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Northwestern upsets No. 4 Iowa, earns bowl eligibility
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NU's Marshall Thomas celebrates a fumble recovery for a touchdown. (Photo:AP/Charlie Neibergall)
The Northwestern Wildcats ended No. 4 Iowa's BCS Championship hopes with a remarkable 17-10 upset in Iowa City Saturday. The victory marked Northwestern's first in five years over a top-10 opponent.
Iowa (9-1), who had been riding a 13-game winning streak entering Saturday's game, lost quarterback Ricky Stanzi to injury in the second quarter after NU's Corey Wootton sacked the Hawkeyes' star player in his own end zone. Stanzi did not return and was seen walking on crutches after being replaced by redshirt freshman James Vandenberg.
Northwestern had to overcome two quarterback injuries of their own to upset the Big Ten's best team. Quarterback Mike Kafka, who was battling a hamstring injury all week, was so limited (4 rushes for negative 12 yards) that he was pulled for backup Dan Persa in the first half. Despite throwing for only 37 yards and an interception, Persa rushed for 67 yards and connected with Drake Dunsmore on a four yard pass to score Northwestern's only offensive touchdown.
The scrambler, however, injured his hand in the third quarter, forcing Kafka to return for the remainder of the game. But together, the Northwestern quarterbacks overcame adversity; Kafka and Persa combined to move the chains nine times on third down, and controlled the clock by possessing the ball for 10 more minutes than the Hawkeyes.
In facing their toughest opponent this season, the Wildcats defense also elevated their game. After surrendering a 74-yard touchdown pass from Stanzi to Marvin McNutt on the opening drive, Northwestern did not allow another touchdown. The 'Cats forced four turnovers and were led by senior Marshall Thomas, who recovered two fumbles, including one for a touchdown. The Wildcats also held the Iowa ground game to a mere 65 yards rushing.
With the upset win, Northwestern improved to 6-4 and earned bowl eligibility for the third consecutive season. The Wildcats will have a chance to elevate their status as a BCS Top-25 team if they can win their final two games against Illinois and No. 21 Wisconsin.
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