Nebraska's Mistakes Against Iowa - Last Word on College Football

The Huskers had a 10-0 advantage in Kinnick Stadium. Until they didn’t. In the game of inches, Matt Rhule came up short once again. With the Cornhuskers 13-10 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, Nebraska moves to 6-6 on the season. Let’s break down what NU has to improve upon before their bowl game.

Special Teams Errors

Ed Foley’s unit did more than enough against Wisconsin. Freshman kicker John Hohl made all three of his field goal attempts against the Badgers. Senior punter Brian Buschini also had a great outing as well. He routinely averaged 50 yards per kick and had one punt downed inside the three-yard line. Going into Iowa City it looked like the program’s special teams were in for another solid day. Instead, Nebraska’s special teams faltered against Iowa. This started when junior long snapper Aidan Flege had a poor snap late in the second quarter. As a result, Hohl’s second field goal attempt wasn’t even close to hitting the uprights. The Cornhuskers also struggled out of the halftime break. Senior wideout Isaiah-Garcia Castaneda ducked away from a Hawkeye punt, which prompted freshman linebacker Vincent Shavers to touch the football. If the team wants to have success in their bowl game, Foley has to confront these problems head-on in the team’s extra practices.

Reading The Field

Dylan Raiola had a decent performance in Iowa City. The freshman quarterback nearly completed 70% of his passes and had 190 passing yards through the air. It also helps that he had improvised moments that went according to plan. Tight end Nate Boerkircher had a spectacular catch over an Iowa defender. And Raiola also got the ball out to Jacory Barney before he was sacked. Unfortunately, this was all the former five-star could muster in the pocket. Nebraska’s offensive line struggled against Iowa, which allowed the Hawkeyes pressure to easily overwhelm Raiola. Senior Ethan Hurkett had two sacks, and junior Max Llewellyn forced the signal caller to fumble in the fourth quarter. It’s a story that the Cornhuskers have become accustomed to. But it won’t linger for long under offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. He’ll have plenty of time to work with Raiola on getting the football out of his hand quicker. The 53-year-old will also have extra time to find ways to make his receivers execute. In Friday’s loss, Jaylen Lloyd dropped an automatic touchdown pass. Texas wide receiver Isaiah Neyor also dropped a pass that would have netted a huge gain.

Familiar Hawkeyes have haunted the Huskers before. Read more about the team’s 2023 loss in The Top Storylines From Nebraska vs Iowa

Letting Off The Gas

Nebraska’s defensive line knew that Iowa would try to run the football. Junior running back Kaleb Johnson only averaged 17 carries for 45 yards. This made the Hawkeyes’ offense look directionless because sophomore quarterback Jackson Stratton had trouble passing. Senior defensive lineman Ty Robinson made sure of this by stopping the Hawkeyes at every turn. He had three tackles in the matchup. Redshirt sophomore James Williams also recorded NU’s lone sack on the night. The Huskers linebackers were solid throughout the game as well. Rob Dvoracek’s unit routinely filled gaps, which allowed for Nebraska’s success against Johnson. The only mistake was made by junior linebacker John Bullock. In the early minutes of the third quarter, the Omaha native let him run for a 72-yard touchdown. This error is mainly due to poor tackling, but it’s also because Nebraska let up at a critical moment. This allowed Iowa to get back in the game. It will be important for defensive coordinator Tony White to keep the team’s energy up during the team’s bowl practices.