Iowa defeated Northwestern 24–10 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, on Saturday, November 7, combining two early touchdowns with a kickoff return that halted the Wildcats’ second-half response.
Hank Brown ran 21 yards for the opening score and threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Tony Diaz early in the second quarter. The second scoring drive covered 97 yards, helped by a 45-yard run from L.J. Phillips Jr.
Northwestern cut the deficit to 14–3 on Jackson Kleather’s 45-yard field goal with 4:14 remaining in the third quarter. Braeden Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, restoring Iowa’s two-score cushion just 11 seconds later. Caden Buhr added a 52-yard field goal before the quarter ended.
The Wildcats scored their only touchdown on a two-yard pass with 1:51 left. Iowa recovered the ensuing onside kick and finished the game ahead.
Brown completed 16 of 21 passes for 126 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Phillips rushed for 128 yards on 21 carries. Iowa finished with 296 yards of offense to Northwestern’s 286, but its defense repeatedly ended drives: the Wildcats converted one of 11 third downs, and the Hawkeyes recorded six sacks.
Cam Buffington led Iowa with 12 tackles. Northwestern quarterback Nicco Marchiol passed for 181 yards and a touchdown and led his team’s rushing with 52 yards.
Iowa improved to 7–2 overall and 4–2 in the Big Ten. Northwestern fell to 6–3 and 3–3. The result was Iowa’s fifth consecutive victory in the series and Northwestern’s first defeat at its new Ryan Field.
Sources: Iowa Athletics — November 7 game report and final statistics. Field Level Media — November 7 game report. Inside NU — November 7 final-game report.