Late on Monday night, Hawkeye Report reported that No. 1 Iowa receiver Matt VandeBerg broke his foot in practice.

Early on Tuesday morning, Iowa confirmed that the senior receiver did suffer a foot injury and will be out indefinitely.

“It is unfortunate that Matt will miss some time due to his injury,” Kirk Ferentz said. “We know that Matt will work extremely hard to get back on the field as soon as possible.  We feel confident that some of our younger receivers will step up in Matt’s absence.”

It remains to be seen what kind of timetable the injury will have. Ferentz said he could possibly return for a bowl game.

If VandeBerg misses the rest of the 2016 season, he would actually be right at the 30-percent participation mark for a medical redshirt from the NCAA. He cannot apply for an extra year until after the 2016 season, but returning could be a possibility.

RELATED: Iowa avoided another step back vs. Rutgers

VandeBerg has been the go-to weapon for C.J. Beathard this season. He’s first on the team with 284 receiving yards and three touchdowns in four games.

The Iowa offense has been searching for a second outside option. Tight end George Kittle is the team’s No. 2 target, but Iowa receivers have a combined 16 catches outside of VandeBerg.

The Hawkeyes have struggled offensively since VandeBerg posted a career-high 129 yards in a rout of Iowa State. Iowa averaged just 17.5 points per game against North Dakota State and Rutgers the last two weeks.

Without VandeBerg, the Hawkeyes will need more consistency from the likes of Jerminic Smith and Riley McCarron.

Iowa will look for offensive answers when it hosts Northwestern on Saturday.