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Iowa and Northwestern met Saturday afternoon in a matchup that was traditionally a staple of the old Big Ten West. While the matchup was familiar, the final score may have been jarring to some fans expecting a low-scoring affair.
At one point, the game looked like it would be a throwback B1G West game. Northwestern held a 7-5 lead in the 2nd quarter off a pick-6 for the Wildcats and a safety for the Hawkeyes.
However, things would swing after halftime. An offensive explosion for the Hawkeyes in the 3rd quarter paved the way to what would become a major blowout.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Kirk Ferentz’s squad walked off the field with a 40-14 win over Northwestern. Here are the key takeaways from that performance:
Kaleb Johnson’s latest mastery
Kaleb Johnson’s first 7 carries did not pickup much on the ground. However, everything after that was a much different story.
Across the end of the 2nd quarter and the entirety of the 3rd quarter, Johnson would rush for 3 touchdowns. By the time he capped off the hat trick, it was but guaranteed to be a major blowout for the Hawkeyes.
Johnson’s full numbers after giving way to the backups were 14 carries for 109 yards and 3 touchdowns. It goes down as Johnson’s 6th game of the season with at least 100 yards rushing and his 3rd game with 3 total touchdowns. Johnson now has multiple touchdowns in 6 of Iowa’s 8 games this season.
The star running back continues to do the heavy lifting for the Hawkeye offense, but he keeps delivering as the season goes on.
A permanent QB change?
All season long, Cade McNamara has been the starter while Brendan Sullivan has played in certain packages. Head coach Kirk Ferentz has shot down any talk of a change for much of the season, but that could be shifting.
McNamara started the game and was 7-for-13 throwing the ball for 73 yards and was tagged for a pick-6. Sullivan would take over late in the 2nd quarter, and any questions about whether or not it was a true change were quickly answered after halftime.
Instead of McNamara, it was Sullivan who opened the 3rd quarter leading the offense, and he delivered. Iowa scored 28 points in the quarter, and 3 of those touchdowns were offensive drives led by Sullivan.
It’s clear Sullivan brings a different aspect to the offense as he rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown to go with 9-for-14 passing for 79 yards. More importantly, Sullivan did not turn the ball over while leading the offense.
The leader offensively is still going to be Johnson, but Sullivan provided a spark on Saturday. Now, we’ll see if he’s done enough to get a turn as the starter.
Vintage Hawkeye defense
Anyone who has watched Iowa this season knows the defense has not been the traditionally elite unit fans are accustomed to in Iowa City. On Saturday, the Hawkeyes flashed the traditional defense that is expected of Phil Parker’s unit.
While Northwestern scored 14 points, Iowa’s defense did not allow any damage while on the field. The Wildcats scored on a pick-6 and punt return, otherwise it would have been a shutout.
Iowa’s defense held Northwestern to just 163 total yards of offense and a remarkable 2-for-12 performance on 3rd downs. The Wildcats were even worse running the ball with just 43 yards and 1.8 yards per carry.
Iowa also managed to swing the turnover battle with 3 takeaways to give the Hawkeyes a +2 margin in turnovers. That’s the kind of effort that could greatly aid this team moving forward.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.