The Live Thread: Iowa vs. Northwestern

Hawkeyes take on Wildcats in crucial Big Ten road game.

HawkeyeMaven

EVANSTON, Ill. — Good morning from Ryan Field. Iowa takes on Northwestern at 11 a.m. (CDT).

8:30 a.m. — It's a cloudy day, with rain in the forecast.

AccuWeather forecast for kickoff: 49 degrees, cloudy.

Game day forecast: High of 49 degrees, rain in the afternoon.

9:30 a.m. — The morning line has Iowa at minus-8 1/2, and the over-under has dropped to 36 1/2.

10:10 a.m. — For what it's worth, there's a gale warning for Lake Michigan, just down the road from here.

10:20 a.m. — Today's bowl scouts: Citrus and TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

10:25 a.m. — Iowa linebacker Kristian Welch, offensive lineman Justin Britt and tight end Nate Wieting are not active for today's game. 

11 a.m. — Northwestern wins the toss, defers. Iowa will receive, defend the north goal. 

Game-time temperature: 49 degrees, with a real feel of 42.

First quarter

14:11 — Hawkeyes do nothing with the first possession. Three-and-out, with two Nate Stanley incompletions.

13:29 — Iowa gets the first takeaway of the day. Geno Stone tips the pass, Chauncey Golston with the pick.

11:59 — Hawkeyes get nothing from the interception. Nate Stanley suffers an 11-yard sack on third down, then Keith Duncan missed the field goal.

That is Iowa's first failure inside the red zone this season. The Hawkeyes were 24-of-24 to that point.

9:32 — Northwestern gets to midfield and goes for it on fourth down. Golston with the tackle for a loss of two. Again, good field position for Iowa.

Stanley, who was getting his left ankle taped on the sideline, is still in the game.

8:38 — Tyrone Tracy, taking over for the injured Brandon Smith, spins out of a tackle attempt and turns a Stanley pass into a 50-yard touchdown. Iowa 7, Northwestern 0.

Offensive explosion in Evanston! 🎆

Tyrone Tracy is slippery and rips off a 50-yard @HawkeyeFootball TD: pic.twitter.com/13UxduAgXv

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) October 26, 2019

6:48 — A.J. Epenesa and Joe Evans combine on a sack of Aidan Smith to end Northwestern's possession. Hawkeyes will take over after the punt on their own 21-yard line.

5:10 — We had a Sam LaPorta sighting, and a pass to a tight end. LaPorta's 34-yard reception, though, was overturned on replay, and the Hawkeyes had to punt.

3:58 — Three-and-out for the Wildcats, whose offense is as anemic as expected.

Northwestern receiver J.J. Jefferson is out for the rest of the game with a "lower body injury."

0:19 — The Hawkeyes had three third-down conversions, one thanks to a pass-interference call, and get to the Northwestern 39 as the quarter ends.

By the numbers

• Stanley is 5-of-12 passing for 74 yards.

• The Hawkeyes are averaging 1.8 yards per carry. Northwestern is averaging 1.9.

• Northwestern has gained 44 yards on 19 plays.

Second Quarter

12:25 — Iowa gets deep into Northwestern territory, but a Stanley pass to Mekhi Sargent is tipped for an incompletion. Duncan connects on a 40-yard field goal to save the drive. Drive: 15 plays, 57 yards, 6:27. Iowa 10, Northwestern 0.

7:43 — Northwestern moves into Iowa territory, but Cedrick Lattimore's sack of quarterback Aidan Smith, after Epenesa missed knocking the ball loose, ended the drive. The ensuing punt, though, was downed at Iowa's 2-yard line.

4:32 — Now we have a Sam LaPorta catch. A 41-yard reception helped get the Hawkeyes out of a jam, but Iowa falls one yard short of the first down at the Northwestern 44. Wildcats will start at their own 16 after the punt.

2:37 — Hawkeyes' defense comes up with a three-and-out. They have the ball at their own 46.

0:38 — Another stop by the Wildcats, forcing another fourth-and-1 decision by Kirk Ferentz. The decision, of course, was to punt, and Michael Sleep Dalton's kick went into the end zone. The half will end.

By the numbers

• Iowa has 34 plays for 168 yards, while Northwestern has 32 plays for 70 yards.

• Iowa's running backs — Mekhi Sargent, Toren Young and Tyler Goodson — have combined for 53 yards.

• Both teams are 4-of-10 on third down.

• Northwestern quarterback Aidan Smith is 5-of-11 passing for 38 yards and one interception.

Iowa's Sam LaPorta can't hang on to a first-half pass :: Matt Marton/USA Today Sports

Third Quarter

11:24 — Northwestern, looking for something offensively, got into Iowa territory again. But the Wildcats, so desperate for ball movement, went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Hawkeyes' 41-yard line, and quarterback Aidan Smith was stopped for no gain.

5:23 — Iowa goes on a 13-play, 59-yard scoring drive that took 6:01 off the clock. Sargent with a 1-yard plow into the end zone. The drive included an 11-yard pass to Shaun Beyer on fourth-and-8 that included a nice block by Tracy. Iowa 17, Northwestern 0.

2:16 — Signs of life from the Northwestern offense, but also some big hits for the Hawkeyes. The Wildcats get to the Iowa 28, but coach Pat Fitzgerald passes on the field-goal try. Smith's pass was incomplete under a heavy rush, and the Hawkeyes get the ball back.

0:00 — Nothing for the Hawkeyes, Northwestern is at its own 38 on third down as the time runs out.

By the numbers

• Northwestern has 50 plays for 145 yards, Iowa has 50 plays for 230 yards.

• Stanley is 10-of-22 passing for 133 yards.

• Tyler Goodson has 50 yards in the game, 48 of those came in the third quarter.

Fourth quarter

10:02 — Another Stanley-to-Tracy connection, this time for 38 yards, got the Hawkeyes back into the red zone. But all they could get was a 28-yard field goal from Keith Duncan. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards. Iowa 20, Northwestern 0.

7:09 — Again, the Wildcats get to midfield. Again, they get stopped on fourth down. Hawkeyes have a chance to take a lot of time off the clock.

0:00 — Hawkeyes run out the clock for the 20-0 win.