EVANSTON, Ill. — Iowa starting MLB Josey Jewell and starting safety Brandon Snyder were sidelined by injuries.
Jewell sat out because of a shoulder injury he suffered in a game against Illinois two weeks earlier.
Coach Kirk Ferentz said the availability of both players will be "week to week."
"We thought Josey might have a chance to perform today, but he didn’t pass the (physical) tests he needed to pass so he had to sit," Ferentz said.
Snyder has been dealing with some swelling issues in a knee that surfaced following the Illinois game.
Manny Rugamba did return to the lineup at cornerback after seeing only minimal action against the Illini.
Hunter Niswander punted five times for the Wildcats, and his average of 50.8 yards was impacted by an 81-yard punt that followed Northwestern’s first drive of the third quarter.
A south wind, which increased throughout the game, impacted fourth-down decisions, with the teams combining to attempt conversions on nine fourth-down plays. Northwestern was successful on three of its six tries while Iowa converted on one of its four attempts.
Big catch: Iowa’s only touchdown during regulation came on a four-play, 77-yard drive in the final 2 minutes, 29 seconds of the second quarter.
It started when quarterback Nate Stanley hit Matt VandeBerg over the middle for a 61-yard gain, the Hawkeyes’ third-longest pass play of the season.
VandeBerg finished with three catches for 90 yards, all in the first half. His yardage total was the highest recorded by an Iowa receiver in a game this season.
In the backfield: Iowa sacked Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson three times on Saturday, while the Wildcats got to Nate Stanley twice.
Nathan Bazata, Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse all got to Thorson, who has been sacked 23 times through seven games, while Anthony Nelson added a tackle for a loss to help the Hawkeyes.
Still sidelined: Offensive lineman Boone Myers sat out again Saturday, and Ferentz said he is uncertain when the senior will be able to return.
"We may know more Tuesday. It’s a tough thing, especially with a senior," Ferentz said. "You look at a guy like Josey, he wanted to be out there in the worst way. It just kills guys like that to have to sit."
Ferentz is also now 8-9 against the Wildcats, who have won the last two meetings between the teams.
Ground woes: Iowa has been held to fewer than 100 rushing yards in three of its last four games.
Penn State limited the Hawkeyes to 82 yards and Michigan State held Iowa to 19 yards before Northwestern allowed only 89 yards on 33 carries Saturday.
A rarity: With a two-point loss to Penn State and seven-point losses to Michigan State and Northwestern, Iowa is at 1-3 in the Big Ten.
It is the Hawkeyes' first 1-3 start in conference play since opening with that mark in 2007. Iowa finished league play 4-4 that year and ended the season at 6-6.
http://qctimes.com/sports/college/b...cle_eae68e29-9708-5b0c-b74c-f21f3bc92d64.html
Jewell sat out because of a shoulder injury he suffered in a game against Illinois two weeks earlier.
Coach Kirk Ferentz said the availability of both players will be "week to week."
"We thought Josey might have a chance to perform today, but he didn’t pass the (physical) tests he needed to pass so he had to sit," Ferentz said.
Snyder has been dealing with some swelling issues in a knee that surfaced following the Illinois game.
Manny Rugamba did return to the lineup at cornerback after seeing only minimal action against the Illini.
Hunter Niswander punted five times for the Wildcats, and his average of 50.8 yards was impacted by an 81-yard punt that followed Northwestern’s first drive of the third quarter.
A south wind, which increased throughout the game, impacted fourth-down decisions, with the teams combining to attempt conversions on nine fourth-down plays. Northwestern was successful on three of its six tries while Iowa converted on one of its four attempts.
Big catch: Iowa’s only touchdown during regulation came on a four-play, 77-yard drive in the final 2 minutes, 29 seconds of the second quarter.
It started when quarterback Nate Stanley hit Matt VandeBerg over the middle for a 61-yard gain, the Hawkeyes’ third-longest pass play of the season.
VandeBerg finished with three catches for 90 yards, all in the first half. His yardage total was the highest recorded by an Iowa receiver in a game this season.
In the backfield: Iowa sacked Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson three times on Saturday, while the Wildcats got to Nate Stanley twice.
Nathan Bazata, Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse all got to Thorson, who has been sacked 23 times through seven games, while Anthony Nelson added a tackle for a loss to help the Hawkeyes.
Still sidelined: Offensive lineman Boone Myers sat out again Saturday, and Ferentz said he is uncertain when the senior will be able to return.
"We may know more Tuesday. It’s a tough thing, especially with a senior," Ferentz said. "You look at a guy like Josey, he wanted to be out there in the worst way. It just kills guys like that to have to sit."
Ferentz is also now 8-9 against the Wildcats, who have won the last two meetings between the teams.
Ground woes: Iowa has been held to fewer than 100 rushing yards in three of its last four games.
Penn State limited the Hawkeyes to 82 yards and Michigan State held Iowa to 19 yards before Northwestern allowed only 89 yards on 33 carries Saturday.
A rarity: With a two-point loss to Penn State and seven-point losses to Michigan State and Northwestern, Iowa is at 1-3 in the Big Ten.
It is the Hawkeyes' first 1-3 start in conference play since opening with that mark in 2007. Iowa finished league play 4-4 that year and ended the season at 6-6.
http://qctimes.com/sports/college/b...cle_eae68e29-9708-5b0c-b74c-f21f3bc92d64.html
