CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A couple years ago, could Kirk Ferentz have pictured Iowa running out of the Wildcat formation to drain the clock at the end of a game against a Big Ten opponent? The short answer is no.

But on Iowa’s final scoring drive of its 35-21 victory over Illinois, Tyler Goodson lined up as Wildcat quarterback on five consecutive plays.

“It’s something we started to toy around more with back in February,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Mainly because of our personnel. It was something we thought might fit some of the guys we have. It came in handy today for sure.”

The Hawkeyes have run plays out of the Wildcat formation in several games this season but didn’t use it last week against Nebraska. Goodson ran for 10 yards out of the formation in the first quarter, and Iowa went back to it late.

With roughly five minutes to go in the game, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz called five Wildcat plays in a row.

“It confuses the defense,” Goodson said. “We line up in that wildcat formation and you can see the defense talking. They don’t know where to line up. They don’t know who is getting the ball.”

Goodson can run the ball himself after taking the direct snap, or hand it off to the other running back in the formation. Goodson reads the defensive end and decides what to do with the ball. The formation also gets the wide receivers involved. Ihmir Smith-Marsette gained 31 yards on a reverse out of the Wildcat, and a Goodson give to Tyrone Tracy Jr. picked up 21 yards to set up Iowa’s final touchdown of the day.

Maybe a Wildcat pass play will eventually be called.

“I can [throw the ball],” Goodson said with a smile. “We’ll see later down the road what happens.”

Two Hawkeye tight ends hit milestones

Sophomore tight Sam LaPorta caught the first touchdown of his Hawkeye career on Saturday, and so did Iowa’s other tight end, senior Shaun Beyer.

LaPorta’s score came at the 6:18 mark of the second quarter, running a seam route for a 22-yard touchdown. The Illinois native was wide open across the middle of the field, and quarterback Spencer Petras found him for six.

“The closest person to tackling me was actually Shaun,” LaPorta said. “He was right there to celebrate with.”

Early in the fourth quarter, Beyer ran down the right sideline and caught a well-placed ball by Petras in the corner of the end zone. The Shellsburg native has been with the program since 2016 and is Iowa’s No. 2 tight end this season.

“We feed off each other,” LaPorta said. “Me and Shaun, we always have each other’s backs. It was a great feeling when I scored, and I think it was even more cool to see him score. He’s worked his butt off for several years now and he’s a great mentor for me.”

Nixon continues dominant season

Defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon is on his way to a first-team All-Big Ten honor at the end of this season. The redshirt junior tallied another five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss on Saturday against Illinois.

On the season, Nixon leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (5.5) through seven games this season. The Kenosha, Wisconsin, native is averaging 1.86 tackles for loss per game this season — the highest for any Big Ten defender playing in more than four games this season and the highest average for any defender in the conference since Ryan Kerrigan in 2010.

Struggles at the end of the first half don’t come back to hurt Hawkeyes

Iowa scored three points at the end of the first half but could have had more.

A 21-yard pass from Petras to Beyer set up Iowa at Illinois’ four-yard line with 30 seconds remaining in the half. The Hawkeyes took their final timeout of the half right after the reception, limiting the plays it could call at the goal line.

On the next two plays, Petras threw fade passes to Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith, neither of which were even close to catchable. On third down, couldn’t connect with LaPorta, so kicker Keith Duncan came out for a field goal.

Iowa trailed 14-13 at halftime. Everything worked out for the Hawkeyes, who scored three touchdowns in the second half. But in a closer game, that sequence could have been costly.