IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Miguel Recinos drilled a 41-yard field goal through a driving rain as time expired and Iowa beat Nebraska 31-28 on Friday despite blowing a 15-point lead. Mekhi Sargent ran for a career-high 173 yards and scored twice for the Hawkeyes (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten), who have won four straight over the Cornhuskers for the first time.

The Hawkeyes nearly blew this one big time though. A curious decision by Iowa to fake a field goal at Nebraska’s 3-yard line failed, and it led to a 98-yard scoring drive from the Huskers to make it 28-20 with 13:57 to go. Martinez then ran it from 3 yards out with 3:22 left and found Kade Warner in the back of the end zone to tie it up.

But star tight end T.J. Hockenson came through for Iowa with a 10-yard catch on a fourth-and-8 with 42 seconds to go — and Recinos put it through the uprights after missing his previous attempt.
Sargent scored late in the second quarter on a 15-yard run and early in the third on a 5-yard pass from Nate Stanley to help the Hawkeyes jump ahead 28-13. But the Huskers and Adrian Martinez, their brilliant freshman quarterback, showed resilience in nearly pulling off the stunner.

Martinez threw for 260 yards and two TDs to lead Nebraska (4-8, 3-6), which went 0-5 on the road in 2018. The Huskers played without injured star wide receiver J.D. Spielman for the second week in a row.

After a three-game losing streak robbed them of a shot at the Big Ten title, the Hawkeyes finished on a high note and will now await their bowl fate. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them end up in either the Holiday or the Citrus Bowl.