The Iowa-Northwestern game Saturday at Wrigley Field was historic for its offensive ineptitude.
It wasn’t expected to be a high-powered game — the over/under opened at 29œ, the lowest in betting history — but both teams left any semblance of a modern offense at their home stadium as they slogged to a 10-7 Iowa victory on Drew Stevens’ 53-yard field goal with 14 seconds left.
The final score was befitting of a game at the venerable ballpark, which has seen its share of baseball games with that score.
The turf was ready for the offenses to leave the Friendly Confines. After Iowa (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) stopped Northwestern in the red zone with eight minutes left, the grounds crew had to stop the game and tend to the turf on multiple occasions.
NU interim coach David Braun said the loss left him “speechless.”
“[I’m] disappointed with the result,” he said. “I deeply wanted to see this team come out of Wrigley with a win.”
The game turned an area known for its diehard Cubs fandom into a college-like atmosphere for a day. Hawkeyes fans flocked to the blocked-off streets around the ballpark before the game.
“It felt like one of the coolest experiences in college football ever,” Braun said.
The teams engaged in an old-school, smash-mouth football game. Run-pass options and spread formations were eschewed for under-center snaps, runs up the middle and tough tackling.
Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) played a sloppy game, committing seven penalties for 71 yards and mustering 170 yards of offense. The defense was stout — junior defensive back Theron Johnson caught an interception in the end zone — but some of that was a byproduct of Iowa’s archaic offense.
“I much rather have an aggressive football team that occasionally gets penalized than a passive football team that plays scared to get a flag,” Braun said.
Northwestern punted on its first eight possessions and finished the first half with 29 yards of offense. The second half saw the unit gain 141 yards and convert 50% of its third downs.
“It’s hard to get down the field every drive, and we were battling more than we were in the first half, and we were giving more effort,” said quarterback Brendan Sullivan, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 81 yards and one touchdown. He also ran 16 times for 24 yards.
Northwestern hasn’t won back-to-back games all season, but Braun said much doesn’t need to change heading into next week’s game against Wisconsin.
“I sound like a broken record, but it’s making sure that we step back in that facility on Monday ready to go,” Braun said. “These last few weeks, there’s been some wins, there’s been some losses, but we’ve given ourselves a chance every single week against some damn good football team.”
“We’re a resilient group,” linebacker Bryce Gallagher said. “I think the energy never lacks in any practice, in any meeting or any game. I think that shows character as a team.”
Braun has done a lot to restore some sense of culture to the program after the hazing scandal was uncovered over the summer. He has instilled belief in a team that meandered through a 1-11 season last year and has enjoyed more on-field success.
But all of the positivity and culture won’t put more points on the board. The Wildcats have scored 30 points twice against Big Ten opponents but have now scored less than 20 points four times.
The team talks about its resilience. Now it needs to prove it again.
