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Rapid Reaction: Iowa wins a slugfest against Northwestern to keep B1G West hopes alive
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It wasn’t pretty but Iowa found a way to get the job done.
The Hawkeyes went on the road and took down the Northwestern Wildcats, 17-12 to get to 7-2 going into their last 9 games. They still have a shot at getting to the B1G Championship Game, but they’re going to need some help.
Backup quarterback Alex Padilla played most of the game due to Spencer Petras getting taken out of the game early. He didn’t turn the ball over, which is exactly what Iowa needed. Padilla finished with 172 yards on 18-for-28 completions.
It was a ground-for-pound game for the Hawkeyes as Tyler Goodson led the way. He finished with 141 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries while averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. Arland Bruce IV also had a rushing touchdown from 10 yards out during this contest.
That said, we can’t talk about an Iowa win without mentioning the defense. It held Northwestern to just 2 field goals and only 1 touchdown, plus intercepted quarterback Andrew Marty three times, the last of which clinched the game.
The Wildcats got the ball back with 1:51 remaining still in that 5-point deficit and on the ensuing play, the Hawkeyes got the key takeaway.
Iowa will host Minnesota next Saturday while Northwestern will travel to Madison to take on Wisconsin.