Northwestern took the trip to Iowa City in hopes of righting the ship. Instead, the Wildcats sunk to a new low with a 33-13 loss.
Iowa dominated the line of scrimmage and the scoreboard to secure a win for their Homecoming. The Hawkeyes outgained Northwestern 393-177, outrushed them 173-18 and sacked quarterback Brendan Sullivan seven times.
This was one of the best remaining chances for Northwestern to avoid an odious 1-11 record on the season, their worst since going winless in 1989. But Iowa crushed those hopes early and often.
"We have to find a way to win a game," head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "Nobody likes the way this feels right now."
Here are our takeaways from the loss:
Fitz's press conference demeanor was different
For the first time this season, Fitzgerald's seemingly endless well of positivity and optimism ran dry. He was open and candid about the state of the roster and acknowledged that the team's composition and capability is different from his strongest seasons at Northwestern.
"I have got to continue to rebuild the roster a little bit," Fitzgerald said. "We had a heck of a run with some really good players, and those guys made a huge impact.
"We have got to keep developing our guys, keep adding depth, get the roster older. [We've] got a lot of young guys out there. They're going to get better, they're going to get a lot better, but that's what makes it not a lot of fun right now."
Northwestern's Class of 2023 is currently ranked 27th in the nation.
Fitz called on coaching staff, stars to improve performance
Another first, Fitz didn't fall back on platitudes and cliches about practice and execution. He didn't name names, but he pointedly called for better play and better coaching from his stars and his staff.
"I challenged [our best players] a couple weeks ago, this is Big Ten football and you're a starter, you're expected to perform and play well," Fitzgerald said. "And if you're not, you have no other thing to do but point the thumb [at yourself]."
Running back Evan Hull emphasized the difficulty and the responsibility that comes with being a captain on a team that is struggling to find wins.
"As a captain, as a leader on this team, I take responsibility for any result that happens on the field, especially the losses," Hull said. "That's something I've continued to look at for myself leadership wise and performance wise, what can I do better?"
Fitzgerald continued, saying he is holding his staff to the same level of accountability
"It's the same thing I've done with the staff," he said. "We're not playing well on your side, we're not playing well at your position, point the thumb and fix it."
This marked a significant departure from his talking points as recently as last Monday, when he said he thought this was the "strongest the program has been."
Switching to Sullivan was too little, too late to fix offense
The offense has looked better with Sullivan at quarterback than Ryan Hilinski, but the change has not been enough to create wins. Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian has been able to use a more varied and diverse playbook with the help of Sullivan's ability to run, but it is clear that this won't be a move that kicks Northwestern into high gear.
Sullivan led Northwestern to 24 points against Maryland, but this was the fourth time in five games that the Wildcats were only able to muster two or fewer touchdowns. Sullivan was 23-for-30 for 159 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on the day.
If Sullivan had started from Week 0 in Ireland, it's possible that his versatility would have swung the narrow losses to Southern Illinois and Miami (Ohio), but it is doubtful he could have changed the outcome of any Power Five matchups.
In an otherwise dismal day, Sullivan should be credited for his ball security against a very good Iowa defense. He only threw one interception, and it came on a heave on the last play of the first half.
He also led two scoring drives, one to open the second half and another to end the game, utilizing tempo -- though the second came in garbage time, with the contest already decided. The Ohio State game next week can be penciled in as a substantial loss, and Sullivan will be hard pressed in his third start to find positives.
Looking ahead at Minnesota or Purdue, keep an eye out for the Wildcats to try to push the pace with Sullivan at the helm to try to put more points on the board.
Iowa dominated the line of scrimmage
Iowa entered this game with a much-maligned offensive line, a major departure from what is usually the the foundation of their methodical offense, and left with a confidence boost. The Northwestern defense was crushed at the point of attack, allowing 173 rushing yards, 393 total yards and 33 points to one of the worst offenses in the NCAA.
Quarterback Spencer Petras went almost completely untouched. The Wildcats recorded just one sack and failed to force a turnover. One of the worst starting quarterbacks in college football was 21-for-30 passing for 220 yards and a touchdown, his best performance of the season, by far. For context, he now has three touchdowns and five interceptions on the season.
Northwestern's offensive line, the pride of this team early in the season, was dominated by Iowa's defensive front. Iowa's defense sacked Sullivan seven times, one short of matching the total that the Wildcats had allowed all season before this matchup.
The running game was completely stifled. Evan Hull had 11 carries for 32 yards, and it seemed like the Hawkeyes started with a player in the backfield on every snap.
No respite ahead in the 2022 schedule
Iowa was on a three-game losing streak and was supposed to be shelter from the storm, but after this loss nothing stands between Northwestern and next week's home game against No. 2 Ohio State.
After that, they will travel to Minnesota and Purdue, then host No. 17 Illinois in the last week of the season to play for the Land of Lincoln Trophy. This year's team was supposed to pick up early non-conference wins as a buffer, then try to pick up one of those last three to compete for a bowl berth.
Now, it is nearly impossible to see an opening for a second win. Ohio State is in the playoff hunt and will be able to name its final score. Illinois will be hungry for a West division title, and Minnesota and Purdue will be searching for a bowl berth.
All four teams will be motivated to make short work of the Wildcats, and charting a course that avoids an 11-game losing streak to end the 2022 season becomes harder and harder by the game.
