Week 10 -- Crutches and a boot (with video)

IOWA CITY - Ricky Stanzi's X-rays came back negative. The Hawkeyes' undefeated season is broken.

The No. 8 Hawkeyes' undefeated season went to the lockerroom for X-rays on a naked bootleg from their 6-yard line with 11:46 left in the second quarter.

Stanzi faked a handoff and spun, as he has so many times. He took two steps and found Northwestern defensive end Corey Wootton under his facemask. Wootton caused a fumble that defensive tackle Marshall Thomas recovered for an NU touchdown.

That's not even the bad part.

Stanzi stayed on the turf, crumpled in a semi-fetal position.

The Wildcats (6-4, 3-3 Big Ten) played brilliant defense, completely shutting down the Hawkeyes when redshirt freshman James Vandenberg replaced Stanzi, and took the Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1) out of the national championship discussion, 17-10, before 70,585 fans Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

His status for next week's game at Ohio State is doubtful, coach Kirk Ferentz said. The X-rays were negative, but Stanzi did suffer a severe sprain, likely a high-ankle from the looks of the replay.

“My guess is he'll be out of action here the next couple weeks,” Ferentz said, comparing the injury to the high-ankle sprains running back Adam Robinson and tight end Tony Moeaki suffered earlier this season.

The next couple weeks, that's the season, folks.

Stanzi walked slowly to Iowa's lockerroom and wasn't seen again until he showed up on the sideline in the middle of the third quarter, balancing on crutches and wearing a white plastic boot that reached all the way up from his right ankle to knee.

Iowa's undefeated season was right there with him. Crutched, booted and broken.

“We've faced a lot of adversity this year. We've faced everything you can face,” Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said. “I think this one right here tops them all.”

Northwestern managed its own quarterback crisis, with Mike Kafka yielding to Dan Persa only to have the ball return to Kafka for a second half that resonated across the college football landscape.

Iowa's 13-game winning streak was crutched, booted and broken. Iowa's Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl hopes are still very much alive.

Alive, but also crutched and booted.

“Everything is out there,” Ferentz said. “We're not going to go undefeated. That's the only thing that's obvious at this point.”

Iowa can still win a share of the Big Ten title, but it will have to do it with a redshirt freshman quarterback making his first career start at Ohio State, on the ABC 2:30 p.m. showcase, in a stadium where Iowa hasn't won since 1991.

“Pray for James,” Johnson-Koulianos said.

Going into Iowa's last-gasp - first down from its 17, trailing by a TD with 2:04 left, Vandenberg was 8 of 20 for 75 yards. He looked every bit like a redshirt freshman who simply wasn't ready to take over for a starter with a 17-3 record.

Vandenberg finished 9 of 27. His final pass, throwing into eight men in coverage with just three rushers, was well behind Marvin McNutt. His first pass was intercepted. In between, it was all pretty unsteady, as you would expect.

“Overall, it was only OK,” said Vandenberg, a baby-faced kid from Keokuk. “It was good to get my feet wet. There's no more time to waste now, it's time to go. I felt like I was ready. I felt comfortable, they did a good job mixing it up.”

Iowa scored 10 points in the first 5:10 and then was shut out by an outstanding NU defense, which clinched the Cats' third straight victory over the Hawkeyes and snapped Iowa's eight-game winning streak at Kinnick. Iowa's 281 yards total offense was the second-worst of the season and its 65 rushing yards tied the season's worst.

“I think James will be a better player next week,” Ferentz said. “I'm not going to say he'll be comfortable, that's a very tough environment we're going to walk into.”

After Stanzi's ankle, Iowa had 132 yards offense on eight possessions, including Vandenberg's interception that led to a 10-play drive capped by Persa's 4-yard TD pass to Drake Dunsmore for a 14-10 lead with 5:20 left in the second quarter.

“It was great to watch the way our defense went out, battled and made some big plays down the stretch,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

Iowa appeared to surge back into the lead on the next drive, when running back Brandon Wegher broke a 64-yarder for a TD. But, no, bad karma wasn't yet done with the Hawkeyes. Center Rafael Eubanks was called for a holding penalty.

“If it was called a holding penalty, it was a penalty,” Eubanks said.

The bootleg on the goal line sprained Stanzi's ankle and shattered Iowa's undefeated season. Sure, there was a lot of football between that play and the final gun, but that stands as the play of the season.

It's James Vanderberg, all 6-foot-3, 205-pounds of peach fuzz and puberty.

“I think James will be a better player next week,” Ferentz said. “I'm not going to say he'll be comfortable, that's a very tough environment we're going to walk into.

“I forgot about that.”

Oh yeah, Iowa travels to Ohio State next week with Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl hopes.

On crutches and in a boot.