The losing streak — and the heartbreak and agony — has now reached three games for Iowa. Saturday’s 14-10 loss to Northwestern was just as painful as the previous two losses at Penn State and Purdue, and it put an end to Iowa’s Big Ten West title hopes, which seemed so real three weeks ago.

Not being able to finish games in the fourth quarter has become a real problem for the Hawkeyes. And it’s come at a bad time.

Here’s what I liked — and what I didn’t like — about Iowa’s loss to Northwestern:

What I liked

The wave to the kids was nice

Iowa’s heartwarming tradition of waving to the kids in the hospital after the first quarter is one of my favorite things about college football. It was well executed again on Saturday.

The brisk weather was Iowa-like refreshing

It’s November and with temperatures in the 20s, Hawkeyes fans were able to break out their best warm-weather clothing. Looking good, fans, right on down to the rosy red cheeks.

OK, I’ll give you one football thing

You get the point on my sarcasm, I hope. There just really weren’t many good things to like about the Hawkeyes’ fourth loss of the season, all games where one more play would have meant victory instead of defeat. One good thing Saturday was that they wanted to focus on taking Northwestern wide receiver Flynn Nagel out of the game — and they did exactly that. Thanks to double teams and rolling coverages, Nagel didn’t have a single catch Saturday despite have 63 receptions coming into the game. They made Nagel a proirity, and it worked. He was no threat.

What I didn’t like

Yeah, this fourth-quarter stuff is sad and real

The Hawkeyes led Wisconsin late in the fourth quarter until Alex Hornibrook went 5-for-5 on the final drive and scored the game-winning touchdown with 55 seconds left. At Penn State and trailing by six points, Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley threw an interception in the end zone with three minutes left. A touchdown would have won the game. At Purdue, a field goal as time expired beat Iowa 38-36. And then Saturday, two fourth-quarter lost fumbles cost the Hawkeyes a chance to erase Northwestern’s four-point lead. Not being able to close out games is by far the biggest reason why  the Hawkeyes are 6-4 and not 9-1 … or better.

One play here or there makes a difference

Everyone has had a role in these collapses, the quarterback, the running backs, the often-stout defense — and even the coaching staff. It’s a shame.  “You hear it so much, but I think this year, we’re seeing how fine the line is between winning and losing,” Iowas center Keegan Render said. “We’ve obviously been on the short end of the stick a few times, and it’s frustrating. It’s things so small, but at the same time, you can’t overlook it. We just need to go back to the drawing board and realize the importance of everything you do.”