DE Max Llewellyn, K Drew Stevens Heroes in the Heroes Game

Drew Stevens kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired and Iowa rallied to beat Nebraska 13-10 on Friday night.

Stevens got his chance after defensive end Max Llewellyn forced and recovered a fumble by Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola at the Huskers’ 36-yard line with 20 seconds left. Two runs from Kaleb Johnson cut the clock to three seconds left before Stevens scored the game-winning goal.

“Drew is a fucking beast,” Llewellyn said. “What a kick.”

It was redemption for Stevens, who, after struggling in last season’s game against the Huskers, was replaced by Marshall Meeder, who scored the game-winning field goal in Iowa’s 13-10 win in that game.

“I’ll be honest – I was looking forward to it,” Stevens said. “I can say that now.”

Stevens remembered what it was like last season when he didn’t get a chance to kick the winner.

“I mean, it sucks when there’s someone else out there doing your job,” Stevens said. “Especially if you train all year round. So yeah, that felt really good. I was confident going out there.”

“He was basically benched last year,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “What a contrast to this year. We had complete confidence in him.”

Stevens said he learned from the experience and it changed his game this season. He made 19 of his 22 field goal attempts, including five in last Saturday’s 29-13 win at Maryland.

“I feel like people doubted me after last season,” Stevens said. “So yeah, that’s fuel.”

The Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten), trailing 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, tied the game at 14:44 when Johnson took a short pass from Jackson Stratton and turned it into a 72- yard touchdown after escaping five tackle attempts.

“He made (the defensive backs) miss, like usual,” Stratton said. “He’s a great running back and he’s done what he does every game. He’s much faster than me. I tried to go down and block for him, but he’s a lot faster than me.”

Nebraska (6-6, 3-6) led 10-0 at halftime. John Hohl hit a 31-yard field goal in the first quarter, then Dante Dowdell scored on a 1-yard run with 38 seconds left in the half.

Iowa couldn’t get any offense going in the first half. The Hawkeyes had just one first down and 20 yards, with three-and-outs on five of their first six possessions.

“They definitely had momentum at halftime,” Ferentz said. “But when we were down 10-0, our boys really stepped up their game.”

Iowa caught a break in the third quarter when Nebraska’s Vincent Shavers Jr. parried a punt and the Hawkeyes recovered at the Huskers’ 4-yard line. But Iowa gained just two yards in three plays and settled for a 20-yard field goal from Stevens.

Nebraska outrebounded the Hawkeyes 334-164 and had 20 first downs compared to Iowa’s five. Johnson, who entered the game second nationally with 1,492 rushing yards, was held to 45 yards on 17 carries.

“I can’t imagine being one of those seniors and then just having that happen again against Iowa, especially the way we played,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said.

Big picture

Nebraska: The Huskers moved the ball all game against the Hawkeyes, but the turnovers proved costly. Nebraska held Johnson in check until the touchdown pass. The Huskers have lost nine of the last 10 games in this rivalry. “You know, it’s frustrating,” Rhule said. “That’s just where we’re at. It’s frustrating. We have to do better.”

Iowa: The Hawkeyes made their second start in the game with Stratton starting the season as the fourth quarterback, and the offense struggled until Johnson, who had been under control for most of the game, broke free for a touchdown.

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Nebraska: Bowl game to be announced.

Iowa: Bowl game to be announced.