Northwestern wipes out 17-point deficit to beat Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Jesse Brown scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, and Northwestern erased an early 17-point deficit to beat Iowa 21-20 on Saturday.

The Wildcats outscored the Hawkeyes 21-3 after the first quarter, eating up clock and keeping the Hawkeye offense out of rhythm.

Peyton Ramsey threw for 130 yards on 11-of-18 passing and ran for another 26 yards, and Isaiah Bowser had 25 carries for 85 yards for the Wildcats (2-0, 2-0 Big Ten Conference).

Spencer Petras threw all three of his interceptions in the second half, the last one on a tipped ball that linebacker Blake Gallagher picked off, allowing Northwestern to go into victory formation.

Iowa’s 17-0 first-quarter lead came after Northwestern gifted the Hawkeyes (0-2, 0-2) with two turnovers — a muffed punt inside the 5-yard line and a fumble near midfield. From there, though, Northwestern regained control.

Kyric McGowan scored on a 3-yard run and Brown scored from the 1 to pull the Wildcats within 20-14.

Iowa punted three times, had three passes intercepted and turned the ball over on downs on seven second-half possessions that netted a total of 104 yards.

Saturday marked Northwestern’s fourth win in its past five meetings with Iowa and the third straight in Iowa City. The Wildcats are 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 2014. Iowa is 0-2 for the first time since 2000.

THE TAKEAWAY

Iowa: For the second-straight week, Iowa struggled to find consistency on offense. Petras completed 26 of his 50 passes for 216 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. There wasn’t much help from the ground game as the Hawkeyes averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.

Northwestern: The Wildcat defense is better than advertised, especially against the run. For the second straight week, Northwestern held its opponent to fewer than 80 rushing yards. Aside from the two touchdown drives by Iowa (both coming off turnovers and excellent field position), the Hawkeyes couldn’t string together much of anything against the Wildcats.

UP NEXT

Iowa: The Hawkeyes host Michigan State next Saturday.

Northwestern: The Wildcats host Nebraska next Saturday.

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