Padilla, Goodson Lead Iowa To Road Win

EVANSTON, Ill. – Second-string quarterback Alex Padilla threw for 172 yards and junior Tyler Goodson notched his second 100-yard rushing game of the season to lead the 22nd-ranked University of Iowa football team to a 17-12 road victory at Northwestern on Saturday night at Ryan Field.

The win moves the Hawkeyes to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten.

Padilla entered the game late in the first quarter and led the Hawkeyes on touchdown drives on his first two possessions. He finished the game 18-of-28 for 172 yards, completing passes to eight different receivers. Freshman Keagan Johnson had a team-high five receptions for 68 yards.

Goodson ran for 100 yards on 13 carries in the first half and finished with 141 yards on 21 attempts with one touchdown. Redshirt freshman Gavin Williams also had 41 yards on 10 carries.

Iowa finished with 361 yards of total offense, but just 102 came in the second half. The Hawkeyes had a balanced attack with 176 on the ground and 185 through the air.

Iowa’s defense forced three turnovers – interceptions from Dane Belton (2) and Jermari Harris – and the team held the Wildcats to 93 yards on the ground. Northwestern finished with 363 yards of total offense after gaining 102 in the first half.

Senior Jack Koerner and junior Seth Benson paced the team with eight tackles each. Koerner had eight solo stops, while Benson had five solo and one tackle for loss. Iowa finished with three sacks (from Joe Evans, Noah Shannon and Lukas Van Ness) and had six tackles for loss.

Iowa made a quarterback change, inserting Padilla on its fourth possession and it provided a spark as the Hawkeyes drove 58 yards over six plays to take a 7-0 lead. Padilla connected with Johnson for two big plays on the drive – a 17-yard completion to the 39 and a 26-yarder on a back shoulder throw to the 13. Two plays later, Goodson followed center Tyler Linderbaum for a 13-yard touchdown run up the middle.

The Hawkeyes forced the game’s first turnover on the next possession when Andrew Marty when for a home run ball and Belton picked him off at the Iowa 17. Iowa went 83 yards over nine plays to push its lead to 14-0. Padilla completed a 19-yard bullet to Goodson on third-and-7 and Goodson broke free to the outside for 41 yards to the 20. Freshman Arland Bruce IV scored four plays later on a jet sweep from 10-yards out with 10:41 left in the first half.

Northwestern’s special team unit gave it a spark when Raymond Niro III blocked and recovered a Tory Taylor punt and returned it 10 yards to the 9. Iowa’s defense held, allowing one yard (and five more on an offsides), and it held the Wildcats to a 22-yard Charlie Kuhbander field goal with 2:11 remaining.

Iowa added to its lead with a nine-play, 48-yard scoring drive on its opening possession of the second half. Padilla had two completions – for 11 and 16 yards – to Bruce VI, moving the Hawkeyes to the Northwestern 24. Iowa had a first-and-10 at the 11 and moved to the 7 before settling on Caleb Shudak’s 25-yard field goal that pushed the lead to 17-3.

The Wildcats got the three points back with a 12-play, 85-yard scoring drive. Northwestern started the series with a 38-yard pass to Stephon Robinson, Jr., to the NU 41 and the Wildcats converted a fourth-and-6 with a 21-yard yard completion to Malik Washington to the 6. On the first-and-goal, Marty targeted Robinson, Jr., in the back of the end zone, but he and Jermari Harris got their feet tangled. Northwestern’s bench was flagged for a unsportsmanlike personal foul and it cost the Wildcats as they had to settle for three via a Kuhbander 30-yard field goal, making the score 17-6 with 1:58 left in the third quarter.

Northwestern found the end zone with an eight play, 85-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter. Evan Hull had two big receptions on the drive, a 31-yarder to the Iowa 37 and a 31-yard touchdown that made the score 17-12. The Wildcats missed the two-point conversion.

After a failed onside kick, Northwestern forced a three-and-out, taking over at its own 24 with 1:51 to play. On the first play of the drive, Belton intercepted Marty to clinch the Hawkeye victory.

The Hawkeyes return to action hosting Minnesota on Nov. 13 at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff for that game has not been announced.

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