The Iowa Hawkeyes can lock up a trip to the Rose Bowl this weekend but to do so will need to win at Ohio State most likely without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
Stanzi, a junior suffered a severe ankle sprain early in the second quarter on a play that resulted in Northwestern’s first touchdown and the Wildcats took advantage of his absence to post a 17-10 victory, the Hawks first loss of the season.
Redshirt freshman James Vandenburg came on in relief and finished nine of 27 for 82 yards. Vandenburg had thrown only three passes in a game prior to being called in on Saturday.
The Hawks are now 9-1 and fell from fourth to 10th in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings.