SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 10, 2011

Iowa exorcised some recent demons as the Hawkeyes scored 24 points in the fourth quarter after blowing a 17-point first half lead en route to a 41-31 victory over visiting Northwestern on Saturday.

Running back Marcus Coker rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns as Iowa (4-2, 1-1 Big Ten) ended a three-game losing streak to their recent league nemesis.

Northwestern (2-4, 0-3), which has lost four straight, had won five of the previous six meetings against the Hawkeyes, including three straight in Iowa City.

Despite being outgained and having the ball for only nine minutes in the first half, Iowa raced to a 17-0 lead on big plays.

Leading 3-0 in the first quarter, Tanner Miller returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to make it 10-0. James Vandenberg, who passed for 224 yards and a pair of scores, hit Keenan Davis on a 47-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter for a 17-0 lead.

Northwestern scored late in the second quarter on a touchdown pass from Dan Persa to Jeremy Ebert, who finished with a career-best 13 receptions for 107 yards, to trail 17-7 at halftime.

The Wildcats scored 10 points in the third quarter to tie the game at 17-17 before Coker broke the tie with a 1-yard touchdown run with 13:55 left for a 24-17 Iowa lead, one it would not relinquish.

Iowa put the game away on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Vandenberg to Marvin McNutt, who tied a school record with his 21st career TD catch.

Northwestern totaled 495 yards of offense and had three quarterbacks throw a touchdown pass.