Northwestern Drops Decision to Iowa, 28-17

Saturday, November 3

Evanston, Ill.

11:00 AM

Northwestern

5-5 , 2-4

Iowa -- Family Weekend/U.S. Cellular Day

5-5 , 3-4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Iowa	0	7	7	14	28
Northwestern	14	0	3	0	17

Tyrell Sutton had 116 yards and a touchdown Saturday against Iowa.

Northwestern Drops Decision to Iowa, 28-17

11/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

Nov. 3, 2007

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes | Final Stats (PDF Format)

Watch Northwestern's post game press conference on NUSports.com All-Access.

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Coach Fitzgerald talk about finishing games.
Coach Fitzgerald talk about the fourth quarter.
Coach Fitzgerald discuss the play of defensive tackle John Gill.
Gill talk about the performance of the defense.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern junior Tyrell Sutton had his first 100-yard rushing day since returning from injury, but Iowa scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to earn a 28-17 come-from-behind win over the Wildcats on Saturday.

With home games against Minnesota and Western Michigan remaining, Iowa (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) needs just one more win to become bowl eligible.

The Wildcats remain one win shy of bowl eligibility. Northwestern led Purdue 17-14 after three quarters last week, but was outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter.

Northwestern led 17-14 after three quarters Saturday against Iowa, but was outscored 14-0 in the fourth.

Jake Christensen's 53-yard pass to Trey Stross down the left sideline set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Damian Sims with 7:44 left, giving Iowa its first lead of the game, 21-17.

Northwestern (5-5, 2-4) had two chances to put it away, but C.J. Bacher threw interceptions on consecutive possessions -- one to Bradley Fletcher and the other to Charles Godfrey.

Godfrey's interception with 5:08 left led to Sims' second score, an 8-yard run that gave Iowa a 28-17 lead.

Bacher threw for 264 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions for the Wildcats. Sutton added 116 yards rushing and a score.

The Hawkeyes trailed 14-0 after the first quarter -- getting outgained 196-11 -- but outscored Northwestern 28-3 the rest of the way to snap a two-game losing streak to the Wildcats.

Northwestern got first-quarter touchdowns on a two-yard Sutton plunge and a two-yard completion from Bacher to Mark Woodsum.

Iowa scored for the first time late in the second quarter, pulling within seven on Christensen's 20-yard touchdown pass to Stross with 49 seconds left.

Adrian Clayborn blocked a 34-yard Northwestern field-goal attempt in the closing seconds of the second quarter to keep the score 14-7.

Iowa then opened the second quarter with a 71-yard, 10-play drive to tie it at 14. Albert Young capped the drive with a 16-yard score, taking the handoff up the middle, juking toward a hole on the right and running untouched into the end zone.

Trey Stross had 91 yards receiving and a touchdown for the Hawkeyes, who rallied from a 14-point deficit for the second straight week to win their third game in four tries.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.