Northwestern faces off against Iowa with one more chance to go bowling. A victory today would be NU’s third straight over the Hawkeyes and would make the Cats bowl-eligible for the first time since 2005.
2:00 to go: NU wins the toss and will receive. The student section is surprisingly loud, even outcheering the massive Iowa contingent.
First Quarter
14:48: Wow. On the first play of the game, C.J. fires a pass to Ross Lane and ends up at the 50. It’s too early to really tell, but this might be good C.J. today.
14:24: And Ross Lane does it again, with another pass and a quick little run. NU’s already down to the 25-yard line after only two plays.
14:14: Remember Tyrell? Well, he’s back with a vengeance, busting out a 15-yard run. How did we win when he was injured? And on the next play, he just plows through a bunch of Hawkeyes to bring up a 2nd-and-5 at the goal.
12:38: TOUCHDOWN! A pass interference call is declined. Looks like Fitz learned his lesson after negating a field goal during the Duke game.
Oh, JK. They’re reversing the call on the play and erasing the touchdown. That pass interference comes back into play, though, and now it’s a first down on the two yard line.
12:29: And it takes all of one play for Tyrell to get a touchdown. It’s for real this time. NU’s up 6-0. And with the point after, it’s a quick 7-0. C.J. looked good on that drive. It only took seven plays to go 73 yards, with a few nifty passes and some terrific runs by Tyrell.
10:57: DANG! I always thought the Northwestern defense sucked, but that was one fine stand. Three plays for Iowa only netted one yard, but NU looked real nice stopping the run on back-to-back plays. NU recovers the kick on the 23.
9:30: C.J. makes a nice run and picks up 14 yards. We’ve already topped 100 yards on the day, compared to Iowa’s one.
8:29: NU couldn’t make anything out of the drive, so Demos punts it off. It’s weird, but one of my favorite things about football games is watching players from the punting team dive at a ball to try to stop it before it crosses the goal line. Not surprisingly, despite all the dramatic falling, the ball crosses into the end-zone and Iowa takes over at the 20.
7:39: Another good-looking defensive stand. Iowa’s QB doesn’t look good; he hasn’t made anything. All three of Iowa’s offensive yards have come from the run. NU picks up the ball on the 25-yard line after the punt.
6:43: The Cats must have some good karma or something. On a third down, C.J. gets an awful snap, but still manages to pass for a first down.
4:12: After firing a dismal incomplete pass, C.J. recovers, shoots one to Ross Lane and gets NU at the 8-yard-line.
3:32: TOUCHDOWN! This one won’t be reviewed. And with the field goal, NU goes up 14-0. According to one of the guys here in the press box, the Cats have already topped 200 yards on the day. And now he’s doing a little analysis of C.J. Bacher’s name. He thinks it’s French. I concur.
3:25: Okay, a quick check on ESPN shows that NU only has 180 yards. But I still think Bacher is French. Meanwhile, Iowa doubles their yardage on a three-yard run. But maybe we can keep them in single digits.
2:27: I don’t know if Iowa’s offense is bad or Northwestern’s defense is good. Either way, it’s another quick three-and-out for the Hawkeyes, including an ugly incompletion on third down with one yard to go. NU takes the fair catch and starts on the 19.
End of the Quarter: NU couldn’t make anything of that drive, bringing up a 4th-and-five to close the quarter. But Northwestern looked good this quarter, closing in on 200 yards with a nice mix of running and passing, plus some solid D. The scoreboard is doing some Stephen Colbert trivia thing, which I briefly consider entering, until I find out the prize is a phone and not anything to do with Colbert. Speaking of, how sad is it that his presidential campaign got quashed? I mean, I understand that he didn’t even want the job and had a snowball’s chance in hell of staying on the right side of the election laws, but still. Would it really have been that bad?
Second Quarter
14:49: Demos starts it off with a gorgeous punt and Iowa will start on the 18.
13:10: SACK! Northwestern is just ferocious today on D.
12:42: I was just about to write that it was a good sign Northwestern hadn’t made any penalties, since that’s usually where we lose games. But I jinxed it; Iowa picks up a ‘roughing the kicker’ call and keeps the ball.
10:11: Iowa picked up some momentum from that penalty; they looked better on that drive. But not NU good and the drive ends with another sack. NU takes the touchback and will start on the 20.
8:09: A direct snap and a first-down. NU had made it all the way to the 32, but then C.J. gets sacked on the 45, bringing up an ugly second-and-23. Ouch.
6:57: And just like that, it’s like that sack never happened. A fancy little play brings Northwestern right back to the 32. Unfortunately, they can’t make anything of the next play. There’s some deliberation over whether to kick the field goal. Timeout Northwestern.
6:28: As we’re about to go for the field goal, Iowa calls a TO to ice the kicker. Real cute, guys. It work, though, and Villarreal misses the 49-yard field goal. Anyone else getting shades of Michigan State? Tons of offense and nothing from the kicker. Of course, during that game, the other team was scoring too.
4:22: That defense is back. On consecutive plays, there’s no gain on a rush (aka: sack) and a broken-up pass. The purple crowd is getting loud. And it only gets louder when Iowa’s QB, Christensen, bounces a pass off his receiver, bringing up a punt.
4:05: Iowa fires off a good kick and NU will start on the 3-yard-line. Meanwhile, it’s my favorite promotion, the one where you have to throw a ball through the goal-posts from different spots on the goal line. This kid wasn’t bad, though- I think he only missed the last, impossible one. And here’s a new scoreboard thing- the “Ham Cam.” Words cannot describe how bad that name is.
2:40: That was no good. Northwestern never passed the 7. But Demos makes something out of it, banging out a punt that rolls right by the nearest Hawkeye and gives Iowa the ball at the 35.
1:15: With their backs to the wall as the clock ticks down, Iowa suddenly remembered how to play offense. They’re already on Northwestern’s 22.
0:49: Iowa touchdown. They went 60 yards in less than two minutes and looked good doing it. With the extra point, Iowa cuts the lead to 14-7. Now Iowa’s running their flags across the field, which just comes off as classless. I get that it’s exciting and it’s probably a great stunt at home, but on the road it’s no good.
0:25: A Bacher pass is almost picked off by Iowa. With only 25 seconds left, C.J. will have to really work to get into field goal range.
0:16: Or Tyrell can do the work for him. An 18-yard run brings NU another first down on the Iowa 38. And a pass to Rasheed Ward puts it on the 32.
0:03: Another pass interference call put Nu closer, but C.J.’s attempt at a TD pass does awry, bringing out the kicking team. And it’s blocked! Both teams leave the field with Northwestern up 14-7. Iowa really started picking it up towards the end, while NU did just the opposite. The second half should be exciting.
Third Quarter
12:29: Iowa’s back, feeding off that momentum they built up before the half. A 26-yard pass puts Iowa at the 34.
10:46: Iowa runs it in for a touchdown. That drive looked a lot more like the game we all were expecting. The extra point ties it up at 14-14.
10:28: Eric Peterman runs past just about every Hawkeye to give NU a first down.
9:27: Another pass interference call against Iowa gives the Cats some hope. It’s first and ten on the 32. It’s nice to see another team get the penalties for once.
8:16: Got to give it to the Iowa D; they’ve been putting tons of pressure on C.J. lately. This time they hit him while he’s passing and he overthrows the potential TD. Timeout Northwestern.
8:10: And that’s the Northwestern team we know and love. NU picks up an offensive pass interference, bringing up a 3rd down with 25 to go. Even though C.J. completes an 11-yard pass to Rasheed Ward, it’s not nearly enough. and Villarreal comes out to kick.
7:00: And it’s good! With the 42-yard field goal, Northwestern goes up 17-14.
5:58: If the Northwestern football season was a carnival, you know what this game would be? The sack race! LOL! Northwestern sacks Jake Christensen on back-to-back plays to bring up a 4th-and-23.
4:09: Two things are killing the Hawkeyes this game: sacks and pass interference calls. They pick up another interference as Northwestern marches down the field. They’ve already made it to the 37.
3:07: But all those good vibes vanish, as the Hawkeyes bat down a C.J. pass. So Northwestern punts and my favorite thing happens: Northwestern stops the punt right at the 1-yard line.
1:42: With Christensen dangerously close to being sacked again, this time for a safety, he tosses an incomplete pass. But he gets off the next pass to bring up a 4th and 1, so they have to punt.
0:24: That’s what we get for trying to be fancy. Northwestern tries a flea flicker, but C.J. ends up just throwing an interception. Iowa takes over and immediately starts with a 32-yard class to put themselves on the NU 41-yard line.
0:00: Here’s a goofy thing: Iowa gets called for holding as the clock expires. So they get one un-timed down, starting with a 1st-and-20. They can’t make anything out of it, though, so the quarter closes with Northwestern up 17-14.
Fourth Quarter
13:15: Nothing exciting has happened. Neither team could make anything happen, so they both punt. Now Iowa’s got control at the NU 27. Meanwhile, the real action is with the mascots. Willie stole an Iowa flag, so the Hawkeye responds by stealing one of ours. Then kicking it. And dragging it on the ground. Yeah, that’s classy. Nope, the real highlight came later, when he pretended to defecate on the flag, then wipe his ass with it. All Willie did was pretend to sleep on it. And use it as a towel. This could get ugly fast.
12:14: I’ll give you three tries to guess what just happened to Iowa. Ready?
If you guessed “sack,” then you’re correct. This time it comes with a fumble and Northwestern recovers. The offense takes over on the 32-yard line.
10:49: I was wondering when Northwestern would get one of their trademark holding penalties. It comes now, setting up a 3rd down with 13 to go. And Bacher gets sacked on the play, after a Cirque de Soleil-like dance of tackling attempts. NU punts it to the Iowa 15. That drive looked more like Northwestern – there was some offensive production but nothing happened because of a holding penalty and a breakdown on the line. At least C.J. didn’t turn the ball over.
9:13: It looked like Iowa had scored the touchdown, but it turns out the receiver just stepped out at the 7. Still, Iowa’s got the first-and-goal.
7:55: After Christensen can’t rush the ball in himself, it’s a third down with four yards to go. And he fires an incomplete pass, but there’s a flag. And it’s pass interference against Northwestern, so the ball gets placed at the 2-yard line with a first down.
7:44: Touchdown, Iowa. Penalties kill the Cats yet again. And with the extra point, Iowa takes the lead 21-17.
6:56: I guess Good C.J. is taking the quarter off. He throws another interception, giving Iowa the ball at the 46.
5:26: Lucky for the Cats, Iowa can’t do anything with their opportunity, so the end up punting away after a quick three downs. Peterman calls for the fair catch, but then gets toppled by a Hawkeye trying to flip over him. That’s a 15-yard foul, giving NU the ball at the 34.
5:08: Guess what C.J. did again. Interception. Iowa takes over. Again.
4:35: And a monster pass from Christensen puts Iowa ten yards from the endzone.
3:47: Iowa runs it in for another touchdown. They go up 28-17 after the extra point. It doesn’t look good for Northwestern, but stranger things have happened. Of course, they usually happen without interceptions.
3:39: If he’s not throwing an interception, Bad C.J. can still make his mark. This time it’s intentional grounding. An incomplete pass brings up a third down with 22 yards to go and NU’s bowl dreams are growing thinner by the second.
3:02: So what happens? A sack, of course. C.J. fumbles on the sack, but it’s recovered by Northwestern. Still, nothing can come of it, so NU punts it away.
2:40: None of this looks good. It’ll be another week without bowl eligibility for the Cats.
1:39: Timeouts galore are just dragging out the inevitable. Iowa’s ready to punt and it sails way back in the endzone for a touchback.
1:05: With just over a minute left, NU’s really trying to score again. Unfortunately, their plan involves a lot of plays that Iowa is more than happy to stop.
0:51: But a 21-yard pass puts the Cats in Iowa territory. Then C.J. gets sacked and its more of the same.
0:20: And C.J. gets sacked again. Get the guy some ice- he’ll be bruised tomorrow.
0:00: And Iowa wins 28-17. Northwestern’s bowl hopes remain elusive after an ugly, ugly fourth quarter. Just like always, it was Bacher turnovers, defensive collapses and some poorly-timed penalties that did the Cats in. Iowa, meanwhile, started clicking on offense after their dismal 12-yard performance in the first quarter. As the Hawkeye fans celebrate, Northwestern looks sullen after another early lead slips away.