Hawks suffer first defeat of season
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For all the luster the Iowa Hawkeyes have displayed during what has been a storybook season, the script of this game took a complete 180-degree turn.
A team known for starting slow, started fast. A team with a junior quarterback known for his resiliency found itself depending on a redshirt freshman when its leader was injured in the second quarter.
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A team that has defied the odds all season, couldn't on this Saturday afternoon.
And it all culminated in the No. 8 team in the country suffering its first defeat. For the first time this year, Iowa left Kinnick Stadium with hopes of an undefeated season crushed, as it lost to Northwestern, 17-10.
This defeat drops the Hawkeyes to 9-1 on the season with two games left. More importantly, Iowa is now tied for first place in the Big Ten.
"We kind of dug ourselves too deep of a hole, and we just couldn't find a way to get out of it," senior safety Joe Conklin said.
One minute in, the Hawkeyes jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the Wildcats. Iowa signal-caller Ricky Stanzi found sophomore wide receiver Marvin McNutt for a 74-yard touchdown pass to the delight of 70,585 in attendance.
The following possession, Iowa moved the ball down the field again, and got a 39-yard field goal to go ahead 10-0 on Northwestern.
Then the game took a turn for the worse.
Early in the second quarter, the Hawkeyes found themselves deep in their own territory. Stanzi dropped back to pass and was hit in the north end zone by Northwestern's Corey Wootton.
The ball popped out of Stanzi's hands and was recovered for a Wildcat touchdown by Marshall Thomas. But the scoreboard wasn't the only place where damage was done.
On the play, Stanzi suffered a what head coach Kirk Ferentz called a "severe" ankle sprain in his right leg. He walked off the field gingerly and eventually walked into the locker room before halftime. But when he came out for the second half, the Mentor, Ohio native was in crutches and had a boot on his right foot. The injury will sideline Stanzi for the Hawkeyes' final two games against Ohio State and Minnesota.
"Initially, I think guys knew that all year long, we have had to face some adversity, and this was probably going to be our biggest obstacle," junior wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos said.
As for his replacement, redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, his early struggles proved costly. He finished the game 9-for-27 and threw for 82 yards.
"I felt comfortable," Vandenberg said. "It was one of those bittersweet situations where you've kind of got to step in, and I wasn't able to make enough plays [Saturday] to get us the victory."
His first pass of the game got intercepted by Northwestern's Quinton Davie. The Wildcats would respond with a touchdown drive, going ahead 14-10 when quarterback Dan Persa found Drake Dunsmore open in the end zone with 5:20 left in the first half.
Northwestern would add three points to its lead when kicker Stefan Demos nailed a 47-yard field goal with 13:29 remaining in the contest, putting the Wildcats ahead a touchdown. The Iowa defense held the Wildcats to 239 yards of total offense, but it wasn't enough.
"It hurts, and it's going to hurt for a while," senior linebacker Pat Angerer said. "But it doesn't really help us out to think too much about it. We've got to fix our mistakes and come here Tuesday and get ready to fight."
The Hawkeyes now have a major task in front of them, going to Columbus, Ohio next week to face the Buckeyes. But the one positive Iowa has going for it is that the Hawkeyes control their destiny still for a Big Ten championship and a trip to the 2010 Rose Bowl.
"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be," Ferentz said. "We're going to try to get back on our feet and see if we can't win next weekend. That's going to be a tough task. We know that already."
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