Game Report: Iowa at Northwestern

By the numbers

2 - Third-down conversions in 14 opportunities by Iowa

9 - Third-down conversions in 16 opportunities by Northwestern

3 - Consecutive games won by Northwestern in the series

1,748 - Career rushing yards gained by Iowa's RB Adam Robinson, tying Nick Bell for 13th all-time

Report card

D - Jacksonville is the home of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Just sayin'.

- Marc Morehouse

D - Dan Persa ruptured an Achilles and the Hawkeyes on the same play.

- Mike Hlas

D - I guess we get another year of sound bite questions asking “what is it about Northwestern ...?”

- Scott Dochterman

Game Ball

Northwestern QB Dan Persa. The junior completed 32 of 43 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 15 times for 51 yards and a score.

Persa suffered a ruptured right Achilles tendon seconds after throwing a game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Fields with 1 minute, 22 seconds left in the game. He was scheduled for surgery Saturday night and will miss the rest of the season.

3 Moments

1. Persa's game-winning pass to Fields. The play was called X-dog, and Fields cut in front of Iowa cornerback Micah Hyde in the end zone. Persa delivered the ball perfectly for the score and a 21-17 win.

“I don't remember what I did on the play,” Fields said. “I remember the ball up in the air, and I remember going up to get it.”

2. On second-and-11 at Northwestern's 43, Iowa quarterback Rick Stanzi lofted a pass toward a double-covered Derrell Johnson-Koulianos in the middle of the field. Wildcats safety Brian Peters picked off the pass at the 5-yard line and returned it 25 yards. That spurred the Wildcats, who trailed 17-7, to a pair of touchdown drives.

“It was 3-cover. I was in the post,” Peters said. “I thought I gave (Stanzi) good enough depth to discourage him from throwing it, and he still threw it. And I did a head whip and I guess it ended up being underthrown to (Johnson-Koulianos), and I came underneath it.

“Usually you don't throw a post into a post player. But I'll take it.”

3. Stanzi gave Iowa a 17-7 lead when he tossed a 70-yard strike to Johnson-Koulianos. Northwestern cornerback Jordan Mabin had single coverage on DJK, who cut toward the middle of the field and outraced Mabin to the end zone.

It was the longest touchdown reception of DJK's career. He now has 16 all-time, five short of tying the Iowa record.

Fun for the victors

After Iowa scored its second third-quarter touchdown, Northwestern middle linebacker Nate Williams chose to squirt water at his defensive teammates on the sidelines. He said he needed to lighten the mood on the sidelines. According to Peters, it worked.

“I was squirted, yes,” Peters said. “It was just all of us having fun, and playing together and having fun playing a game. Not making it a job, which it can be sometimes because the season can become a grind.”

Kickin' it

Iowa punter Ryan Donahue notched his third career punt against Northwestern exceeding 70 yards. In the second quarter, Donahue's boot went 73 yards, the same distance as one of his punts against the Wildcats in 2009. In 2007 he stroked a 76-yard punt against Northwestern.

Catch of the day

Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt continued his trend of big catches. He scored Iowa's first touchdown - the 14th of his career - on a 5-yard pass from Stanzi. But his best catch came on Iowa's final, yet futile, drive.

On fourth-and-15 from Iowa's 38 and 32 seconds left, McNutt ran a post-corner route to the left side. Stanzi threaded a pass to McNutt, who hauled it in between two Northwestern defenders despite his helmet sent flying. The play was good for 23 yards and a first down at the Wildcats' 39.

McNutt finished with seven catches for 72 yards.

Looking ahead

Iowa completes its home campaign next Saturday against Ohio State (2:30 p.m., ABC). The Hawkeyes still have an outside shot at tying for a Big Ten title, but now it requires wins against the Buckeyes and Minnesota, coupled with losses by Wisconsin and Michigan State. Iowa has beaten Ohio State just once since 1991.