By Zach SilkaThe Daily Northwestern
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Call it an issue of pride or a source of motivation, but for the second consecutive week following a second-half meltdown against Michigan State, the Northwestern defense dictated the tempo of the game in a 21-7 win against Iowa on Saturday.
In their past two contests, the Wildcats have allowed a combined 24 points and held their opponents to an average of 291 yards of total offense per game, which is 74 yards below their season average.
The turnaround on defense has been especially dramatic considering NU had been outscored 105-26 in its first three Big Ten games. The Cats also have lost two defensive captains in the past month, with linebacker Nick Roach lost for the season with a broken leg and safety Bryan Heinz out indefinitely with a foot injury.
“You tell me another team in the country that’s lost both their defensive captains to injuries,” NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said.
The Cats’ secondary, despite missing the services of senior cornerback Marquice Cole, has been particularly solid. NU’s passing attack has limited a pair of All-Big Ten quarterbacks – Iowa’s Drew Tate and Michigan’s Chad Henne – to a combined 263 yards passing.
Fitzgerald pointed to freshman cornerback Sherrick as a key player in making sure the Cats didn’t skip a beat when Cole went down with a hamstring injury. Already an established figure on special teams, McManis finished with five tackles and nearly had two interceptions against Iowa, following up his four tackles last week against Michigan.
“Sherrick is a great player,” Fitzgerald said. “He’s fun to watch and hopefully (Cole) will get back there for the last two games, but you couldn’t be in a better position as a coach. You get competition. That’s what you want.”
The Cats’ defensive line, which welcomed back junior David Ngene, also caused problems for Tate all afternoon.
Ngene and junior Mark Koehn each picked up one sack, with Koehn’s hit jarring the ball loose deep in Iowa territory. Junior Eddie Simpson, who has assumed much of Roach’s work at outside linebacker, scooped up the fumble and returned it to the Iowa six-yard line.
Two plays later, the Cats cashed in the turnover for a 14-10 lead with 13:48 left in the second quarter.
“When you look at our guys up front, we have everybody back for at least one year – maybe two years (along with) a lot of our guys in our front seven on defense,” Fitzgerald said. “They’re really starting to play the way I expected them to play at some point this year.”
BEGINNING UP FRONT
After being held to -13 yards against Michigan last week, the running game came alive Saturday.
Running back Tyrell Sutton led the way in true workhorse fashion with 168 yards on a season-high 28 carries. Terrell Jordan spelled Sutton for an additional 57 yards on six carries, including a 34-yard sprint to the end zone to seal the game with 4:48 remaining.
“We felt like we could move the ball on the ground all game,” Fitzgerald said. “It seemed like we played probably our best game up front. Obviously, when you get Tyrell going for 168 yards, he’s a special player and gives you an opportunity for big plays.”
Just as Michigan controlled the clock against NU last week by racking up 202 yards on the ground, that was the modus operandi for the Cats this week.
“I would say we pulled a Michigan because that’s exactly what they did to us,” Sutton said. “The offensive line was amazing. They were opening holes I hadn’t seen in a long time.”
INCHES TO GO
No instant replay was used during the game Saturday, Iowa’s second game of the season without it … Iowa’s loss to Northwestern was the first time the Hawkeyes lost to a non-ranked opponent since 2002 and only the third loss at Kinnick Stadium in their last 30 contests … NU has now beaten Iowa in six of the schools’ last 10 meetings.
Reach Zach Silka at [email protected].
