Game Report: Northwestern Wildcats 17, Iowa Hawkeyes 10

PLAY OF THE GAME

The set-up – The Hawkeyes had Northwestern's offense thinking about Gatorade and finding a spot to hang out on the sideline.

Until they didn't.

On a second-and-10 from Iowa's 44, Wildcats center Brad North was called for a holding penalty. This jacked the Cats back to their 46 and hung a second-and-20 on them.

A 5-yard completion on second down and it was third-and-15 and Iowa's offense was up and ready to go.

What happened – Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson is one of those QBs who almost always does the right stuff. Without linebacker Josey Jewell and safety Brandon Snyder, Iowa's defense capped Thorson and the Cats most of the afternoon.

Iowa went into a nickel defense with an extra defensive back (cornerback Michael Ojemudia in for linebacker Kevin Ward and three pass-rush D-linemen).

Iowa covered fantastically, but Thorson bought enough time for a soft spot to develop in the middle of Iowa's defensive line.

A quarterback who almost always does the right stuff is going to see that. Thorson did and ran for 21 yards right up the middle of Iowa's defense.

The result– Thorson's gain gave NU first down at Iowa's 19. Five plays later, running back Jeremy Larkin scored on a 6-yard run to tie the game with 7:19 left in the third quarter.

Third-and-15 and the QB who almost always does the right stuff did the exact thing his team needed to keep a drive alive.

No, Iowa didn't have a spy on Thorson. In nickel sub packages, Iowa does do that, linebacker Ben Niemann said. Ward did get taken out for Ojemudia on the play, but everyone was in coverage and the coverage held up.

Until the QB ran straight down the middle of everything.

LINES PLAY

Funny how things work in Nevada sports books.

It's as common as wind blowing sand around for Las Vegas books to have the lines on college football games change in the hours before kickoff on a Saturday morning.

The lines on this game moved up a full point from Northwestern being favored by 1.5 points to 2.5 points Saturday morning. Not long afterward, Iowa officials announced starting linebacker Josey Jewell and safety Brandon Snyder were being withheld from the game.

Maybe someone in the desert got wind of that. Or maybe the bettors just had a good feeling about Northwestern. In any case, those who bet the Wildcats got rewarded, since they won by seven points.

HIGHER GROUND

Ten NFL scouts representing nine different teams had seats reserved for them in the Northwestern press box. The CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders were also represented.

The only bowl with scouts here was the Citrus Bowl. Both of the teams that played here Saturday will have to play brilliantly over their next five games to get a berth in that Jan. 1 Orlando game.

CROWD CONTROL

The attendance was 40,036 and empty seats were plentiful.

Yet, this was Northwestern's second-largest home crowd of the season, topped only by the 41,061 who saw Penn State wallop the Wildcats, 31-7.

Two years ago here, 44,135 attended the Iowa-Northwestern game.

BY THE NUMBERS

4

– This was the fourth Iowa game that has been decided by one score and second that went to overtime. It won one of them.

5

– Iowa scored a touchdown in the final minute of the first half for the fifth time this year when Nate Stanley passed seven yards to Noah Fant with :40 left in the second quarter.

5 –

Iowa had five first downs after halftime.

23 –

Hawkeye running back Toren Young's first career catch was good for 23 yards, much of it Young's doing.

53

– Iowa punted six times for an average of 53 yards per kick.

80

– Northwestern's Hunter Niswander had an 80-yard punt in the third quarter. It was the Wildcats' longest punt in 22 years.

INJURY REPORT

Iowa's injury woes for this game all happened before it got to Evanston. Star middle linebacker Josey Jewell sat out the game with a shoulder injury. He had played in the Hawkeyes' previous 44 games. The Hawkeyes moved linebacker Ben Niemann inside, and started Kevin Ward at outside LB.

Safety Brandon Snyder, who made his season debut in the Hawkeyes' previous game after tearing an ACL in April, missed the game with a sprained knee he suffered in practice last week. Jake Gervase got the start at safety. He had started the season's first three games.

Cornerback Manny Rugamba (ankle/foot) returned to duty Saturday after missing almost the entirety of Iowa's previous game.

Offensive lineman Boone Myers didn't play Saturday, and his return isn't known. Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said Jewell has a good chance to play this Saturday against Minnesota. Whether running back James Butler (elbow) can go in that game remains to be seen.

GRADES

D – With three losses in the Big Ten, the championship portion of the season is over and you probably won't go to the Pinstripe Bowl, if you're being honest. – Marc Morehouse

D – The Illinois Tollway took its usual toll on Hawkeye fans who traveled here. This game taxed their souls. – Mike Hlas

NEXT GAME

Iowa hosts Minnesota Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (FS1). The Gophers played Illinois Saturday.