Deacon Hill resilient in Iowa’s narrow road victory over Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. — Although the Hawkeye quarterback struggled with his accuracy, and committed a crucial turnover against the Huskers Friday, he guided his team to six-straight wins in Lincoln.

Deacon Hill knows his performance wasn’t pretty by any means. After all, he completed 11 of his 28 passes for 94 yards and an interception. The freezing temperatures didn’t help Hill’s cause either, but he was able to score Iowa’s only touchdown of the contest. Once the smoke cleared, it was him and his teammates that hoisted the Heroes Trophy.

The 13-10 win over Nebraska was Iowa’s 10th of the season too. Hill felt his team wanted it more, and they played like it in the trenches down the stretch.

“Obviously it’s a rivalry game, so it means a lot, and they came last year and took the trophy,” Hill said. “So we wanted to get it back, and that’s just the way that this team is designed, we all want to compete, and every chance we get we want to do it the best.”

Iowa only generated 257 yards of total offense. However, the Hawkeyes led the Huskers in rushing yards, first downs, plays and time of possession. Iowa left some points off the scoreboard though, and that frustrated Hill at times. Wideout Kaleb Brown dropped a pass in the endzone, and the Hawkeyes had two field goals blocked.

Mistakes were made, and that put more pressure on Hill to be the hero in the fourth quarter. Veteran wideout Nico Ragaini had issues getting open the entire afternoon, as well as tight end Steven Stillianos. Still, Hill wanted to get the ball to his safety nets, and made a huge mistake.

With under a minute left in the game, Iowa had the ball at its’ own 25-yard line on a third and long. Hill threw an interception, and gave Nebraska the ball back in good field position. He couldn’t believe how it all transpired, and the Hawkeyes seemed doomed at that point.

“We designed up a play, probably not the best look for it that we got,” he said. “I wanted to give Nico a chance, but it was a little miscommunication of where he was going to be.”

Hill never panicked, and trusted that Iowa’s defense was going to get him the ball back, or send the game into overtime. Phil Parker’s defense came up with a huge play. Iowa’s defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett picked off Chubba Purdy’s pass and set up the offense at Nebraska’s 37-yard line.

That’s when Hill knew he had to carry the team to the finish line. The Hawkeyes carried the ball 39 times up to that point, but the 40th one was the most important of the game. Hill handed the ball off to running back Leshon Williams, who broke through the middle for a 22-yard gain, which put the Hawkeyes in a comfortable position to win the game with a field goal.

Iowa had special team blunders throughout the game, so nothing was promised. Backup kicker Marshall Meeder nailed a 38-yard field goal as time expired, and the Hawkeyes stormed the field in celebration. The six-foot-three, 258-pounder was proud that all of Iowa’s hard work paid off. Hill understands winning in Big Ten play is tough, especially on the road. Regardless, the Iowa persevered through all of the obstacles to be 10-2 on the season, and Hill couldn’t be more proud.

“I think it’s a testament to the team, and how hard we worked since the beginning of January when I got here,” the 20-year old said. “Me and the other transfers bought in, and believed what the culture is here, and that’s just getting close to the team, and trying to progress each week.”

In Hill’s eyes there’s nothing like having teammates to lean on and trust in the time of need. The Californian would’ve caught a lot of criticism if Iowa lost because of his turnover. Which is why Hill gave Weeder a kiss on the forehead afterwards in the locker room, because he basically bailed him out of trouble. Hill never doubted Weeder for one second either, and knew he would come through in the clutch.

“He (Weeder) makes his kicks in practice when he’s out there, so I had complete faith in Marshall that that thing was going in.”