Grading Iowa Football's Win Over Northwestern

EVANSTON - As Kirk Ferentz closed his opening remarks after Iowa's 24-10 victory over Northwestern on Saturday night, he made sure to acknowledge the large ocean of black and gold that invaded the new Ryan Field. 

"In the second half, it felt like Kinnick East," he told the assembled press packed into the small media room. 

"Kinnick East" is a longtime nickname for Hawkeye road games against Northwestern due to the large contingent of Iowa fans that live in the Chicagoland area, and it definitely made an impact on this night. The Hawkeyes had this game on cruise-control from the start, and they are sitting at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play because of it. 

There's no question that Iowa did a lot of things right in this football game, but how do the grades check out? We've got you covered here. 

Hank Brown came out on fire to begin this game, but like the rest of the offense, he fizzled out after the first quarter. That's not a bad thing, though, but it's the reason why his grade is B - solid, but not overly spectacular. Brown finished the game 16-of-21 for 126 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The 24-yard touchdown pass to Tony Diaz in the first half was great, but outside of that, most of Brown's completions were via check downs and short, medium throws. 

Again, Brown did what he needed to do to win the game, and that's all Iowa needed him to do on Saturday. He has this quarterback job locked down and deservedly so.

Man, did Saturday have to feel good for L.J. Phillips. The fourth-year came to Iowa with a lot of high expectations after tallying nearly 2,000 yards at South Dakota last year, but this was the first time we've seen the South Dakota version of Phillips. He earned the start over Xavier Williams and ran with it (literally), going for 128 yards on 21 carries, including a 45-yard run in the first quarter that brought Iowa out of the shadow of its own goal line and set up another touchdown. 

There wasn't a lot else going for this group, but that's a really good sign for the Hawkeyes if Phillips can produce like that. It feels like his first touchdown is on the horizon. 

There wasn't a whole lot to grade for the pass catchers simply because Iowa didn't need to be explosive to win this football game. Reece Vander Zee led the wide receivers with 36 yards on three catches, while each tight end that caught a pass in this one (DJ Vonnahme, Addison Ostrenga, Thomas Meyer) tallied around 10 yards each. Seeing Diaz secured a receiving touchdown in back-to-back weeks is a great sign for this group, but there just wasn't the "wow" factor that would turn this grade in the A range.

Another week, another dominant defensive effort by Phil Parker's crew. This group had so many questions entering the year, but it's safe to say they can play with any team in the nation now. Northwestern came in averaging 33.6 points per game, but the Hawkeyes held the Wildcats to under 300 yards and 105 rushing yards. The fourth-and-short stuffs were fitting outcomes for this game. 

Iowa has allowed 23 combined points in three games since coming out of the bye week. That's pretty good, isn't it? 

Chris Polizzi and Co. had a lot to prove coming into the year, but it's safe to say they've done that now and more. Boston Everitt and Caden Buhr continue to have excellent seasons, but the reason this grade gets an A is because of Braeden Jackson. The walk-on running back has been one of the best success stories in college football this year. He can fly when he has the football, and his 96-yard kick return touchdown proved it. 

The Hawkeyes return to action next Saturday, Nov. 14 for a home matchup against Purdue. The Boilermakers are 3-6 on the season after suffering a dismal home loss to Maryland on Saturday afternoon. 

Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on NBC. It will be Iowa's first and only night home game of the 2026 season.