For Hawkeyes, defense plus witchcraft equals first place in Big Ten West

CHICAGO — “Winning ugly,” a phrase used at Chicago’s other Major League Baseball stadium 40 years ago, doesn’t do the Iowa football team justice.

At Wrigley Field Saturday, the Hawkeyes added a seventh ugly, beautiful win to their ledger and moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten West. Saturday morning’s three other co-leaders — Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin — were favored to win their games. They lost ugly.

Here we are at the three-quarters pole of the 2023 season, and Iowa is 7-2 despite being outgained in eight of its games. That, of course, is witchcraft.

The difference in the Hawkeyes’ 10-7 triumph over Northwestern at Wrigley was 1 yard and 52. The Wildcats had 170 yards to Iowa’s 169 — yes, this game was all of that and less — but Drew Stevens made a 52-yard field goal with 14 seconds left for the winning points.

It’s one thing to make a long field goal. Stevens has hit on six from 50 or more yards in his career, and he’s just a sophomore. But to run three straight ultraconservative rushing plays after getting to the Northwestern 38 in the last minute in order to set up a 52-yarder?

That’s being radically conservative. That’s a busload of faith in a kicker, one who doinked his first try of the day off an upright from 53 yards out. Stevens’ second chance was dead solid perfect, and he did a “go to sleep” pantomime after he made it.

Why not? It had been an emotionally exhaustive game and two weeks for the Hawkeyes. Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz was dismissed effective at season’s end, several days after Iowa had victory snatched from it by the replay official and its own offense against Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium.

Yet, no one on Iowa’s team went in the tank. Not even the offense. Sure, it wasn’t much to look at for yet another week. But it did capitalize for a third-quarter touchdown after Anterio Thompson blocked a punt and the Hawkeyes took over at Northwestern’s 25.

With the game 7-7 and 1:46 left and overtime looking imminent, Iowa went from its 28 to the ‘Cats’ 35 to give Stevens the shot at victory. A 23-yard pass from Deacon Hill to Kaleb Brown was the key.

It was the longest play by either team. It was Brown’s first catch as a Hawkeye after he got hyped up by some media elements mainly because he had come from Ohio State, where he caught one pass last year.

Hill had never thrown a collegiate pass before this season. Tight end Addison Ostrenga, who scored Iowa’s lone TD, had zero college touchdowns before this game. Thompson of Dubuque, who transferred to Iowa from Iowa Western Community College, got that vital blocked punt.

“We have a lot of guys doing things out there that really don’t have an impressive resume in terms of college experience,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said.

Any quarterback can win when he passes for 400 yards. Iowa has now done it with Hill throwing for 37 at Wisconsin and 65 here. Witchcraft.

I have no idea if Hill reads or hears what’s been said about him, but let’s hope not. Although, he acts like a huge duck who lets water run off his back.

“It’s a different situation than I’ve ever been in before,” Hill said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world, though. And I’m honored to be the starting quarterback.

“It’s just trying to grow up fast. I don’t have the experience other guys have. So I’m just trying to learn on the fly, I guess. And keeping moving forward.”

Somehow, this outfit moves forward. Three surely insane weeks remain, but for now it’s Iowa and only Iowa atop the West. Moving forward with a dialed-in defense and a square peg/round hole offense.

A coordinator got fired, it dominated the news all week, and the Hawkeyes moved forward. The team felt it had a win stolen it from it the last time it played, but it moved forward.

“You deal with it and you move on,” Ferentz said. “That’s what you do. That’s what we encourage our guys to do.

“Dwight D. Eisenhower (said) the outlook’s always forward and straight ahead.”

I’m not sure what Ike said, but when he assumed the presidency 70 years ago teams still found it nearly impossible to win without moving the ball. Being in first place in November was good then, though, and it’s good now.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com