The 19th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will travel to Ryan Field on Saturday evening to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a Big Ten West divisional matchup. The Hawkeyes are 6-2 (3-2) this season and are coming off a 27-7 road loss against the Wisconsin Badgers. Junior quarterback Spencer Petras went 9-of-19 for 93 yards. The Wildcats are 3-5 (1-4) so far and are coming off a 41-14 home loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Senior quarterback Andrew Marty finished 10-of-16 for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
Iowa at Northwestern Betting Analysis
On the Iowa Hawkeyes side
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been running the ball effectively behind junior running back Tyler Goodson. So far this season, he has 149 rushes for 613 yards (4.1 yards per attempt) with five touchdowns on the ground while also having 19 receptions for 182 yards (9.6 yards per catch) with a touchdown through the air. In his last game against the Wisconsin Badgers, he had 13 rushes for 27 yards (2.1 yards per attempt) and a four-yard reception. If he can be more involved in this game, it will be a great sign.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been doing well defensively this season as they are allowing 16.1 points per game. In their previous game against the Wisconsin Badgers, they gave up 27 points on 270 total yards of offense (104 passing, 166 rushing). They need to defend the run better as they gave up 3.5 rushing yards per attempt. The Badgers also went 6-of-16 on third down attempts and failed to convert their fourth-down attempt. If they can improve on this side of the ball, it will be a good chance to win here.
On the Northwestern Wildcats side
Sophomore running back Evan Hull has been running the football well this season as he has 116 runs for 750 yards (6.5 yards per carry) with five touchdowns on the ground and 16 receptions for 116 yards (7.3 yards per catch) with a touchdown. In his last game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, he had 15 rushes for 107 yards (7.1 yards per run) and three catches for 15 yards (5.0 yards per reception) with a touchdown. If he can figure out how to dominate in this game, it will do wonders for the Wildcats.
The Northwestern Wildcats have been struggling defensively this season as they are giving up 27.1 points per game. In their previous game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, they are allowing 41 points on 442 total yards of offense (134 passing, 308 rushing). The Golden Gophers went 10-of-14 on third down attempts so they need to improve there. Minnesota passes the ball well as they averaged 7.9 yards per passing attempt. If they can figure out how to get stops, the Wildcats can pull off the upset.
Hawkeyes at Wildcats Prediction
The Hawkeyes are double-digit favorites on the road here and for good reason. The quarterback situation is trying to get figured out in the Northwestern program as Hilinski did not do well in his brief appearance while Spencer Petras has played well this season outside of a single game. The Wildcats defense has been brutal as they are giving up 34.3 points in their last four games while the Hawkeyes have allowed 19.8 points in their last five games. All in all, go with the Iowa Hawkeyes to cover the spread away from home.