Northwestern
Iowa
Wildcats Downed by Iowa, 59-16
11/10/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov 10, 2001
Audio:
Coach Walker's Postgame Comments
By RICK GANO
AP Sports Writer
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Jeremy Allen scored three touchdowns and Kahlil Hill caught six passes for 133 yards as Iowa routed Northwestern 59-16 on Saturday.
The Hawkeyes (5-4, 3-4) kept their bowl hopes alive by dominating the Wildcats, scoring on their first three possessions of each half.
Northwestern (4-5, 2-5), playing without the school's leading career rusher Damien Anderson, who has a dislocated shoulder, lost its fourth straight.
The Wildcats, beaten 56-21 at Indiana last week, were blown out for a second week in a row as their defense was no match for the Hawkeyes' offense, which rolled up 588 yards.
Iowa alternated quarterbacks Kyle McCann and Brad Banks, used the tough running of Ladell Betts and Aaron Greving and got big returns and catches from Hill to completely control the game.
Northwestern quarterback Zak Kustok completed just 9 of 20 passes, fumbled once and was intercepted twice before being replaced in the third quarter.
After scoring on their first three possessions to take a 21-0 first-quarter lead, the Hawkeyes were up easily at the half 31-7.
They moved 68 yards in 15 plays on the opening series, going 5-of-5 on third-down conversions and scoring on Allen's 4-yard run.
Hill's 48-yard punt return put the Hawkeyes at the Northwestern 36 and then Betts carried four times, including 4 yards for the TD.
On Iowa's next possession, Banks replaced starter McCann and threw a 50-yard pass to C.J. Jones, carrying to the Northwestern 4, where Allen scored again.
Iowa was ready to move in again after recovering a Kustok fumble at the 34, but Banks was intercepted on the next play by Northwestern's Jarvis Adams, who returned 44 yards to the Iowa 29. Kustok then threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Sam Simmons to make it 21-7.
But the Hawkeyes continued to move the ball easily, going 70 yards on 10 plays, including a 31-yard McCann-to-Hill pass to the Northwestern 2. Greving scored from the 2 for a 28-7 lead.
Banks threw a 44-yarder to Hill late in the half. After a Betts' TD run was called back by a holding penalty, the Hawkeyes had to settle for Nate Kaedin's 18-yard field goal that made it 31-7.
Iowa's domination was evident in its 354-92 first-half edge in total yards and 22:43-to-7:17 advantage in time of possession.
Derek Pagel intercepted Kustok on the first scrimmage play of the second half and after a pass interference penalty on the Wildcats, Betts went in from 9 yards.
Minutes later, a wide open Allen took a swing pass from McCann, rolled down the sideline, went around a tackler at around the 10 and completed a 45-yard TD pass that made it 45-7. After Bob Sanders picked off Kustok, Iowa scored again on Banks' 4-yard pass to Erik Jensen.
