The ever-reliable Justin Jackson broke open a 29-yard run that took Northwestern to the Iowa 32-yard line. However, a holding penalty on offensive lineman Eric Olson negated the big play. Linebacker Travis Perry lit up quarterback Trevor Siemian the very next play for a loss of eight yards. The Wildcats’ first drive went for 10 net yards.
The Wildcats did recover a fumble a few minutes into the third. It was Iowa’s fourth fumble of the game, though their first lost.
On the next drive, an incredible one-handed catch by wide receiver Mike McHugh went for 24 yards. It positioned Northwestern at the 4-yard line but the Hawkeyes kept Northwestern out of the end zone. On fourth down, Siemian’s pass to the right corner of the end zone was broken up by linebacker Quinton Alston. Iowa took over on downs on the 1-yard line.
Score remains 38-7 in favor of Iowa going into the fourth quarter.