Iowa vs. Nebraska Football: Real-time updates, score, and pivotal moments from Lincoln Iowa went into its regular-season finale hoping to finish the 2025 campaign with another rivalry victory, fresh off the emotional high of last week’s walk-off Senior Day victory over Michigan State. With a record of 7-4 overall and 5-3 in Big Ten play, the Hawkeyes came to Lincoln hoping to build on their recent dominance in this border conflict. Nebraska, likewise 7-4 but one game behind Iowa in the conference standings, had to contend without Dylan Raiola, their starting quarterback. On Black Friday, the Cornhusker offense was led by freshman TJ Lateef.
Fans have grown accustomed to this rivalry’s tension and momentum swings, which were evident from the first possession of the game. The Hawkeye offense had good early field position at its own 38 after Iowa’s defense forced Nebraska to punt on the Huskers’ first drive. However, Iowa’s offense soon stalled and Nebraska was pinned deep at its own 10 after a punt.
The Huskers quickly took advantage of the first significant moment of the day. Nebraska scored the game’s first touchdown to take a 7-0 lead with 10:40 remaining in the first quarter after marching down the field and attacking Iowa’s defense’s edges with steady outside runs. The Hawkeyes responded with their own calm determination. At 10:30, Drew Stevens made a 41-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.
The Hawkeyes took advantage of Iowa’s defense’s subsequent stop almost instantly. With 5:35 remaining in the first quarter, quarterback Mark Gronowski hit a wide-open Vonnahme for a 35-yard touchdown, turning the score in Iowa’s favor to 10–7. After Nebraska responded with a field goal at 1:16, Iowa mishandled the subsequent kickoff, giving Nebraska the ball at the Hawkeye 26. However, the Huskers were forced to settle for another kick as the defense held once more. Before the second quarter began, the score was tied at ten thanks to that field goal.
Nebraska scored a field goal at 13:53 to take a 13–10 lead early in the second frame. However, Iowa soon took back control. Jaziun Patterson’s 3-yard touchdown run in the 8:13 drive restored Iowa’s lead to 17–13. At 2:53, Nebraska scored another field goal to reduce the Hawkeye lead to 17–16, but Iowa wasn’t finished before halftime. Kam Moulton’s enormous 34-yard run put the Hawkeyes in prime scoring position and ignited their two-minute offense. With 37 seconds remaining, Iowa scored thanks to a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Gronowski, who muscled across the goal line. The Hawkeyes were riding high and leading 24–16 going into halftime.
Iowa attempted to maintain its lead at the start of the third quarter, but Nebraska’s defense stepped up and forced a punt. After Iowa had to punt a second time due to an illegal-shift penalty, mayhem broke out. Nebraska fumbled the ball into its own end zone after mishandling the return. With 11:16 remaining in the quarter, the Huskers rallied, but the play led to a safety, increasing Iowa’s lead to 26–16. As momentum continued to swing Iowa’s way, the “safety dance” celebration from Iowa supporters reverberated across social media.
The game became a defensive grind after that. Nebraska found it difficult to regularly produce offense against Iowa’s disciplined, swarming defense while playing behind a rookie quarterback. The Hawkeyes’ pass rush started controlling the pace as their containment problems from the first quarter tightened considerably. Iowa’s offense, on the other hand, was unable to completely eliminate the game but managed to win the battle for field position by repeatedly flipping the field with excellent special-teams play.
Iowa relied on its defense to close the gap and its ground game to run out the clock as the last quarter progressed. Nebraska’s attempts to rally were immediately thwarted, and the Hawkeyes made the Huskers take several short drives and punts. Iowa never appeared alarmed, even though the offense didn’t score any more points following the safety in the third quarter. The Hawkeyes trusted their defense, which had made timely stops all afternoon, controlled possession, and made few mistakes.
Iowa maintained its late-season surge by keeping Nebraska at bay with strong situational play, crucial red-zone execution, and a defense that tightened when it mattered most. In addition to securing another impressive rivalry performance, the victory marked Iowa’s tenth victory over the Huskers in their previous eleven encounters, an incredible run in a historically close series. Now that the regular season is officially over, the Hawkeyes are waiting to find out where they will play in the bowl. However, one thing is already evident: Iowa found its footing in the final stretch, secured a pivotal victory on the road, and concluded the 2025 campaign with a hard-fought, well-deserved rivalry victory in Lincoln.
