Rapid Reaction: Northwestern falls to Iowa 24-10 in aggravating defeat

Northwestern fans knew missing Aidan Chiles would hurt. It was unclear exactly how much. Chiles brought athleticism and talent that was one of a kind in college football. In his place tonight was backup quarterback Nicco Marchiol following a reported upper-body injury to Chiles that occurred in the Oregon game.

This game was something that could be described as an offensive meltdown. The offense couldn’t move the ball — part of the reason why the game finished 24-10. Without mastermind Aidan Chiles at the helm, the offensive unit looked stuck. Giving up 24 points to the Hawkeyes isn’t terrible, considering just how dominant they were last week against Wisconsin, but the defense was still having trouble stopping the run and explosive plays, though they did cause a few turnovers that momentarily swung some momentum toward the ‘Cats. Then special teams gave up a touchdown. As far as the score went, it was relatively competitive in the first half. However, the game never really looked or felt competitive.

Nicco Marchiol went 24-for-32 passing for 181 yards and a touchdown totaling the same amount of rushing yards as both of the two primary backs combined at 52-yards, with Himon at 27-yards and Komolafe at 25-yards.

TE Luke Dehnicke had a great night also considering Marchiol’s primary passing method on the night was short dump off passes to either WR Hayden Eligon or one of the running backs. Dehnicke had five catches for 52 yards and WR Griffin Wilde also (ironically) had five catches for 52 yards.

Iowa started off the game explosive from their own 25-yard line, crossing midfield in just two plays with completions to both Reece Vander Zee and Tony Diaz. The Hawkeyes continued pushing the drive from the pocket with a completion to Vander Zee down to the NU 30-yard line. Following some short pitches, Hank Brown evaded pressure and rushed 21 yards to cap off the drive with an Iowa touchdown.

On the first drive for the Wildcats, backup QB Nicco Marchiol made his first completion of the season on a sideline throw to Hayden Eligon, followed by two first down completions to Griffin Wilde. The ‘Cats, facing a third down on the Iowa 43, took a shot for Luke Dehnicke but fell incomplete and punted to the Iowa 9-yard line.

A drive that looked shaky for Iowa, trapped in the midst of its own end zone, almost moved the chains through a defensive pass interference call on third down, but the flag was picked up and the Hawkeyes punted to the Northwestern 41-yard line.

However, despite the rather favorable field position, the drive was cut short after only one first down and a third down completion to Dehnicke that fell short of the sticks. Nikola Dugandzic then put on a punting masterclass to pin Iowa back at their own 3-yard line.

The tackling struggles continued for the Wildcats, allowing L.J. Phillips, Jr. a 45 yard rush after a plethora of missed tackles, giving Iowa their first explosive play since their lead off touchdown drive. Facing second down on the NU 42-yard line, a 12-yard gain off a pass to Thomas Meyer led the Hawkeyes to the Northwestern 30-yard line and a first down before the end of the first quarter. A flag on the second play of the second quarter set the Hawkeyes back for a false start, but it was mitigated by a rush up the middle by Phillips for 11 yards to make it a short third down, where Hank Brown then launched a touchdown to a wide open Tony Diaz in the end zone making the score 14-0 Iowa early in the second half.

Now crunch time for the ‘Cats, a combination of a Marchiol scramble and a Himon II run brought Northwestern to their own 36-yard line in attack mode. A 14-yard completion to Wilde continued the drive as the Wildcats crossed midfield. The offensive line, just like last week against Oregon, continued to struggle, allowing a sack on second down with only one yard to go. Marchiol had a nice scramble on third down that brought the Northwestern offense back to a fourth-and-one on the Iowa 37-yard line which they were able to convert with a Marchiol sneak. A nifty pitch to Himon II and completion to Dehnicke brought up a third down and one, bringing up another Northwestern fourth-and-one attempt. This time, the ‘Cats weren’t as fortunate, leading to a turnover on downs giving Iowa the ball at their own 27-yard line with just over six minutes to go in the half.

This drive was the Phillips drive, with three consecutive plays that culminated in an Iowa first down. Then, a short run by Xavier Williams, a completion to DJ Vonnahme for only four and an incompletion on third down led to a punt that pinned Northwestern at their own 13-yard line with just over 3:00 left in the half.

A 1-yard run by Drew Wagner and an 8-yard completion to Wagner brought Northwestern to a third-and-one on their own 22-yard line as the clock struck the two minute timeout of the first half. A Caleb Komolafe rush up the middle that looked like it had the yardage resulted in a fourth-and-one, in which the Wildcats punted to the Iowa 30-yard line.

Iowa, looking for another spark toward the end of the first half, started with a Braeden Jackson rush up the middle for two yards. It was then followed by a sack and a loss of eight by Northwestern defensive lineman Dominic Kirks. A solid gain of 13 on third-and-16 put Iowa relatively close to the marker, but chose to punt it away with just over a minute remaining in the half to the Northwestern 25-yard line.

The ‘Cats, looking for one final push late in the second, started with a Marchiol 5-yard rush up the middle on first down. What looked to be another third down incompletion by the Wildcats was saved by a pass interference call that brought them to their own 36-yard line before a first down incompletion to Griffin Wilde. An illegal snap brought the ‘Cats back five and were unable to recover the yardage before punting to the Iowa 20-yard line with only 18 seconds remaining, where the Hawkeyes would knee out the rest of the half.

Starting off the second half on their own 19-yard line, Marchiol threw a dime to Dehnicke for a gain of 22. Same story though, as Northwestern’s drive ran out of juice just shy of the 50 following a few rushes and a completion to Wilde, forcing a punt that landed on the Iowa 14-yard line.

The Hawkeye’s first drive in the second half started with yet another Phillips run for a gain of five, then a first down completion to Phillips again. And who else but Phillips with another four-yard rush to the Iowa 30-yard line. A pass to Vander Zee to mix it up gave the yellow and black a first down, but Phillips went right back to plowing up the middle for another three-yard gain on first down and a one-yard gain on second. A delay of game forced a third-and-11 from their own 39. Taking a long shot on third down, returning defensive back Robert Fitzgerald, who had been sidelined due to injury since the Ball State matchup in early October, intercepted the pass to bring the ‘Cats some momentum as they picked off the ball at their own 40-yard line.

A nice rush up the middle by Marchiol gave Northwestern a first down at midfield, followed by another Dehnicke completion that got some solid yards after the catch to give the ‘Cats a first down. Another first down yardage Marchiol scramble brought the Wildcats to the Iowa 26-yard line, but a false start moved them back to the 31. Marchiol then was sacked for a loss of 8, turning the first-and-10 to a second-and-23 in just a single play. After minimal gain on second down and a short third down completion to Komolafe, Jackson Kleather trotted on for a 45-yard attempt which was perfect right down the middle to make it 14-3 Iowa with 4:00 remaining in the third quarter.

What can only be described as a special teams meltdown then occurred on the kick return for Northwestern. Braeden Jackson, a 96-yard return to the house for Iowa. 11 seconds. 21-3 Hawkeyes.

The ‘Cats took the field after what can only be described as a complete removal of life from Ryan Field. A 6-yard completion to Eligon followed by a 1-yard completion to Himon brought up third down, where an Eligon completion of 2-yards brought up another fourth-and-one. The ‘Cats did not convert. Iowa held the ball on the Northwestern 33-yard line.

A quick three-and-out led the Hawkeyes to a 52-yard attempt, which was drilled. 24-3 Iowa with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter.

A quick pass to Wilde generated a first down for the Wildcats in their next drive. Marchiol’s 7-yard rush and a 5-yard completion gave the ‘Cats some momentum and a first down as the clock hit zero and the game entered the fourth quarter at midfield. A 6-yard completion to Dehnicke to resume action and another 6-yarder to Himon gave the Wildcats another first down. 

Then, what can only be described as a mini-disaster to ‘Cats fans — Marchiol went down. It’s Ryan Boe time. He handed it off to Himon who gained first down yardage before Marchiol was cleared and returned to play. After a first down incompletion, a late hit on Marchiol as he ran out of bounds brought life back to the Northwestern offense, now the closest they have been to the end zone all night at the Iowa 14-yard line. A short pass to Caleb Komolafe for 3-yards brought the ‘Cats to the 11-yard line and a 1-yard loss by Marchiol brought the ‘Cats to a third-and-eight deep in Iowa territory. After failing to gain yardage, it was fourth down. No kicking this time. A perfectly placed pass by Marchiol just couldn’t be secured by Griffin Wilde and a turnover on downs.

The Hawkeyes slowly progressed down the field as the fourth quarter dragged on, but ‘Cats fans were running out of hope. All of a sudden: a fumble forced by Dominic Kirks. Braydon Brus recovered, and it became Wildcat football at the Northwestern 49-yard line.

A shocking late game roughing the passer with a targeting call, a 16-yard completion to Wagner and a 6-yard Marchiol rush brought Northwestern to the 2-yard line by the time of the final two minute timeout. A quick completion to Himon finally gave Northwestern their first touchdown with under two minutes remaining. 24-10 Hawkeyes.

An onside kick that looked very promising almost gave the ‘Cats the ball back, but it was unsuccessful. After a first down, Northwestern was out of timeouts and Iowa was able to run the clock down.