Hawkeyes extend win streak in Lincoln after throttling Huskers

LINCOLN, Neb. — Despite freezing temperatures, and a sold out crowd, Kirk Ferentz has no problem working his magic at Memorial Stadium, and now Hawkeye fans are calling the venue Kinnick West.

After all, Iowa annihilated Nebraska 40-16 inside the Sea of Red Friday, which was the program’s largest margin of victory in the Heroes Rivalry since 2017. Not to mention the Hawkeyes are now riding a seven-game, winning streak in Lincoln. Ferentz traded punches with Nebraska’s Matt Rhule in the first half, but he made the necessary adjustments and dominated the second half.

The game didn’t start off pretty by any means for the Hawkeyes, especially dealing with 86,410 screaming fans. Iowa fell behind early in the first quarter after the defense surrendered the most explosive play of the afternoon. However, Ferentz thought his players responded well to adversity, and put together two scoring drives to tie the game up, and simmer down the crowd.

“Proud of how they competed, how they fought, and the way they responded,” Ferentz said. “No matter what goes on, even in the course of the game, they done a good job responding, and certainly if they lose a game, they get back up on their feet.”

Seniors like quarterback Mark Gronowski, defensive lineman Aaron Graves and kicker Drew Stevens refused to let Iowa lose. Gronowski’s 35-yard touchdown pass, and Stevens 41-yard field goal shifted the momentum to the Hawkeyes’ side. Iowa continued to chip away in the second quarter, and took the lead for good after Gronowski led the offense on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

Although Nebraska (7-5) kept it close with two field goals, Iowa clearly had the momentum after Gronowski orchestrated another 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with him in the endzone. The stadium fell silent as the Hawkeyes took an eight-point lead into halftime, and Ferentz felt positive about the passion and energy from his players.

“To me, today’s game is about representing the kind of guys that we have on this football team,  and it’s what makes me want to go out, fight and compete for a full 60 minutes,” he said. “That’s really what the game is all about.”

The Hawkeyes were no nonsense in the second half, and came out and played like their heads were on fire. Everything started with an Iowa punt early in the third quarter. Nebraska wideout Jacory Barney muffed the return, but picked the ball up and then received a huge hit from linebacker Karson Sharar that knocked the ball loose into the endzone for a safety.

Ferentz’s squad smelled blood in the water after they went up by 10 points on the opposition. The Hawkeyes were able to play complimentary football the rest of the way, and the defense fed off the energy from the offense. Iowa’s defense smothered Nebraska’s offense in the second half. Quarterback TJ Lateef never got into a groove, and had a noticeable limp. It took away his mobility, and Lateef never carried the ball the entire afternoon. The freshman signal-caller only completed nine of his 24 passes for 69 yards.

Gronowski pretty much took over the game, and led the offense on two additional touchdown drives. After his six-yard touchdown run towards the end of the third quarter, there was a mass exodus of Husker fans. Running back Kamari Moulton put the finishing touches on the Heroes Game with a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and Iowa was on cruise control the rest of the way.

The Hawkeyes outscored the Huskers 16-0 in the second half, and Ferentz was glad that a good week of preparation paid off in a big way. Iowa became one of four FBS schools with at least eight wins every year since 2015, solidifying that Ferentz is the king of consistency.

“It’s nice to see when the players can look at what they’ve done not only today, but for the entire season,” the 70-year old said. “It’s a good feeling when the players go home and feel good about what they’ve been doing, and these guys have earned that, it’s no question.”

Iowa led Nebraska in total offense, passing yards, yards per play, first downs, third down efficiency plays and time of possession. The Hawkeyes also won the turnover battle, and didn’t allow a sack on offense. Gronowski put together a stellar performance in his final Big Ten contest. He completed nine of his 16 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. The former FCS All-American also rushed for 64 yards and two scores.

Gronowski connected with six different Hawkeyes, including tight end DJ Vonnahme, who caught three passes for a game-high, 91 yards and a score. Moulton finished with 18 carres for 93 yards and two scores. The running back also averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Although wideout Kaden Wetjen didn’t catch any passes, he returned a kickoff 51 yards.

Steven made his only field goal attempt, and didn’t have to do any late-game heroics like last season’s clash with the Huskers. Phil Parker’s defense stole the show, and tightened up after the unit allowed a huge run on Nebraska’s opening drive. Defensive back Rashad Godfrey Jr., tallied a team-high, nine tackles, and forced a fumble. Linebacker Jayden Montgomery added seven stops. Xavier Nwankpa, Zach Lutmer and Sharar each generated five tackles.

Ferentz continues to rule Memorial Stadium with an iron fist, and Iowa hasn’t lost in Lincoln since 2011. On top of that, the Hawkeyes have won 10 of the 11 meetings against the Huskers. Now Ferentz and his players can sit back, relax, and wait for what bowl bid they’ll receive. At the end of the day, Ferentz feels his team should be proud of their accomplishments this season, and hold their heads high.

“The best part about all of this stuff is that we have a long weekend, everyone can take some time away, the players certainly need that, all of us do.”