Northwestern leads Iowa 14-3 at halftime of today’s Homecoming game.
Running back Venric Mark and quarterback Kain Colter keyed the Wildcats in the first half, combining for 161 yards rushing. Colter ran for two touchdowns in the red zone for all of NU’s points. Mark broke the 1,000-yard barrier — the first such rusher since 2006 — one play after a 75-yard jaunt in the second quarter.
Colter also saw significant action at quarterback, completing two of four passes for 21 yards and an interception. Trevor Siemian attempted only one pass in the first half.
Iowa scored a field goal on its first drive, but the Cats have held them in check since. Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg completed 11 of 16 passes for 117 yards, but suffered two sacks. The Cats held Iowa running back Mark Weisman to 21 yards on 9 carries, but Iowa running back Damon Bullock ran for 43 yards on seven tries.
The Cats have run for 197 yards but have only thrown for 25. The Hawkeyes dominated the time-of-possession battle in the first half, controlling the ball for seven minutes more than the Cats.
— Rohan Nadkarni
