Nov. 5, 2005
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CHICAGO (AP) – Ross Lane caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Brett Basanez with 42 seconds remaining to give Northwestern another wild victory, a 28-27 comeback win over Iowa on Saturday.
After Tyrell Sutton scored on a 1-yard run to bring the Wildcats to within six with 2:10 remaining, Reggie McPherson recovered the onside kick at the Iowa 47.
On second-and-2 at the 24, Basanez ran for 6 and Iowa committed a personal foul, putting the ball on the 9. Basanez hit Lane on a slant in the end zone for the winning score, helping Northwestern overcome a 24-7 halftime deficit.
It’s the second time Northwestern has pulled out a game in the waning moments. Last month, the Wildcats beat Purdue with a touchdown in the final two minutes, a week after holding on to beat Wisconsin in a 51-48 shootout. They also lost to Penn State in September when the Nittany Lions scored with 51 seconds remaining.
With the win over Iowa, Northwestern (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) remained in contention for the conference title and became bowl-eligible. Iowa (5-4, 3-3) needs to beat Wisconsin or Minnesota to become eligible for the postseason.
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Iowa travels to Wisconsin next Saturday seeking bowl game eligibility. Kickoff is set for shortly after 2:30 p.m.
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Basanez was 31-of-51 for 338 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Sutton carried 17 times for 65 yards, and Mark Philmore had 123 yards receiving.
Tim McGarigle became Northwestern’s all-time leading tackler with 13 against Iowa, giving him 511 for his career to break Chuck Kern’s record of 503.
Iowa’s Albert Young rushed for a career-high 202 yards, and Drew Tate passed for 273.
Young had his fifth straight 100-yard game and became the 11th Iowa running back to gain 1,000 in a season, finishing the game with 1,070. The sophomore, whose previous high was 165 against Purdue on Oct. 8, had 105 yards at halftime.
Tate was 21-for-35 and ran for a touchdown. Herb Grigsby caught seven passes for 84 yards.
Iowa gained 492 yards against a defense that was allowing 494.8 on average and ranked 117th in the nation.
With a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Iowa defensive tackle Matt Kroul intercepted Basanez at the Northwestern 26. That led to a 32-yard field goal by Kyle Schlicher that made it 27-14 with 10:58 remaining.
But the Wildcats rallied for their final two scores to notch yet another improbable victory.
After winning three straight and earning its first Top 25 ranking in four years, Northwestern appeared on its way to its second straight loss. It fell 33-17 to Michigan a week earlier, and Saturday’s game was more of the same until the end.
Iowa did most of its damage in the first half.
Young carried eight times for 39 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown, on the game’s opening possession, and freshman Andy Brodell caught three passes for 39 on that drive. With regular starter Clinton Solomon missing practices to attend a funeral during the week, Brodell, who had two receptions before this game, started.
Northwestern went nowhere on its first possession, leading to a 19-yard punt by Slade Larscheid. Four plays later, Young cut back through a hole in the middle for a 21-yard run that made it 14-0.