This time on the road, there was no let down or lack of focus. Iowa came out early behind Hank Brown and moved the ball down the field to secure an early 14-0 lead and then the defense kept Northwestern and backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol in check while forcing the Wildcats into numerous punts. The Hawkeyes totaled 296 yards of offense and 14 first downs while holding the Wildcats to 286 yards and 19 first downs. Iowa rushed for 170 yards, recorded six sacks and held Northwestern to 1-of-11 on third-down attempts.
Hank Brown completed 16-of-21 pass attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. Brown also rushed for 18 yards and had a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
L.J. Phillips Jr. led Iowa’s rushing attack with 128 yards on 21 carries. Tony Diaz led the Hawkeye receiving corps with two receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Reece Vander Zee added three catches for 36 yards, while DJ Vonnahme and Phillips each recorded two receptions.
Defensively, Cam Buffington led Iowa with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss. Jayden Montgomery added nine tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, while Bryce Hawthorne, Drew Campbell, Luke Gaffney and Kenneth Merriweather each recorded a sack. Jacob Wallace added six tackles and a tackle for loss as the Hawkeyes finished with six sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Special teams played a key role as Braeden Jackson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and Caden Buhr connected on a 52-yard field goal.
Head Coach Kirk Ferentz stated, “Really happy for our football team. A really good way to start November. Going back to the beginning of the week, we asked our players to reset, refocus and turn their sights on this game, and I think they did a really good job all week long in preparation. They really worked hard at that, and the coaches did a great job giving them a good plan. Coming in here, Big Ten road game, nighttime, new environment, new stadium, and most importantly playing against a really good team. We knew that was going to be a challenge, and I’m just really happy with the way the guys responded. We got off to a really positive start.”
Iowa host Purdue next Saturday at home for an afternoon kickoff. Hear the game on MC 93.
