Another year, another win over the Cornhuskers.
The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated Nebraska in their regular-season finale behind a dominant second half by a score of 40-16. This win makes it ten wins in the last eleven matchups for the Hawkeyes, securing the Heroes trophy once again.
Given the last two games having identical 13-10 endings, and the two teams having identical 7-4 records, many viewers likely would’ve guessed that this game would be more of the same.
Early on, it seemed as though the Huskers were actually going to run away with it. Literally. Running back Emmett Johnson’s 70-yard run in the first five minutes to set up a Nebraska touchdown was not a good sign for a normally stout Iowa defense.
Star returner Kaden Wetjen helped pick up some of the slack with a long kickoff return that led to a Drew Steven field goal. The offense did its part as well, with quarterback Mark Gronowski’s deep bomb to tight end D.J. Vonnahme giving the Hawkeyes a 10-7 lead.
Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Kaden Wetjen (21) returns a kick during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday, November 28. 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska (Steven Branscombe / Getty Images)
Nebraska punched back with a field goal drive led once again by Emmett Johnson, and a bad bounce on a kickoff gave them a free possession as well. Thankfully, the defense held them to three, and Iowa running back Kamari Moulton punched it in for six.
The back and forth between these two kept going as another Nebraska field goal cut the deficit to one point. Then, Iowa kept the avalanche of points going with a Gronowski sneak for a touchdown. 24-16 at the break.
That’s right, 40 combined points at halftime for Iowa and Nebraska. Keep in mind, the over/under for this game was 39.5 points. This was an absolute shootout; the two defenses must’ve eaten too much for Thanksgiving.
Johnson certainly didn’t; he had a career-high 177 yards in the first half alone. “No. 21 is a tremendous player,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said after the game. Iowa still maintained the lead, but if they wanted to keep it, they would have to come up with a plan to hold him in check.
The plan they made seemed to be to keep him off the field, and it worked tremendously. Hawkeye linebacker Karson Sharar delivered a devastating (potentially targeting) hit on punt returner Jacory Barner Jr. that knocked the ball out of his hands and resulted in a safety.
Iowa kept the momentum rolling with Gronowski and Moulton both coming back for seconds as they took a commanding 40-16 lead in the fourth. The Cornhuskers had a long drive towards the end of the game, displaying a strange lack of urgency, which ended with a fumble in the endzone that gave the Hawkeyes the football back and the win.
Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) hands the ball off to running back Kamari Moulton (28) against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday, November 28. 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska (Dylan Widner / Imagn Images)
The defense woke up from its slumber and pitched a second-half shutout after a sluggish first half. Johnson had just 40 yards in the second half, and Nebraska’s backup quarterback, T.J. Lateef, was nursing an injury and stood no chance as the game went on.
The win means that Iowa will finish 8-4 in the regular season for the second consecutive year. It’s been a season of ups, downs, and being oh so close to breaking through to the next level. Their next opponent is unknown, and we’ll have to wait and see how they fare in their bowl game next month. Regardless of outcome, the season’s been a fun ride, and we can only hope the bowl game gives us one last high note before a long offseason.
