Northwestern
2-3 , 1-1
Iowa
3-2 , 1-1
Offensive Outburst Earns #B1GCats a Road B1G Win at Iowa, 38-31
10/1/2016 2:43:00 PM | Football
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Northwestern's offense exploded for 38 points Saturday at Iowa led by a trio of Austin Carr touchdown catches and 171 Justin Jackson rushing yards en route to a 38-31 Big Ten road victory over the Hawkeyes.
The win evens the Wildcats Big Ten record at 1-1 and improves NU's season record to 2-3. Iowa falls to 3-2 (1-1 B1G) with the loss.
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Northwestern jumped out to an early lead in the game and eventually led 17-7 early in the second quarter before Iowa came roaring back for a 21-17 lead at the half. After the Hawkeyes made it a seven-point lead over the Wildcats early in the third, NU reeled off 21-straight points to put the game out of reach.
Junior Xavier Washington and senior Joseph Jones set the tone for the Wildcats on the Hawkeyes' opening drive, forcing a three-and-out. That set the stage for a career-best 47-yard punt return to the five-yard-line by sophomore Flynn Nagel, setting up the opening score of the game. It took the 'Cats just two plays to find the back of the end zone as sophomore Clayton Thorson scored from four yards out with 12:20 on the clock to put NU in front, 7-0.
A pooch punt by Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard flipped the field later in the quarter and pinned Northwestern on its own one-yard line. A three-and-out and a 32-yard punt return from Iowa's Desmond King gave the Hawkeyes their own five-yard field to work with. Akrum Wadley scored one play later to tie the game, 7-7.
Senior Jack Mitchell gave the Wildcats a 10-7 lead with 50 seconds left in the first quarter when he nailed a 25-yard field goal and the Wildcats extended the lead to 17-7 on a nine-play, 54-yard drive that was capped on an 11-yard strike from Thorson to senior Austin Carr.
Carr became the first Wildcat to score a receiving touchdown in four-straight games since Teddy Johnson did so in five-straight games from Sept. 16 to Oct. 14, 2000. The Big Ten's leading receiver entering the game, Carr finished with six catches for 73 yards and a career-best three scores Saturday.
The Hawkeyes scored a pair of touchdowns to end the first half – the first on a six-yard run by Wadley and the second on a 15-yard pass and catch from Beathard to Riley McCarron – and added a field goal at the start of the second half to score 17 straight points and claim a 24-17 lead.
The Wildcats responded following the Hawkeyes' 25-yard field goal to start the second half, marching 75 yards on 11 plays in 5:14 to even the game at 24 apiece. Justin Jackson got the drive rolling with a 13-yard scamper and Thorson converted a fourth-and-one with a three-yard rush on the 'Cats' side of the 50 to keep the drive going. A 15-yard completion to redshirt freshman John Moten IV put the Wildcats in striking distance and Thorson found Carr in the back corner of the end zone for a 16-yard strike to cap the drive.
After senior Ifeadi Odenigbo's second of FOUR sacks in the game, the Wildcats needed just five plays to reclaim the lead. Facing a second and four from his own 42-yard line, Jackson found a seam in the Hawkeyes' defense and scampered 58 yards for a touchdown and a 31-24 NU lead.
The Wildcats then went ahead two scores when Thorson again connected with Carr, who this time bounced off a Hawkeyes defender and raced 25 yards into the end zone to complete his hat trick and put NU on top, 38-24, with 12:06 to play in the game.
Iowa answered quickly to get back within a score, then got the ball back following a #B1GCats three-and-out. With the clock ticking down under three minutes to go and the Hawkeyes approaching midfield, Odenigbo got to Beathard again for his fourth sack, this time forcing a fumble that Iowa recovered. The play put the Hawkeyes so far behind the chains, they had to punt the ball away with just 2:35 remaining in the contest.
NU gave the ball back mere seconds later on a three-and-out, but Trae Williams made his first career interception on Iowa's last-ditch drive to secure the win for NU.
Anthony Walker, Jr., led NU's defense with 10 tackles in the game while Odenigbo recorded those aforementioned four sacks to go along with a forced fumble.
Northwestern heads into its bye on a good note, and will resume football festivities at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 15, at Michigan State. Northwestern returns home Oct. 22 for its homecoming game against Indiana. Buy Homecoming Tickets now at NUsports.com!
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Team Stats
NU 7, IOWA 0
NU - Thorson, C. 4 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 2 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:36
NU 7, IOWA 7
IOWA - Wadley, Akrum 5 yd run (Duncan, Keith kick), 1 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:06
NU 10, IOWA 7
NU - Mitchell, Jack 25 yd field goal 11 plays, 67 yards, TOP 4:17
NU 17, IOWA 7
NU - Carr, Austin 11 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 3:35
NU 17, IOWA 14
IOWA - Wadley, Akrum 6 yd run (Duncan, Keith kick), 7 plays, 55 yards, TOP 2:05
NU 17, IOWA 21
IOWA - McCarron, Riley 15 yd pass from Beathard, C.J. (Duncan, Keith kick) 4 plays, 35 yards, TOP 1:33
NU 17, IOWA 24
IOWA - Duncan, Keith 24 yd field goal 6 plays, 22 yards, TOP 2:46
NU 24, IOWA 24
NU - Carr, Austin 16 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:14
NU 31, IOWA 24
NU - Jackson, Justin 58 yd run (Mitchell, Jack kick), 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 2:05
NU 38, IOWA 24
NU - Carr, Austin 25 yd pass from Thorson, C. (Mitchell, Jack kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:11
NU 38, IOWA 31
IOWA - Daniels, LeShun 1 yd run (Duncan, Keith kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:56
