Drew Stevens hit the game-winning 52-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to help visiting Iowa earn a 10-7 win over Northwestern in a Big Ten contest played at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday.
With the game tied at 7-7, Iowa took possession of the ball at its own 28-yard line with 1:46 remaining and drove down to the Northwestern 35-yard line. Stevens then connected on his game-winning field goal.
Leshon Williams rushed for 79 yards on 24 carries for Iowa (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten).
Neither team reached 200 yards of total offense in the defensive struggle. Iowa had 169 yards while Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) finished with 170 yards.
Following a scoreless first half, Iowa took a 7-0 lead with 9:04 remaining in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Deacon Hill to Addison Ostrenga.
The score was set up after Iowa’s Anterio Thompson blocked a Northwestern punt to set the Hawkeyes up at the Northwestern 25-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Northwestern mounted a drive down to the Iowa 1-yard line. But the 66-yard drive that took 18 plays and chewed up 9:24 off the clock ended on downs when Sullivan was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
However, Northwestern got another chance and took advantage.
The Wildcats got the ball back, drove inside the Iowa 5-yard line again and tied the game at 7-7 on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Sullivan to Cam Johnson with 1:50 remaining in the game.
Iowa had a couple of opportunities in the first half, but couldn’t cash in.
Stevens missed a 53-yard field goal with 3:01 left in the first quarter, and then after driving to the Northwestern 26-yard line with under 12 minutes left in the second quarter, Hill was intercepted on a pass into the endzone.
–Field Level Media