Social media reacts as Marshall Meeder walks off Nebraska for Iowa’s 10th win in dramatic fashion
Senior backup kicker Marshall Meeder authored the perfect script to cap this 2023 regular season for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Somehow, some way, Iowa is 10-2.
It’s the seventh time in program history the Hawkeyes have won 10 or more games in a regular season.
In the unlikeliest of fashions, Meeder found his name called late for a 38-yard field goal try to walk off the Nebraska Huskers on their home field. Sure enough, he delivered. And by the narrowest of margins.
The 5-foot-10, 191-pound senior kicker just cleared the crossbar for a walk-off field goal to down Nebraska, 13-10. It was his first field goal try as a member of the Hawkeyes.
Meeder didn’t even think he would play football this season until he receive a phone call several weeks before the season from Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods. Unbelievably, he’s the hero in Lincoln, Nebraska, over one of Iowa’s biggest rivals.
The entirety of the sequence was pretty unfathomable. Seemingly given one final chance to drive and score the game-winning points in regulation, Iowa sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill dropped back on third-and-12 and was intercepted by Nebraska’s Tommi Hill as he tried to force a pass to sixth-year receiver Nico Ragaini with 31 seconds remaining.
Fortunately for Iowa, a holding penalty on the interception return backed Nebraska up to the Husker 45-yard line. After a Chubba Purdy scramble of three yards, Nebraska spent a timeout to preserve time for its own potential game-winning drive.
Then, the inexplicable — and yet, somehow totally predictable — thing happened. Iowa’s defense had one final magical play up its sleeve to deliver the Hawkeyes to the doorstep of an unforgettable 10th win this season.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett dropped back into coverage, surprising Purdy as he picked off the pass over the middle of the field and rumbled 10 yards on the return to the Nebraska 37-yard line.
With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Iowa still likely needed a positive play to get themselves a manageable look at a game-winning field goal try. After all, the Hawkeyes had already seen a pair of field goal tries from sophomore kicker Drew Stevens get blocked.
Junior running back Leshon Williams ripped off a 22-yard gallop on Iowa’s first offensive snap following the Hurkett pick to the Husker 15-yard line. After Hill took a knee to center the football, it was Meeder time.
Take a look below as the dramatics unfolded and social media reacted accordingly to the Hawkeyes’ incredible finish for double-figure regular season victories.
The zaniness begins
Hill intercepts Hill.
Tommi Hill picks it off, and @HuskerFootball has the ball in the final seconds.
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/q7yqk30Liw
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 24, 2023
Husker fans go crazy for Tommi Hill
TOMMI HILL INTERCEPTION
— Barstool ‘Skers (@BarstoolHusker) November 24, 2023
TOMMI HILL IS THAT GUY!!!! #GBR
— 247Huskers (@247Huskers) November 24, 2023
Tommi Hill is playing the game of his life.
— Corn Nation (@CornNation) November 24, 2023
The Husker slant still feels progress was made
Progress was made this season. Thats a fact.
But Nebraska must do two things: keep Tony White and spend up to a million dollars on a transfer QB.
— Greg Smith (@GregSmithRivals) November 24, 2023
But, wait...the party's just getting started!
INT IOWA pic.twitter.com/B1jtEt1rcu
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) November 24, 2023
IT'S ETHAN HURKETT!
ETHAN HURKETT DID WHAT
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) November 24, 2023
OH MY GOD ETHAN HURKETT
— B1G Time (@B1GTime0_o) November 24, 2023
ETHAN HURKETT I LOVE YOU
— Jacob Wenger (@jacob_wenger) November 24, 2023
Ethan Hurkett had the most important defensive play in two different rivalry games this year
— Matt Wyatt (@BigMatt_O) November 24, 2023
CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER STAND UP!
ETHAN HURKETT ATTENDED CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL.
— Mitch Fick (@MCFick) November 24, 2023
ETHAN. HURKETT!!!! CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER HAVE A DAY!
— Jack Lux (@jacklux10) November 24, 2023
LESHON GETS LOOSE!
HUGE RUN LESHON WILLIAMS TO THE 15 WITH 7 SECS LEFT pic.twitter.com/ZdzYEPrFuP
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) November 24, 2023
A walk-off winner!
Walk-off Winner 😎@Meeder23 x #Hawkeyes
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 24, 2023
It's a GREAT day to be a Hawkeye
Caught Marshall Meeder on his way off the field after his game-winning field goal.
“It’s a great day to be a Hawkeye.” pic.twitter.com/gturUzfCS5
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) November 24, 2023
CURSED! And, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing
Tommi Hill intercepted that ball with 31 seconds left in the game.
And we lost in regulation.
Think about how insanely cursed this football program is for that to happen.
— HuskGuys (@HuskGuys) November 24, 2023
For any of our Cyclone friends
To all ISU fans who have poked fun at Iowa this year
Hold that L
Iowa just did something in the regular season your program has never done in its history and Iowa did it with the worst offense in College Football.
— B1G Mhawk (@B1G_Mhawk) November 24, 2023
Smile everyone!
Smile if you can’t beat Iowa📸 pic.twitter.com/sh2q97WWHj
— Barstool Iowa (@BarstoolUIowa) November 24, 2023
'Iowa can't keep getting away with it!!!'
College Football to Iowa after the latest win against Nebraska: pic.twitter.com/Js0Mu5YJpV
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 24, 2023
Built different
LeShon Williams on how Iowa keeps winning these close games:
We built different.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 24, 2023
RB tag team
Pretty cool to see Kaleb Johnson ice it last week and then Leshon Williams ice it this week. Two huge runs in big spots.
— Justin VanLaere ▶ (@storminspank) November 24, 2023
What a story
Marshall Meeder said that he was ready to wrap up his football career because he’s an engineering major.
LeVar Woods texted him two weeks before school started and asked him if he wanted to be a Hawkeye.
— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) November 24, 2023
Hello, Oklahoma
Iowa now has the longest winning streak at Nebraska since Oklahoma 60+ years ago
6 straight and it seems like they all come down to the wire
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) November 24, 2023
Iowa sixth straight win in Lincoln is the longest winning streak for a team at Nebraska since Oklahoma won 8 straight from 1943-57.#Hawkeyes https://t.co/706oUEd7gS
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) November 24, 2023