With a chance to clinch the B1G West Division with a win, Iowa laid one of its biggest eggs of the year in a 24-17 loss to Nebraska on Friday at Kinnick Stadium.

The Hawkeyes (7-5, 5-4) had won 4 straight, putting themselves in position for a trip to Indy with a final win over their rivals to the west. And they created some late-game drama, too, rallying from a 24-0 hole with 10 points in the 4th quarter to make it a 1-score game with 5:41.

After some tense moments, Iowa had one more chance to force overtime, but, ultimately, Nebraska shut the door with an interception in the final minute.

Casey Thompson hit Trey Palmer with 2 first-half TD passes and the Huskers’ defense bottled up the Iowa offense, opening the door for Purdue to win the division with a win over Indiana Saturday. Due to tiebreaker advantages, Illinois would win the West with a victory over Northwestern and a Purdue loss.

Injuries slowed Iowa as starting QB Spencer Petras left late in the first quarter with what appeared to be a shoulder injury after being sacked on a corner blitz by Nebraska’s Quinton Newsome. Petras fumbled on the play, which led to a Nebraska FG.

Padilla didn’t fare much better until the frenetic final quarter. Padilla fumbled under duress in the 2nd quarter. Nebraska’s Garrett Nelson picked it up and ran it inside Iowa territory. Four plays later Thompson connected with Palmer from 18 yards out to make it 17-0.

Star defensive back Cooper DeJean left early in the game after taking a hard shot on a block by Nebraska’s Marcus Washington. DeJean was taken to the locker room for further evaluation and was later seen in street clothes on the sideline.

Huskers end 7-game skid to Hawks

With the upset, Nebraska ended a 7-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes dating to 2014. Nebraska last won against its rivals in a 37-34 OT affair. It was Bo Pelini’s last game as Nebraska’s head coach.

Trey Palmer concluded his spectacular season, setting the Nebraska record for receiving yards in a season. Palmer had 6 grabs for 138 yards and 2 TDs in the first half alone Friday.

Rumors swirled during the game. Matt Rhule reportedly is being targeted by AD Trev Alberts as Nebraska’s next coach.

Regardless of what the next few days bring, kudos to Mickey Joseph and his staff for finishing the year strong. Nebraska players never quit. They continued to play hard under their interim coach. And to end a long losing streak to Iowa, with the Hawkeyes having so much on the line, has to feel good to everyone in the NU locker room and the fans at home.

Turnovers and penalties doom Hawks

With little room for error to start, Iowa did itself no favors, turning the ball over 3 times. Twice it gave the Huskers a short field. Overall, it led to 17 of Nebraska’s points.

With an offense that came in averaging just 17.5 points per game, losing the turnover battle wasn’t something the Hawks could overcome.

Even penalties were an Achilles’ heel for Iowa. The Hawkeyes committed 6 penalties for 60 yards by early in the 4th quarter. A unique “leaping the punt shield” penalty was called on the Hawks, giving Nebraska a new set of downs.

Nebraska finishes the season at 4-8 (3-6 B1G). Cornhuskers fans will be anxiously waiting an announcement on the likely hiring of Rhule in the coming days.

Iowa ends the regular season a disappointing 7-5 and hoping for a miracle Saturday while awaiting word on its bowl fate next weekend.