Game Report: Iowa 31, UNI 23

OPENING SALVO

Once again Northern Iowa came to Kinnick Stadium and gave the Hawkeyes all they could handle before Iowa held on for the victory.

It was a different type of loss for the Panthers than the 17-16 setback in 2009, when Iowa blocked two field goals on the final two plays to preserve the win. The 2009 loss was heartbreaking for UNI. This one was more aggravating for UNI Coach Mark Farley.

'This is a game that we know we can win,” Farley said. 'We haven't won it yet, but we're in position now to where when we come to Iowa, it's like a game that we play day-in and day-out.”

Iowa, conversely, understood it wasn't a typical FCS-FBS battle where one school gets a check and the other gets the automatic win.

'I know as coaches we realized this was going to be a really hard-fought, tough ballgame,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'UNI has an excellent football team.”

NUMBERS GAME

16 - Consecutive wins by Iowa against Northern Iowa

237 - Total yards by UNI RB David Johnson

203 - Yards receiving by Johnson

16/128 - Penalties and yards assessed to Northern Iowa

4/35 - Penalties and yards assessed to Iowa

41 - Passes attempted by Iowa QB Jake Rudock

REPORT CARD

B-plus - Keep calm, carry on. It's an obnoxious T-shirt, yes, but probably one you'll happily wear today.

- Marc Morehouse

B - Tough game, no shock

Hey, a win's a win's a win

Survive, advance

- Mike Hlas

B - Some will say the sky is falling. In reality, it was just a little overcast.

- Scott Dochterman

B-minus (UNI) - Take away the better part of 16 penalties for 128 yards and we might be talking about the first Northern Iowa win against Iowa since 1898.

- Jeremiah Davis

GAME BALL

UNI RB David Johnson finished with 237 yards of total offense, including 207 receiving. He seemed to strike every time UNI needed a bounce-back play.

After Iowa scored a touchdown in three plays on its first drive, Johnson countered the next series with a 53-yard swing pass up the right sideline. After Iowa took a 14-10 lead, Johnson zoomed 60 yards on a pass from Sawyer Kollmorgen on the first play from scrimmage. Two plays after Iowa claimed a 24-13 lead, Johnson scored on a 70-yard pass.

'You see David Johnson, he could play anywhere in the country,” Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis said. 'He's a great player and he made some plays out there. He couldn't really run the ball, but that dump-off pass ... they found a way to get him in the ballgame.”

POWELL DRIVER

Iowa wide receiver Damond Powell scored the deciding touchdown on a 12-yard tunnel screen with 6:50 left in the game.

Powell, a senior, caught the ball at the 14-yard line and burst up the field at an angle. He ran into guard Jordan Walsh, who swung his backside into the air to avoid Powell. Walsh obstructed UNI safety Tim Kilfoy, then Powell scooted into the end zone to put Iowa up 31-23.

'First of all, Damond Powell is the fastest kid on our team,” Walsh said. 'I released inside, I tried to block the linebacker and Damond was right in my face. I just tried to get out of the way as best I could and Damond did the rest.”

'Coach called the play out I was like, ‘I have to score. We're close to the red zone and I just blacked out,'” Powell said. 'Just had to run and score.”

It was Powell's only catch of the day.

'That was a designed play, a designed little quick screen out to him,” Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock said. 'He hit a couple of guys and kept his head up, which was really important. He slammed into some guy. He did a good job of keeping the ball tight and kept running and motoring forward and get into the end zone.”

FRY FESTIVAL

Legendary Iowa Coach Hayden Fry attended Saturday's game as a guest of former Athletics Director Bump Elliott, the man who hired him before the 1979 season.

Fry, 85, reminisced with old friends in the press box before the game and recalled and his pregame conversation with Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler before their teams' 1985. Fry's story featured a twist that had long-lasting effects at Iowa.

'We were No. 1 and they were No. 2 in the nation,” Fry said. 'Our guards are snapping the ball, bouncing them over the head of the punter. (Schembechler) walks down and he watches for a while, and I stand there with a straight face with my arms crossed and I don't even look at him. Finally he says, ‘Fry you're not going to let that guy snap during the game, are you?'

'I didn't even look at him and I said, ‘Coach Schembechler, we don't plan on punting tonight.' He chased me down the field and game me a stick of his sugarless gum. I grabbed the whole package and took off. I kept that gum on my desk for years so when spring training arrived, it reminded me of how hard you have to work in order to beat Michigan. We had six games with Michigan that were decided by three points or less. Isn't that amazing?”

That doesn't even count a four-point loss in 1997 or a 17-17 tie in 1988.

IT MATTERS

UNI players were asked if there was a difference in their minds between playing Iowa and other FBS programs.

'I didn't experience growing up here in Iowa and everything being about the Hawkeyes, but a lot of my teammates did,” said Kollmorgen, an Oklahoma native. 'I think it's definitely a little bit bigger of a stage to play Iowa. So I don't think there's a whole anything like it.

'Beating Iowa State was a great feeling and a great accomplishment but beating Iowa, there would have been no comparison to that. '

The game also mattered to UNI tackle Jack Rummells, who grew up in nearby West Branch.

'Every FBS game is a big game in its own aspect,” Rummells said, 'but just because Iowa is a little closer to home it meant something special.”

ONE QB

Rudock played the whole game for Iowa, while second-team quarterback C.J. Beathard didn't take a snap. That ended much of the discussion about subbing Beathard in for Rudock for specific situations.

When asked if he was close to changing to Beathard, Ferentz said, 'No, not at all.”

'If we do it, it's going to be because we've talked about it,” Ferentz said. 'We kept both guys alert that we might go with that situation. No. I thought Jake played a really good game.”

INJURY TIME

Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell suffered a broken hand in practice Wednesday and did not play Saturday.

'He won't be in next week, I know that, and then hopefully maybe after that,” Ferentz said. 'We'll see what happens.”

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

The Big Ten frowns upon its schools playing FCS opponents, but Iowa still has one game scheduled against Northern Iowa. The Panthers are scheduled to pick up a $600,000 check for its Sept. 15, 2018 game in Kinnick Stadium. For Saturday's effort, UNI walked away with $550,000.

FRESH FORUM

Iowa played two true freshman in its 2014 debut: defensive back Miles Taylor and linebacker Ben Niemann. Both played on the kickoff unit, and Niemann competed in a defensive sub-package.

STEPPING UP

Iowa reserve defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson recorded a three-yard sack of Kollmorgen on UNI's final offensive series, two plays before Iowa cornerback Greg Mabin intercepted a fourth-down pass to seal the Hawkeyes' victory.

Johnson, a sophomore, understandably was excited.

'I was so happy for (Johnson),” Davis said. 'He's a guy, he's worked his tail off for this camp and he really stepped up. I knew we wouldn't miss a beat when he got in.”

NOTEWORTHY

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Iowa held UNI to just 25 yards rushing, the lowest total for an opponent since Minnesota put up seven rushing yards in 2008.

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Running back LeShun Daniels scored his first career TD on a 13-yard rush just 1:16 into the game.

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Safety Jordan Lomax recorded nine tackles.

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Tight end Jake Duzey caught seven passes for 34 yards.

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Wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley caught eight passes to move into ninth place all-time with 130 receptions.

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Defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat had career highs in tackles (10), sacks (two) and tackles for loss (four).

UP NEXT

Iowa plays Ball State (1-0), which beat Colgate 30-10 on Saturday. UNI (0-1) is off next week before traveling to Hawaii on Sept. 13.