Iowa looks for first win in three tries against Wildcats
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Whether it was luck, talent or both, Iowa used to own Penn State.
That streak is over after Saturday's 13-3 loss to the Nittany Lions and now the Hawkeyes square off against Northwestern — the team that owns them.
The Wildcats have beaten Iowa (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) three times in a row.
Northwestern (2-3, 0-2) upset Iowa in Kinnick Stadium in 2008, stopping four straight Hawkeyes passes on a late 1st-and-goal situation to escape, 22-17. The next year, the Wildcats rallied for a 17-10 victory that crushed Iowa's national title aspirations.
Last season in Evanston, Northwestern wore down Iowa's talented defense in the second half and stunned the Hawkeyes 21-17 on Dan Persa's touchdown pass with 1:22 left.
It could be argued that the Wildcats weren't expected to win any of those games.
“To me, it's real simple,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “They played better all three games. That's where it's at. Slice it, dice it, injuries, that's part of the game.”
Revenge might be in play when the Hawkeyes host Northwestern on Saturday night to kick off a stretch of four home games in five weeks. But Iowa has more pressing concerns after a deflating performance at Penn State.
Iowa's new no-huddle attack that had produced 66 points in the previous five quarters sputtered against the first elite defense it had faced in 2011.
The Hawkeyes gained just 253 yards, moved inside Penn State's 20-yard line once and turned it over three times in the fourth quarter. Penn State broke through a weary Iowa defense with the game's only touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Last week proved two things: Penn State's defense is for real and Iowa's offense remains a mystery five games into the 12-game season.
Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg completed 17 of 34 passes for 169 yards, threw two picks and went without a TD pass for the first time this season.
“They outplayed us in every phase on Saturday. Played at a higher tempo and played sounder and played with more focus,” Ferentz said.
For Vandenberg, the Wildcats offer a chance for redemption on two fronts.
The junior can shake off Saturday's loss and make amends for his shaky performance against Northwestern in 2009. He hadn't taken any meaningful snaps when he was pressed into action against the Wildcats two years ago and his first pass — an interception that set up what proved to be the winning touchdown for Northwestern — showed that the moment was too much for him as a freshman.
Vandenberg finished just 9 of 27 for 82 yards in that loss, a performance that still stings.
“I don't really recall that much good coming out of it,” Vandenberg said. “I know I'm definitely a different player since then.”
Northwestern has had a tough month, dropping three straight to Army, Illinois and Michigan. Last week, it watched a 24-14 halftime edge on Michigan turn into a 42-24 home loss.
Still, Northwestern has lost just once in its last six meetings with Iowa.
“They just seem to come out and just play harder than us,” defensive end Broderick Binns said.