Following a disappointing loss to Michigan State last weekend, the Iowa football team turned their attention to a homecoming contest against Northwestern, who is 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play after a 23-3 loss against Wisconsin last weekend.
This marks the 83rd all-time meeting between the two programs, with Iowa holding a 53-26-3 edge in the series. Despite the lopsided margin, the Wildcats have notoriously been the Hawkeyes’ nemesis for many years, holding a respectable 13-13 record against Iowa since 1995.
Former Northwestern standout linebacker and head coach Pat Fitgerald was usually at the center of those matchups, in part due to a grudge against Iowa after he broke his leg against them during a 1995 game, sidelining him for the rest of the year.
After being promoted to head coach ahead of the 2006 season, Fitzgerald compiled a 9-8 record against Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes, including an upset victory in 2009.
Fitzgerald was fired just weeks before the 2023 season in the wake of a hazing scandal, ending the “rivalry” between the two schools. Defensive coordinator David Braun replaced him and went a remarkable 8-5, winning the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Wildcats began the season with a measly 2-3 record, but bounce-back victories over Maryland and Wisconsin have them right in the mix for another bowl game.
To fully digest this matchup, let’s take a deeper look at Northwestern:
Offense
The Wildcats employed a two-quarterback system at the beginning of the season, but second-year Jack Lausch emerged as the starter against Eastern Illinois after tossing 227 yards and a touchdown in the 31-7 victory. In all, the sophomore has tallied 808 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception this season.
Lausch is also a capable runner, collecting 141 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries of work. His passing game has been highly criticized by the Northwestern faithful, but Braun has full confidence in his young signal caller.
”He’s not a glorified running back,” Braun told WildcatReport. “He’s a quarterback and he’s playing like a quarterback right now.”
Lausch struggled last week against Wisconsin, completing only nine of his 24 passing attempts for 82 yards. It will be interesting to see how he can bounce back after the rough performance.
The rushing attack has been solid, with three backs tallying over 100 rushing yards. Fourth-year Cam Porter leads the group with 320 yards and five touchdowns, but only posted 48 yards on 14 carries against Wisconsin last week.
Wide receivers AJ Henning and Bryce Kirtz have led the charge, with each recording nearly 400 yards on the season. Henning is in his second season in Evanston after transferring from Michigan and has tallied three scores.
Though he has yet to score this year, Kirtz has increased his production in recent weeks, racking up over 120 yards against Indiana and Maryland, but the Badgers stifled him last week, holding him to 23 yards
Defense
The Wildcats have been stout defensively, allowing just 19 points per game, tied for 26th in the nation under first-year defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle.
McGarigle previously served as linebackers coach for six seasons and was promoted to defensive coordinator after Mike Bajakian joined Utah in the offseason.
Linebacker Max Uihlein leads the unit with an impressive 45 tackles and 2 sacks, while fellow linebacker Xander Mueller follows close behind with 43. On the flip side, the secondary has collected six interceptions from six different players.
Special Teams
Third-year kicker Jack Olsen has converted seven of his 10 field goal attempts and all of his extra point tries. Olsen’s longest field goal of the season was a 46-yarder in Week 3 against Eastern Illinois.
Third-year punter Luke Akers, the son of longtime Eagles kicker David Akers, has followed in his father’s footsteps nicely, averaging 42.4 yards per punt on 33 attempts.
Final Analysis
Northwestern has always been a thorn in Iowa’s side, but the Hawkeyes will be highly motivated to come out with a victory after the disappointing outing against Michigan State last weekend.
The game will be close in the fourth quarter, but expect the Hawkeyes to have just enough firepower to win this game in front of the home fans at Kinnick Stadium.