units did not fare well.
Early in the game, Nebraska had a turnover with a fumble on a punt return against the Hawkeyes. Iowa had a golden shot to turn that takeaway into points but the Hawkeyes had their own issues. Nebraska delivered the first of what would be 2 blocked kicks in the game.
Not to be outdone, Tristan Alvano missed a potential go-ahead field goal try in the fourth quarter as the kickers combined to go 2-for-5 on field goals prior to Marshall Meeder delivering in crunch time.