The Iowa football team is finding its rhythm now.
The Hawkeyes rode a strong running game and elite defense to a 24-10 road victory over Northwestern. The offense was rolling in the first half, led by a strong start from quarterback Hank Brown. When things got chippy in the second half, the run game and offensive line took over. Iowa
finished with 170 rushing yards, averaging over five yards per carry.Defensively, the Hawkeyes held Northwestern to ten points and 286 yards of total offense. The Wildcats were just 1-for-11 on third down and 1-for-4 on fourth down. Iowa got home for six sacks and eight tackles for loss as they completely stifled an underrated Wildcat offense. Phil Parker's unit was elite once again.
Here are the biggest takeaways
from Iowa's 24-10 win over Northwestern.
Iowa has the best linebacker duo in the Big Ten
Iowa has had its fair share of elite linebackers in recent years. This season, the Hawkeyes have two of them. Cam Buffington and Jayden Montgomery have been outstanding this year. And they both stepped up in a big way against the Wildcats. Buffington finished with a game-high 12 total tackles and a tackle for loss. Montgomery had nine total tackles, a sack, and a tackle for loss.
Phil Parker's defense has seen a lot of improvement throughout the year. But the one constant has been the play of Buffington and Montgomery. They deserve a ton of praise for how well they've played in 2026. Iowa is going to lean on its elite linebacker pairing to lead the defense through the last few games of the regular season.
L.J. Phillips Jr. has arrived
Iowa fans have been waiting for the South Dakota transfer to have a huge game in the black and gold. After dealing with a litany of injuries in the first half of the season, Phillips looked healthy in this game. And he delivered a strong performance. Phillips ended the night with 21 carries for 128 yards. He had 34 carries for 115 yards on the season entering this game.
With Kamari Moulton sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Hawkeyes have been waiting for a running back to separate himself from the pack and take the starting job. Philips appears to have done just that on Saturday. What a game for the fourth-year back.
Braeden Jackson is a game changer
For the second time this season, Jackson housed a kickoff to silence an opposing crowd. Against Michigan, it was a 99-yard touchdown return. On Saturday, he scored from 96 yards out to extend the lead against Northwestern. The blocking was perfect, and Jackson raced untouched for another special teams splash play. He's making up for the loss of Kaden Wetjen in the return game.
The second-year running back from Ankeny, Iowa, entered the season buried on the depth chart. But he's quickly turned into a trusted option for Kirk Ferentz. He has game-breaking speed and excellent vision. He's going to be a dude for years to come in Iowa City.
Hank Brown did his job
The final stat line doesn't leap off the page for Brown, but he played winning football against Northwestern. He went 16-for-21 for 126 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Brown started fast, dicing up the Wildcat defense in the first half. That included a beautiful touchdown pass to Tony Diaz. Brown only threw the ball eight times in the second half as Iowa leaned on the ground game.
One of those second-half pass attempts did end in an interception after he underthrew DJ Vonnahme. Outside of that, Brown was smart with the football and made the right reads. The offense has looked fluid with him leading the way. The fourth-year is growing more confident with every start.
There are still things to clean up
Iowa won this game, but that doesn't mean it was a perfect performance. The offense wasn't on the field much in the second half, but they only mustered three points. There were two turnovers, including a fumble by Diaz. Phillips put the ball on the ground as well, but was able to recover it. The fumbling issues have plagued Iowa in recent weeks. It needs to be cleaned up.
The Hawkeyes were also flagged five times for 45 yards. That's not a bad number by any means, but there were a few penalties that will make a coaching staff lose their minds. Iowa has played some great football the last two weeks. But they're capable of playing even better if some of the mistakes get fixed.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways as Iowa football handles business against Northwestern
