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Iowa striker Miguel Recinos was declared the winner of the game against Nebraska after losing one before. Listen to why he did not doubt that he would have a second chance:
Mark Emmert, [email protected]

IOWA CITY, Ia. – Keith Duncan had a sentence of advice for Miguel Recinos Friday, one after the other.

"After being successful," do not slip, "said Duncan about the most important goal of Recinos' career in Iowa.

Both are related in the history of Hawkeye football now. At the end of the allotted time, Recinos won 31-28 against Nebraska in front of an announced crowd of 65,299 spectators at Kinnick Stadium.

Two years ago, Duncan scored a 33-yard goal to beat Michigan, headed to the North End Zone and slid to the ground before his teammates did. 39, buries in a heap of jubile but painful.

► More: What we learned from the thrilling Hawkeyes victory over Nebraska

Recinos ran 41 yards in a pouring rain on Friday, then ran and ran and kept running. In the south end zone. Turning around his bench, a series of teammates behind him.

Nobody caught Recinos. The senior was the hero of Senior Day, with the Heroes Trophy in play.

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"I was sitting on the bench with my head down. Jake Gervase, safety officer at Hawkeye, said about the kick that sent his team to 8-4, 5-4 at the Big Ten conference. "I could tell right away that he had come in when the crowd broke out. … I have chills just thinking about it.

Recinos was not nervous at all, he said. He had missed a 37-yard attempt that was also heading north just 8 minutes earlier, pushing the ball to the right ("I think I was a little too open to the hips," he said). diagnosed himself).

"After that, we feel very lonely," said Recinos.

More: With the victory over Nebraska, here is the landscape of the Iowa Football Cup

What calmed him down is his ability to read the future. He was confident that he would have another chance. His team led 28-20 and led for a fourth straight win against rival Cornhuskers (4-8, 3-6). He saw Nebraska pilot for a touchdown, converting the double pointer into knots. And he saw his attack Hawkeye, who won 419 yards without a turnaround, immediately setting himself in position for his immediate shot at the redemption.

Recinos said that he even thought that Nebraska coach Scott Frost would be foolish enough to do without his last break, in order to "freeze" him.

It went exactly that way.

Iowa quarterback, Nate Stanley, found tight end T.J. Hockenson for 10 yards on a brave conversion to fourth and eighth. Midfielder Mekhi Sargent rushed for 4 yards, giving him a career-best total of 173, to set up Iowa on the 23-yard Nebraska line on the right hash mark. We did not ask Recinos where he preferred football to be aligned, but it does not matter. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz allowed time to flow to 3 seconds before stopping.

"I told him something quickly as he was going out into the field," Ferentz said of Recinos. "At that point, yeah, let him do what he does. I do not know anything about kicking. Keep your eyes down. I know it. I could not tell him that it was going to help him.

Colten Rastetter, the holder of Recinos these past two seasons, has moved to his best friend.

► More:Hawkeye Senior Render, Reynolds pave way sure ground at the last second win

"I saw him in his eyes. He was focused, determined, "said Rastetter.

The Hawkeyes lined up. Frost called his time out. Recinos exhaled practically gratitude.

"I think old Frost made a big mistake by asking for a delay in waiting for this one," Recinos said. "Because it gave me the opportunity to get the guys together and I could say a few words, tell them I loved them."

He also gave Jackson Subbert and Rastetter time to test their behavior. The ball was wet, said Rastetter, and he decided to take off his gloves at half-time.

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La séance d'entraînement était glissante. Le vrai était parfait.

Recinos a dit qu'il savait qu'il frappait bien le football. Il a vu que c'était sur la cible. Il s'est retourné et a sprinté comme un enfant insouciant, faisant le vent dans les bras et écoutant l'éruption d'un stade.

«Je me sentais un peu nauséeux pendant une seconde», plaisante Recinos à propos de sa escapade impromptue.

«Je ne dirais jamais cela à l'entraîneur Ferentz, mais il semble que je sois toujours mieux après en avoir manqué un. … Il devient plus facile pour moi de tout masquer parce que je suis un peu en colère. Mais cette colère est positive.

"Je savais que j'allais faire le coup."

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Il y a deux ans, Duncan, alors qu’il était étudiant de première année, était capable de rentrer chez lui dans son dortoir dans l’anonymat, en s’amusant en pépiant devant des fans de Hawkeye qui ne savaient même pas qu’il était le petit gars au fond de cette pile de canules quelques instants auparavant.

Rastetter ne pensait pas non plus que le héros de vendredi serait assiégé par des chiens autographes. Les aînés planifiaient un rassemblement de célébration.

"Il n’a même pas les médias sociaux", a déclaré Rastetter à propos de Recinos. "Donc, je ne sais même pas si les gens savent à quoi il ressemble."

Il ressemble à un gars qui a marqué 171 points pour les Hawkeyes, aucun plus important que les trois qu'il a mis en place avec le match vendredi.

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Colten Rastetter, détenteur de l'Iowa, à la sortie du groupe FG: "Ce fut un moment surréaliste"
Dargan Southard, [email protected]