Nobody said it had to be pretty.
In typical Iowa fashion, the Hawkeyes used defense and special teams to overcome another feeble offensive showing en route to a 10-7 win over Northwestern.
Iowa tallied just 169 yards of total offense, but the Hawkeyes came up with a big 23-yard throw and catch from sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill to Kaleb Brown to set up sophomore Drew Stevens’ game-winning 52-yard field goal.
Meanwhile, defensively, Iowa was mostly lights out. Save for a Northwestern drive that began at the Hawkeyes’ 22-yard line, Iowa kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard all day. Iowa’s defensive performance included a goal-line stand that quite literally resulted in the Wrigley Field playing surface coming apart. In all, Iowa surrendered 170 yards of total offense to Northwestern.
A blocked punt from sophomore defensive lineman Anterio Thompson set up Hill’s 2-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Addison Ostrenga that capped a seven-play, 25-yard scoring drive.
As the Hawkeyes were grinding their way to another tailor-made Iowa win, the rest of the Big Ten West was operating in reverse. Iowa entered the day tied atop the West with Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin. All three lost to Michigan State, Illinois and Indiana, respectively.
Like a week ago, Iowa finds itself just outside the national rankings. In the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, the Hawkeyes are receiving the second-most votes for those among the receiving votes category, checking in with 57 points.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys were the biggest riser this week, jumping from unranked to No. 17 after upsetting the Oklahoma Sooners, 27-24, in what will be the final Bedlam for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Notre Dame suffered the largest drop, plummeting 10 slots to No. 22 after losing to Clemson, 31-23.
Here’s a look at the full US LBM Coaches Poll entering Week 11 of the college football season.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Georgia | 9-0 | 1,587 (55) | – |
| 2 | Michigan | 9-0 | 1,479 (4) | – |
| 3 | Ohio State | 9-0 | 1,468 (5) | – |
| 4 | Florida State | 9-0 | 1,433 | – |
| 5 | Washington | 9-0 | 1,357 | – |
| 6 | Oregon | 8-1 | 1,235 | +1 |
| 7 | Texas | 8-1 | 1,209 | -1 |
| 8 | Alabama | 8-1 | 1,187 | – |
| 9 | Penn State | 8-1 | 1,093 | – |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 8-1 | 1,052 | – |
| 11 | Louisville | 8-1 | 938 | +4 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 7-2 | 785 | +4 |
| 13 | Oregon State | 7-2 | 756 | +6 |
| 14 | Utah | 7-2 | 747 | +4 |
| 15 | Missouri | 7-2 | 658 | -1 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 7-2 | 552 | -5 |
| 17 | Oklahoma State | 7-2 | 543 | +10 |
| 18 | Kansas | 7-2 | 481 | +5 |
| 19 | LSU | 6-3 | 468 | -6 |
| 20 | Tulane | 8-1 | 377 | +1 |
| 21 | James Madison | 9-0 | 279 | +3 |
| 22 | Notre Dame | 7-3 | 264 | -10 |
| 23 | UNC | 7-2 | 233 | +2 |
| 24 | Arizona | 6-3 | 118 | +8 |
| 25 | Fresno State | 8-1 | 113 | +3 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 17 Air Force; No. 20 UCLA; No. 22 USC.
Others Receiving Votes
Air Force 78; Iowa 57; USC 56; Kansas State 52; Liberty 50; Duke 24; UCLA 22; SMU 20; UNLV 10; Toledo 8; North Carolina State 4; Kentucky 4; Troy 2; West Virginia 1.
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