Instant Takeaways From Iowa Football's Win Over Northwestern

EVANSTON - Different stadium, same result. 

Iowa football was used to bringing home plenty of lopsided victories in front of a heavy Hawkeye contingent at the old Ryan Field, and with their College Football Playoff hopes on the line on Saturday, No. 19 Iowa figured it was a good time to produce a similar result. 

The pendulum began to swing in the Hawkeyes' favor when Northwestern starting quarterback Aidan Chiles missed the game due to injury, but it didn't matter who the Wildcats had under center because Iowa's defense was dominant yet again, allowing it to cruise to a 24-10 victory at Ryan Field. 

Iowa improves to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play with the triumph, while Northwestern falls to 6-2 overall and 3-3 in conference action. 

Here are some instant observations from the Hawkeyes' win: 

Iowa jumped on Wisconsin very early last week, and it appeared Tim Lester wanted to duplicate that formula in Evanston on Saturday. The Hawkeyes wanted to push the football down the field through the air right from the get-go, and Northwestern wasn't ready for it. Hank Brown was 4-for-4 for 45 yards on the opening drive, which ended with Brown calling his own number and taking it in from 21 yards out on a 3rd-and-3 quarterback draw. 

A questionable no-call on what looked to be a pass interference derailed Iowa's second drive, but the Hawkeyes didn't let that mess up their rhythm. Iowa was again backed up on its own three on its third series, but like it has done from 98 yards the previous two games, the drive ended with a perfect 24-yard touchdown strike to Tony Diaz - his second consecutive week with a receiving touchdown - to take a 14-0 lead. 

Iowa hoped it was getting another stud at running back when L.J. Phillips transferred in from South Dakota. The numbers were certainly eye-opening there, but the Hawkeyes had to wait until Saturday to really see Phillips' potential come to life. The third-year has battled injuries throughout the year, but he earned the start over Xavier Williams in this one and didn't miss a beat, tallying 124 yards on 21 carries.

The highlight of his night was undoubtedly a 45-yard run late in the first quarter. With Iowa backed up in the shadow of his own goal line, Phillips broke free and even showed off his strength with a ferocious stiff arm to give himself an extra 10 yards. 

Northwestern was moving the ball against Iowa's defense for much of the first half, but what Phil Parker's group does best is bending without breaking. The Wildcats moved the ball inside Hawkeye territory on their first three possessions of the game, but they looked to put a dent in Iowa's lead on their third drive after moving the ball inside the Hawkeye 30. 

Think again. Northwestern converted one fourth-and-short on the possession, but Iowa just doesn't allow that to happen twice. Caleb Komolafe was stuffed by a parade of white jerseys (Cam Buffington and Bryce Hawthorne were right there) on a 4th-and-1 to deny the Wildcats a game-altering touchdown. 

Northwestern came into this game scoring 33.6 points per game, but the Hawkeyes had Chip Kelly's crew in a blender all day long, holding the Wildcats to 284 total yards and stopping them on fourth down two more times after that. 

Iowa's defense has allowed just 10 points in eight quarters of football, an impressive feat for a unit that is already one of the best in the nation. 

Braeden Jackson has been one of Iowa's best underdog stories in 2026, and another chapter of that book was written on Saturday. With the Hawkeyes leading 14-3 midway through the third, Jackson shredded the Northwestern kick coverage team and sprinted 96 yards to the house for his second kick return score of the season (at Michigan was the other one). 

Iowa was probably well on its way to victory by that point, but the play certainly dampened whatever hopes the Wildcats had before that (they had just kicked a field goal on the previous drive). 

Iowa returns to action next Saturday, Nov. 14 for a home matchup against Purdue. The Boilermakers have improved a little bit this year, but are now 3-6 on the season after a dismal home loss to Maryland earlier on Saturday. This will be the first meeting between Iowa and Purdue in three years. 

Kickoff from Kinnick Stadium is set for 6 or 6:30 p.m on either FS1 of NBC. Official game time will be announced later this weekend.