QUARTER-BY-QUARTER

FIRST – NU comes out torrid with almost 200 yards of total offense. Touchdowns by Tyrell Sutton and Mark Woodsum stake the Cats a 14-0 lead.

SECOND – The defense starts to crack, giving up a 60-yard scoring drive in the final three minutes to cut the lead to 14-7 and give the Hawkeyes momentum heading into the locker room.

THIRD – Iowa comes out of halftime with a touchdown to tie the game, but NU responds with a field goal to regain the lead. Quarter ends on a down note with Bacher’s first interception.

FOURTH – Collapse. C.J. Bacher throws two interceptions, fumbles and is sacked five times. The defense gives up two touchdowns and almost 150 yards to let the game slip away.

IT WAS OVER WHEN…

Four plays after Bacher’s third interception of the day, Iowa’s Damian Sims rushes eight yards into the end zone to give Iowa a 28-17 lead with 3:47 left.

196

Yards by NU in the first quarter.

197

Yards by NU in the final three periods.

0-5

NU’s record when Bacher throws for more than one interception. He had three against Iowa. It was his third game of three picks this year.

2002

The last time the Hawkeyes beat the Cats – a 62-10 win in Iowa City on Nov. 9, 2002.

plays of the Day

BACHER’S NICE SAVE (1st quarter)

On 3rd and 6 from the NU 29, Bacher drops the snap out of the shotgun. The ball bounces up to him, and he fires a shot to Eric Peterman, who breaks a tackle with a spin move to pick up 12 yards and the first down. Bacher later finished off the drive with his only touchdown pass of the day.

BLOCKED KICK (0:02 left, 2nd quarter)

After Iowa scores its first touchdown of the game near the end of the first half, NU responds, going 48 yards in 49 seconds to set up a 32-yard field goal attempt by Amado Villarreal. But his kick is blocked by Iowa’s Adrian Claybourn to stuff NU’s momentum swing heading into halftime.

NGENE’S OPPORTUNITY (12:14 left, 3rd quarter)

Early in the fourth quarter, Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen drops back to pass but finds NU senior defensive end David Ngene powering into the pocket. Ngene strips the ball away as he pancakes Christensen, and NU’s Marshall Thomas recovers at the Iowa 32. The Cats go three-and-out.

BACHER’S LAST GAFFE (5:08 left, 4th quarter)

Down four with five minutes left, Bacher looks to dump off a screen to Sutton. The ball is a little too high and bounces off of Sutton’s hands and into the chest of Iowa’s Charles Godfrey for Bacher’s third pick of the game. Iowa scored the game-sealing touchdown four plays later.

quotables

“Every day we come out and don’t put up any points in the fourth quarter, it’s frustrating. This is one of the pillars of our program, and we’re not standing on it right now.”

Tyrell Sutton

Junior running back, on the team’s fourth-quarter woes

“You win two, you go somewhere and play in December. You don’t win two and you sit at home in December. That’s the way it is.”

Trevor Rees

Senior center, on NU’s bowl hopes

“We’ve been successful in the past when we’ve finished in the fourth quarter. We spent a lot of time on it, we talk a lot about it, but talk is cheap. We need to act on it and we need to make plays. We didn’t do that today.”

Pat Fitzgerald

NU coach, on the team’s second fourth-quarter loss in a row