Northwestern Wildcats

Iowa Football: 3 Takeaways from loss to Northwestern

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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It was homecoming for Iowa football, and the Northwestern Wildcats did all they could to spoil it.

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The Iowa Hawkeyes were hoping to put the ugly loss to North Dakota State and ugly win against Rutgers in the rear view, and to use a Homecoming game against Northwestern to begin their run to another Big Ten West title.

The Wildcats (and the officials) had other plans for fans in Iowa City.

With leading receiver Matt VandeBerg out, it was going to fall on the Iowa defense and running game to try and carry the Hawkeyes through this one, and unfortunately, both failed miserably.

It wasn’t all bad, there were some good things to pull from the loss. Seeing the Iowa offense come alive for 31 points was a welcome sight, but the defense was unable to stop Northwestern on the ground or in the passing game.

Here are three things to take away from this game, as we are getting a pretty clear picture of who this Iowa team is.

Oct 1, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; The Iowa Hawkeyes line up against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Hawkeyes Need Help on Both Lines

Both the offensive and defensive lines were treated like balsa wood against the Wildcats. C.J. Beathard (19 of 27, 204 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) was sacked six times – four by Ifeadi Odenigbo – and was under constant pressure when dropping back.

If that wasn’t bad enough, most of those sacks and pressures came when the Wildcats only rushed three or four linemen. Rarely did they have to blitz to get any pressure on Beathard.

Run blocking wasn’t any better, as the Hawkeyes were only able to muster 79 yards on the ground. It seemed that Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels were constantly having to fight out of tackles in the backfield.

On defense, the line was gashed once again for big runs up the middle, and failed to keep contain on backs hitting the edge. The Wildcats made some mistakes (and got some help from the refs), but on the whole they were able to do what they wanted against the overmatched Iowa defensive line.

Both lines need a lot of work if the Hawkeyes hope to even sniff the top of the division.

Oct 1, 2016; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Desmond King (14) returns a punt against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams May Win Some Games For Iowa

If you wanted to pull and overall bright spot from this loss, it could be that watching special teams play and returns wasn’t cringe-worthy.

Several times on the day, returners Desmond King and Riley McCarron were close to breaking off returns for touchdowns. A couple of slips and shoestring tackles saved those scores from happening.

But the punt game was solid, pinning Northwestern deep a couple of times, and Keith Duncan was 1 for 1 on field goal attempts and 4 for 4 on extra points.

Solid special teams play could be the difference in some close games, and it’s good to know that there are two return men who can potentially change the momentum in a game.

Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Riley McCarron Can Ball

C.J. Beathard found out today that even without his favorite target, he’s still got a game-changer to throw the ball at when needed.

Riley McCarron finished the day with eight catches for 78 yards and a touchdown (adding both a good punt and kick return to his stats as well), and he was the go-to guy for Beathard all day.

It was McCarron’s consistency and ability to recognize when his QB was in trouble that was most impressive. His on field awareness was a big part of why the Hawkeyes were able to keep the chains moving on some drives.

Watch for McCarron to make some big impact plays in upcoming games.

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The Hawkeyes will have to regroup on the road against Minnesota next week in a game that may be even more important to the Gophers than Iowa.