Iowa football rewind: Hawkeyes’ goal-line stand, Kaleb Brown’s first reception

CHICAGO — Iowa’s defense made a statement in the fourth quarter against Northwestern.

The Wildcats, given four chances within two yards of the end zone to score, came up short each time against Iowa’s defense.

Northwestern running back Cam Porter gained one yard on first-and-goal. The Brendan Sullivan quarterback sneak on second down netted less than a yard.

With the Wildcats only needing to gain inches to score, Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins recognized what Porder was doing on the third-down run and stopped him in his tracks.

The Sullivan sneak on fourth down came up short with the Wildcats again needing to gain less than a yard.

“That’s the Iowa defense right there,” Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean said. “Not giving up on the drive. … That’s just that fight that we have instilled in our defense and in this program.”

Here are some other observations after another look at the Iowa-Northwestern game:

Kaleb Brown finally gets involved

Ohio State transfer wide receiver Kaleb Brown finally had his first reception in the win over Northwestern.

It was in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Iowa had the ball on its own 39-yard line.

Iowa was in 11 personnel — three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end — as it needed likely another 20-30 yards to give kicker Drew Stevens a shot at a game-winning field goal.

Brown, stacked with Nico Ragaini at the line of scrimmage, ran an out route while Northwestern was in zone coverage. Ragaini, meanwhile, ran a go route.

Brown had some space as he turned the corner, and quarterback Deacon Hill’s pass was perfectly on target.

“We got the look we were planning for, so it was just my job to get him the ball,” Hill said. “Thankfully, I did. … Great play by Kaleb.”

The gain of 23 yards allowed Iowa to conservatively run the ball three times before Stevens’ 52-yard game-winning field goal.

Brown’s big catch was his first target since Iowa’s Sept. 30 win against Michigan State. Since then, Brown rejoined the two-deeps as one of Iowa’s second-team wide receivers.

Time will tell whether this is a blip or a start of a trend for Brown — the Chicago native who had offers from Ohio State, Alabama and others.

With tight ends Luke Lachey and Erick All sidelined with major injuries, Iowa could certainly benefit from another playmaker emerging in the receiving corps.

QB production not perfect, but at level Iowa can live with

Hill’s 10-of-15 showing against Northwestern was an encouraging sign for the Hawkeyes’ passing game after his past adversity since taking over as QB1.

That number does not include the three defensive pass interference plays drawn in the first quarter. All three resulted in first downs, including in an early third-and-3 situation.

Iowa also picked up two of its four third-down conversions on Hill quarterback sneaks.

Part of the passing success stems from Hill not trying to do too much. Only three of his 13 non-penalty-inducing passes, excluding throwaways, went more than 10 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Hawkeyes’ heavy dose of running plays — the 41 rushing attempts dwarfed the 15 passing attempts — also meant the Northwestern defense was often expecting Iowa to run the ball.

Ball control remains an area where Hill still can improve. Along with his one interception, Hill had a fumble where he did not seem to recognize the pressure. Teammate Mason Richman recovered it, though.

If that near-turnover turned into an actual turnover, Hill’s serviceable performance might have been not-so-serviceable in a game decided by a last-minute field goal.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com