The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

By the numbers: Northwestern

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Northwestern running back Justin Jackson spins away from and Iowa defensive player during the Iowa v. Northwestern game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. The Hawkeyes fell to the Wildcats 38-31. (The Daily Iowan/File photo)

Iowa and Northwestern have had a fun history over the past decade or so. Since 2006, the Hawkeyes have gone 5-6 against the Wildcats.

In the most recent matchup, Northwestern edged Iowa at the Hawkeyes’ Homecoming last season, putting up 38 points on 362 yards.

However, the last time Iowa traveled to Ryan Field, 2015, the Hawkeyes put a 40-10 beatdown on then-No. 20 Northwestern.

While Iowa’s lineup has changed pretty drastically on both offense and defense, Northwestern is more or less the same — 16 of 22 starters on both sides of the ball are upperclassmen.

That being said, the Hawkeyes should have a good idea of what is coming for them when they head to Evanston. Here’s a look at Northwestern, by the numbers.

 

Offense per game: 402.8

With the Wildcats putting up large numbers on offense, and the Hawkeyes allowing large numbers on defense, that could be a recipe for disaster for Iowa.

While Northwestern is averaging 135.2 yards on the ground and 267.6 on the air, Iowa is edging in on giving up almost 400 yards per game.

Running back Justin Jackson has more than half of the Wildcats’ rushing yards, putting together 510 so far this season and averaging 4.7 yards a carry. This is pretty much on par with the Hawkeyes, which are allowing 4.5 yards per carry through their first six games.

Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson has shown what he can do as well, racking up 1,496 yards on 137 completions. The junior has completed 60.35 percent of his passes while throwing 8 touchdowns.

 

Turnovers: 14

Though Northwestern has moved the ball efficiently, the team has also had some trouble holding on to the ball.

The Wildcats are averaging more than 2 turnovers a game, most of which have come at the hands of Thorson, who has thrown 9 interceptions. This puts him near the top of the Big Ten for most picks thrown — only Nebraska’s Tanner Lee has thrown more, with 10.

The Wildcats have also had trouble when it comes to recovering the ball — Northwestern has lost the ball all five times that it has fumbled, and it hasn’t had much luck recovering opposing team’s fumbles, either. Though the team has forced 10, a Northwestern player has only picked up the ball four times.

 

Red zone touchdowns: 18-24

While the Wildcats are making it into the red zone four times a game, they are only converting that proximity into touchdowns 75 percent of the time.

This is something Iowa can use — the Hawkeyes “bend, don’t break” defense has had success many times this season when opposing teams make it within 20 yards of the end zone.

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