Report card from Nebraska's 40-16 Black Friday loss to Iowa

Report card from Nebraska's 40-16 Black Friday loss to IowaStory byThomas Codo, Cornhuskers WireMon, December 1, 2025 at 12:30 PM UTC·6 min read

Nebraska’s (7-5, 4-5) regular-season finale against Iowa (8-4, 6-3) felt like a massacre. Despite a steady first half, the Hawkeyes took control of the game to grab the 40-16 victory. Though Penn State shut down Nebraska from the opening drive, the Huskers completely collapsed against Iowa.

Nebraska traded blows with the Hawkeyes in the first half, but things took a turn in the second. Mistakes piled up for the Huskers along with the lack of physicality, leading to Iowa completely shutting down Nebraska. The Hawkeyes finished with 379 total yards on offense while the Huskers finished with 300, but it feels much worse.

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Now, Nebraska heads into a bowl game for the second straight year. But with the team riding two straight devastating losses, there’s a lot to address over the next few weeks if win number eight is to come. Here is the report card for Nebraska’s 40-16 defeat against Iowa.

Quarterbacks: C

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback TJ Lateef (14) passes against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

TJ Lateef took another step back Friday with the limited variety of plays given to him. Iowa’s defense locked down many passing plays, forcing Lateef to try and make home run shots on a windy day. The true freshman was also battling an injury at points in the game and missed a few throws.

But 9-of-24 for 68 yards is a rough sight regardless. He didn’t take any sacks, getting rid of the ball when the pressure was on him, but he couldn’t become a massive factor for the offense. Though he is a true freshman, there needs to be a tune-up for the bowl game.

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Whether it’s the coaches expanding the playbook or Lateef taking the next few weeks to regroup, Nebraska’s passing game cannot continue like this.

Running Backs: A

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson (21) runs against Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Zach Lutmer (6) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Emmett Johnson rushed for 217 yards on 29 carries. That alone should’ve been part of a big win. Instead, for the second week in a row, it was the lone light in the darkness for Nebraska’s offense.

He busted out another big run, a season-long 70-yard streak down the sideline, which ended up being just a few inches short of the goalline. He punched it in right after, the Huskers’ only touchdown of the game. Though not every run yielded big gains, he still made a lot.

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Johnson finished the regular season with 1,451 total rushing yards, which included eight 100-yard games, marking one of the best seasons by a Nebraska running back since Ameer Abdullah in 2013. Now the question becomes whether Johnson returns for one more season or declares for the NFL draft.

If this ends up being Johnson’s final game, the Huskers will need to fill a very vital piece of their offense this offseason.

Wide Receivers: C

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers wide receiver Dane Key (6) is tackled by Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Rashad Godfrey Jr. (7) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Lateef’s 24 passes mainly hit the ground, and a good chunk of those were the result of receivers facing contested catches due to Iowa’s secondary locking in. Dane Key was targeted seven times in the game, but only mustered three catches for 16 yards, failing to haul in the difficult one-on-one toss-ups from Lateef.

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Luke Lindenmeyer hauled in two catches for 22 yards after being targeted four times. Jacory Barney made one catch for five yards, but was targeted three times. Nyziah Hunter only got one throw his way, which he grabbed for six yards.

Heinrich Haarberg didn’t get any passes, but he got two carries for two yards. However, his second carry resulted in a fumble at the goal line. The receiving corps did help Johnson with some run blocks, but with the regular season in the books, that is nowhere near enough.

Much like Lateef, this group needs to step up or expand its route variation to try and pick apart secondaries. Granted, part of that comes down to quickness.

Offensive Line: C

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback TJ Lateef (14) passes against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

It’s been the same story for the pipeline these past few weeks. Johnson gets the holes to run through, but the passing game remains quick and short. Much like the receivers, run blocks cannot be all that the line can do.

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Iowa didn’t sack Lateef once and only earned one tackle for loss. Keeping these numbers low is essential, but if the offense can’t get going in the air because the line can’t hold for long, then something needs to change.

Defensive Line: D

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) is tackled by Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive lineman Riley van Poppel (5) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Despite Iowa rushing for fewer yards than the Huskers, it ruled the trenches against the Blackshirts, earning 213 yards. Mark Gronowski was the workhorse, earning 64 rushing yards, while Kamari Moulton tallied 93 yards.

Though at times Iowa got caught at the line, Nebraska, for the most part, couldn’t prevent the Hawkeyes from grabbing the necessary yards needed to chip away on the drive. The line also once again failed to produce a sack, instead earning four quarterback hurries.

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But that was the extent of the group’s capabilities, truly reflecting the literal hole left by Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher. Whether the answer is finding a big man in the middle that can disrupt the system or rallying the group, the battle begins in the trenches, and it must be fixed for the Blackshirts.

Linebackers: D

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Mark Gronowski (11) hands the ball off to running back Kamari Moulton (28) against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The second level rallied to the ball. But, as in their outing against Penn State, they also got caught up in blocks or overcommitted. This led to big runs or just a few extra yards for Iowa. The linebackers this season struggled with such mishaps and never really established a strong presence in the middle of the field.

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For this group, it’s got the drive. But they need to get past the blocks and be wary of cutbacks. This late into the season, such mistakes shouldn't be frequent, but they are. But better late than never to address it.

Defensive Backs: D

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Kamari Moulton (28) runs against Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Andrew Marshall (10) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Gronowski finished 9-of-16 for 166 passing yards, nearly always finding the perfect moment to strike in the air. Even when Nebraska managed to be on its receiver, it failed to stay on them. Iowa’s only touchdown pass also occurred due to a poor angle.

Even against the run, despite finding some tackles, the group couldn't do anything to shift the scales in its direction. This group seemingly started the season off strong. But offenses have recently been exposed, which only makes the need to adjust all the more crucial.

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Special Teams: C

Nov 28, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers kicker Kyle Cunanan (91) kicks a PAT against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Special teams struggled for the second week in a row. But this week’s outing was certainly worse. Even with the Huskers recovering a kickoff and being 3-for-3 in field goal attempts, the third phase made some costly mistakes.

Barney took a controversial hit on a punt return, leading to a fumble and a safety. Archie Wilson also struggled against the wind on his four punts, averaging just 32 yards per kick. Kaden Wetjen also did some damage against Nebraska on just two kick returns, taking one for 51 yards, which led to an Iowa field goal.

This felt more like last year’s team than anything, which is not a good sign after the lackluster performance against Penn State. The group now has time to prepare for the bowl game, and it needs to return to the form it was in earlier this year.

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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Report card from Nebraska's 40-16 Black Friday loss to Iowa

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