Late collapse kills Wildcats … again

Judging by the distant look on the faces of C.J. Bacher and Tyrell Sutton, it seemed clear that they had lost more than a game.

Northwestern's quarterback and running back looked more dazed than disappointed, as if they had seen something intrinsic suddenly disappear.

One fourth-quarter collapse could be passed off as an anomaly, a blip on the screen. But late letdowns in consecutive games have mystified the Wildcats, who harp on fourth-quarter poise.

Has NU lost its swagger in the clutch?

"I'm not too sure," Sutton said. "I guess you could say that. … If it's lost, we've got to find it."

Fast.

For the second straight week, NU took a lead into the fourth quarter, only to see it vanish in a fog of follies. The Wildcats' offense went into shutdown mode as Iowa ignited in the final period, rallying for a 28-17 win before 30,173 at Ryan Field.

NU's second straight loss puts the team's precarious position into focus entering the final two weeks.

"You win two and you go somewhere and play in December," center Trevor Rees said. "You don't win two, you stay at home in December. That's the way it is."

It didn't have to be that way had the Wildcats (5-5, 2-4) stepped up in the second half.

Leading 17-14, NU twice had first downs inside the Iowa 40-yard line. The first chance ended when Iowa's Mike Humpal intercepted a Bacher pass on an ill-fated flea flicker.

The Hawkeyes (5-5, 3-4) read the trick play, so Bacher looked for Kim Thompson. But his pass sailed into triple coverage.

"Kim's kind of my check down," Bacher said. "I saw him coming inside of the linebacker. I just threw it a little too early."

NU's defense responded moments later, as David Ngene swarmed Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen, forcing a fumble that Marshall Thomas recovered at the Hawkeyes' 32. Given the perfect opportunity to bury Iowa with a touchdown, the Wildcats went backward, taking a holding penalty on Rees and a 9-yard sack to fall out of field-goal range.

After scoring 2 touchdowns in the first 11:28 to take a 14-0 lead, NU managed just 3 points the rest of the way.

"It's really strange when you feel like you're executing very well, you're moving the ball and putting points up on the board," Bacher said. "Then all of a sudden, it stops."

The Wildcats had no first downs and 4 net yards in the fourth quarter last week at Purdue. Saturday, NU finished with 19 net yards in the fourth, including 32 yards on its final drive.

Bacher went 4-for-14 in the fourth with 2 interceptions, 1 that caromed off Sutton's hands. Iowa, which scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:44 left, converted Bacher's second pick into an 8-yard Damian Sims touchdown dash to seal the win with 3:47 remaining.

After NU's win against Eastern Michigan, Fitzgerald described his team as one that doesn't flinch in the fourth quarter.

Saturday, he was asked if he still felt that way.

"I didn't see us flinch; I didn't see us making plays," said NU coach Pat Fitzgerald. "You're the writer, I'm the coach. You're going to play on words."

At this point, the only F-word that matters for NU is finish.

"It's frustrating," Sutton said. "This is one of the pillars of our program, and we're not standing on it right now."