HuskerMax Sim: Nebraska Splits with Penn State, Iowa to Finish Regular Season 8-4

You might just be aware that we're officially in "game week" for the Nebraska football team — the real one, anyway. For those of you who have joined me for the ride of the fake Huskers here on HuskerMax, we're actually wrapping up the regular season, so here we go!

After climbing to 7-1 and a No. 8 national ranking (Nebraska would explode if that happens in real life this season), the Huskers were bitten by a bug we're all too used to lately in the Good Life. USC and UCLA both knocked off the top-10 Huskers, sending them straight out of the national rankings as fast as they got into them. However, a showdown with national championship contender Penn State could potentially turn the tide and put the Huskers right back into the mix.

Nebraska looked to make a statement early, and unsurprisingly, they did so through the air. Down 3-0, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola found one of his favorite targets in the corner of the end zone. Nyziah Hunter pulls it in to put the Huskers up 7-3 on the Nittany Lions.

After forcing a 3-and-out, Nebraska had a chance to extend its lead! This time Raiola used his legs instead of his arm, and Happy Valley wasn't so happy. The Huskers opened up a 14-3 lead, but could they hold onto it?

Late into the second quarter, it's now a 14-6 Nebraska lead. Heisman candidate Drew Allar from 18 yards out connected with wideout Trebor Pena, and after the extra point, it was back to just a one-point ball game in State College, PA.

A Penn State field goal gave the Nittany Lions the lead back at 16-14 in the fourth quarter, but then they extended their own lead. Allar finds Devonte Ross on a quick slant, and the Nebraska safeties are nowhere to be found. Ross totes it 53 yards to put Penn State up 23-14, but Nebraska wasn't out of it.

Nebraska tacked on a field goal to make it 23-17 PSU, and even had the ball with a chance to drive down and take the lead late. However, with two minutes left, Nebraska decided to punt the ball back to Penn State instead of going for a 4th & 6 in its own territory. Penn State was then able to ice it from there. With less than a minute to go, Drew Allar called game. He ran it in from seven yards out to put Penn State up 30-17.

That ended up being the final score in a game that was a lot closer than even the fake experts would have predicted after the Huskers dropped back-to-back games prior to the showdown. Nonetheless, it's a third-straight loss for Nebraska after a 7-1 start to the year. The now 7-4 Huskers officially set their sights on rival Iowa.

The Huskers and Hawkeyes renewed their Heroes Game rivalry in Lincoln for the 2025 edition of the series, and Nebraska entered the game looking to get right before bowl season after watching their college football playoff aspirations get dashed over the past three weeks.

After an opening drive field goal, Nebraska's defense made a statement early as Ceyair Wright picked off Mark Gronowski on Iowa's first possession of the game, and that defense quickly resulted in more offense for the Big Red.

Nebraska drove right back down the field and from the 7-yard line, Raiola padded the NU lead with a nice touchdown pass to Hunter. Less than five minutes into the game, Nebraska already opened up a 10-point lead.

The quick scores were rewarded with more good defense from the Blackshirts. Marques Watson-Trent gets into the Hawkeye backfield for his first sack of the game. All the momentum certainly seemed to be in Nebraska's favor early.

However, "seemed" was the key word. Nebraska's now up 13-3, but Gronowski finally found his groove. He connects with Kaden Wetjen (get used to his name) for a touchdown, and just like that, Nebraska's lead is back down to three.

After digging themselves into a 10-0 hole, Iowa then took its first lead of the game. Gronowski, once again, goes to the air, and remember how I said to get used to Wetjen's name? The short score puts the Hawkeyes up 17-13 in Lincoln, allowing doubt to once again creep in.

With the first half winding down, Nebraska needed something to go its way, and it finally did. Raiola from seven yards out hits Mac Markway (he's not hurt in the game) for the quick score. Nebraska ends up entering the halftime locker room with a 20-17 lead.

Although we're operating in the world of video game football here, Nebraska and the virtual Matt Rhule made themselves some halftime adjustments! On the first drive of the second half, Raiola shows off his mobility from just a few yards out. He makes the perfect decision on the RPO to go in untouched to put Nebraska up 27-17 on the Hawkeyes.

Both teams went on a punting fest for the next three possessions before Nebraska got some offensive momentum again. Raiola took to the air for a 36-yard touchdown connection with (guess who?) Nyziah Hunter again. The aerial display allows Nebraska to open up a 37-17 advantage.

The Huskers tacked on a field goal to make it 40-17 in the fourth, so game over right? Someone get Lee Corso on the phone for a good old fashioned "Not so fast my friend!" Gronowski finds Jacob Gill in the end zone with a little less than six minutes left in the game. Nebraska's lead gets cut to 40-24.

Nebraska then goes 3-and-out, but on Iowa's next possession, it becomes the second Husker interception of the game. This time it's another Wright — Javin Wright. Now the game's over right?

Don't make Lee Corso say it again. Nebraska's offense couldn't burn any clock before punting it back, and with 2:30 left, Gronowski finds Wetjen for their third touchdown connection of the game, and just like that, Nebraska's 23-point lead is down to just nine, 40-31.

Iowa's still down nine with only a minute to play, but Gronowski's not hearing any fat lady sing just yet. He airs it out for another touchdown, this time to Seth Anderson. It's now 40-38 Nebraska, and if the Huskers can't recover the onside kick, watch out.

Fortunately for NU, Iowa ended up kicking the onside kick out of bounds. Nebraska took over and drained out the rest of the clock to hold on to a 2-point victory after leading by 23. It's not a score Nebraska will like seeing after seeing how dominant they were earlier in the game, but a video game win is a video game win!

In case you couldn't tell, there was plenty of offense in this one. The teams combined for 1,113 yards of offense, and frankly, Nebraska's regular season ends much like it started — with a high-scoring affair that resulted in a narrow win.

More importantly for those keeping track of regular season wins, that makes NU 8-4 heading into bowl season! What's even better for Nebraska fans, the game had Iowa at 5-6 entering that showdown, which means the Huskers sent the Hawkeyes home for the rest of the year.

Nebraska ended up getting selected to play in the Reliaquest Bowl after the improved campaign. Oh, and their opponent is Texas A&M — talk about irony.

We'll have the results of a game that we'll dub the "Trev Alberts Bowl" in just a few days since the real season kicks off on Thursday! Stay tuned.

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