EVANSTON, Ill. – The University of Iowa football team defeated Northwestern, 24-10, on Saturday night at Ryan Field.

The Hawkeyes totaled 296 yards of offense and 14 first downs while holding the Wildcats to 286 yards and 19 first downs. Iowa rushed for 170 yards, recorded six sacks and held Northwestern to 1-of-11 on third-down attempts.

Hank Brown completed 16-of-21 pass attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. Brown also rushed for 18 yards and had a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

L.J. Phillips Jr. led Iowa’s rushing attack with 128 yards on 21 carries.

Tony Diaz led the Hawkeye receiving corps with two receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. Reece Vander Zee added three catches for 36 yards, while DJ Vonnahme and Phillips each recorded two receptions.

Defensively, Cam Buffington led Iowa with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss. Jayden Montgomery added nine tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss, while Bryce Hawthorne, Drew Campbell, Luke Gaffney and Kenneth Merriweather each recorded a sack. Jacob Wallace added six tackles and a tackle for loss as the Hawkeyes finished with six sacks and eight tackles for loss.

Special teams played a key role as Braeden Jackson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and Caden Buhr connected on a 52-yard field goal.

QUOTING KIRK FERENTZ

HOW IT HAPPENED 

POSTGAME NOTES

• Iowa has won five straight in the series over Northwestern.
• The Hawkeyes handed the Wildcats their first loss in the new Ryan Field.
• Iowa has won 24 of its last 29 games in the month of November.
• Iowa improves to 3-1 on the road this season. It is the second straight year the team has won three road contests.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• QB Hank Brown completed 16-of-21 attempts for 126 yards and one touchdown – a 24-yarder to Tony Diaz in the second quarter.
  • Brown had a 21-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter – a career-long run. It was his second rushing TD this season and third of his career.
  • Brown went 5-for-5 for 45 yards on the opening TD drive and 11-of-13 for 102 yards and a TD in the first half.
• RB L.J. Phillips, Jr., recorded his first 100-yard game as a Hawkeye, finishing with 21 carries for 128 yards. It is Phillips’ 10th career 100-yard game.
  • He had a 45-yard run in the first quarter – a season-long.
  • Phillips is the fifth different Hawkeye running back (six 100-yard games) to rush for 100 yards this season. It is the first time in program history that the team has had five different 100-yard rushers.
• WR Tony Diaz had two receptions for 43 yards and one touchdown — a 24-yarder in the second quarter.
  • It was his second straight game with a TD reception and third overall TD catch this season.
• RB Braeden Jackson had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was his second KO return for a TD this season, becoming the fourth player in the nation with multiple kickoff return for TDs.
  • The 96-yarder is the 13th-longest in program history.
  • It is Iowa’s fourth kickoff return for a touchdown since 2024.
  • Jackson is the fifth player in program history with multiple kickoff return touchdowns joining Kaden Wetjen, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Kahlil Hill.
  • He is the second to have multiple kickoff returns in a single season (Smith-Marsette, 2019).
• LB Cam Buffington finished with a team-high 12 tackles with eight solo stops and one TFL. It is his fourth double-digit tackle game this season.
• OL Michael Myslinski made his first career start.
• K Caden Buhr connected on a 52-yard field goal in the third quarter. He has made his last three field goals from 50+ yards.
  • Buhr has made nine consecutive field goals dating back to Week 5 vs. Ohio State.
  • He is 14-of-16 on field goals this season, including 3-of-5 from 50+.

MISCELLANEOUS

• Iowa opened the game with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It was Iowa’s first opening TD drive against a Power Conference opponent in nine regular season games.
• The Hawkeyes have had a 97+ yard touchdown drive in three straight games – 98-yard TD drive at Minnesota, 98-yard TD drive vs. Wisconsin, 97-yard TD drive at Northwestern.
  • Iowa is the only FBS team since at least 2015 to have a 97+ yard TD drive in three straight games.
  • The Hawkeyes had three 97+ yard drives from 2016-25 and three in 2026.
• Iowa’s defense tied a season high, finishing with six sacks and eight total TFL. Six different Hawkeyes notched sacks.
• It is the first time since the 2024 season that Iowa had to alter its starting lineup on the offensive line. Center Cael Winter missed the game because of injury.
• Iowa is 22-3 since 2023 when reaching the 21-point mark first in the game.
• Northwestern won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Hawkeyes have played 350 games under head coach Kirk Ferentz. Iowa has opened the game on offense 259 times (168-91). The Hawkeyes have opened the game on defense 91 times (52-39).

UP NEXT

The Hawkeyes return to action Saturday, hosting Purdue at 6:30 p.m. (CT) inside Kinnick Stadium. The game will be broadcast on NBC.