Play of the Game: Akrum cracks ‘em

DOWN, DISTANCE:

Iowa faced second and 8 from the Northwestern 35

SCORE/TIME

: Iowa led 3-0, first play of the second quarter

FORMATION, PERSONNEL

: Iowa — three wide receivers, one tight end, one running back; Northwestern — four defensive linemen, two linebackers, five defensive backs

WHAT HAPPENED

: Iowa RB Akrum Wadley took the handoff, ran to the left and burst up the sidelines for a 35-yard touchdown.

WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT:

The run boosted Iowa's lead to 9-0.

THE ANALYSIS

: Iowa lined up on the left hash mark with two wide receivers on the right, and tight end Henry Krieger-Coble and wide receiver Jacob Hillyer on the left. Iowa's front line contained every Northwestern defender on the first two levels. Krieger-Coble sealed the edge with a hook block on defensive end Deonte Gibson. Left tackle Cole Croston moved past the line of scrimmage and walled off linebacker Nate Hall, and center Austin Blythe blocked linebacker Anthony Walker. Hillyer ran a slant route inside, taking Northwestern cornerback Nick VanHoose with him. Hillyer cracked down on safety Traevon Henry, and running back Akrum Wadley bounced his run outside of Hillyer's block. VanHoose failed to recover in time, and Wadley streaked up the sideline untouched for the score.

A. Wadley run for 35 yds for a TD - ESPN Video

THE QUOTE 1

: 'We practice that play a lot. I saw the bounce was there, they closed in a corner and there wasn't anybody else to push me back inside so I saw daylight and I took advantage of it. ' — Wadley

THE QUOTE 2

: 'We called an outside run. It was to my side, the corner was playing man and the safety was pulled down and I know the safety had outside contain coming down on the running back so I took two pretty much. I ran inside to get the safety and the corner followed me. I had a hand on the corner, and I blocked the safety and Akrum was able to get around me and his speed did the rest.' — Hillyer

THE QUOTE 3

: 'All I saw was the back of his jersey and if I see that, that means I did a good job.' — Iowa guard Jordan Walsh

THE QUOTE 4

: 'We knew their receivers were going to crash, and when you're in man coverage and somebody goes to crack, you've got to have really good eyes. It's a pretty tough job to do, and its something that I didn't execute that well today.' — VanHoose

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