We Speak College Football

A 96 Yard Kickoff Return Breaks It Open as Iowa Beats Northwestern 24-10

Published

1 hour ago

November 8, 2026

Iowa players celebrate the win over Northwestern in the locker room

Iowa celebrates in the locker room after beating Northwestern. Photo via Iowa Football.

Northwestern kicked a field goal in the third quarter to pull within striking distance of No. 19 Iowa, and the Wildcats never got to enjoy it. Braeden Jackson took the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, and the Hawkeyes rode their defense and special teams the rest of the way to a 24-10 win at Ryan Field in Evanston.

Hank Brown did a little of everything for Iowa. He opened the scoring with a 21 yard touchdown run on the opening drive, then threw a 24 yard touchdown pass to Tony Diaz, who finished with two catches for 43 yards. Brown completed 16 of 21 passes for 126 yards with one touchdown and one interception. L.J. Phillips Jr. carried 21 times for 128 rushing yards, and Caden Buhr added a 52 yard field goal.

Iowa’s defense made the lead stand up. The Hawkeyes recorded six sacks, held Northwestern to 1 of 11 on third down, and still won despite being outgained 296 to 286. That is the Iowa formula at its purest: field position, special teams and a defense that refuses to break.

Northwestern played without starting quarterback Aidan Chiles, who was out with an upper body injury. Nicco Marchiol completed 24 of 32 passes for 181 yards and ran for 52 more, and his only touchdown pass, a 2 yarder to Joseph Himon II with 1:51 left, came far too late to change the outcome.

Iowa improves to 7-2 and 4-2 in the Big Ten with its fifth straight win over Northwestern. The Wildcats fall to 6-3 and 3-3 in the conference.

Statement In Beaumont: No. 12 Lamar Knocks Off No. 2 Stephen F. Austin 45-28 In The FCS Game Of The Week

Published

18 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

Julie Isbell

Lamar quarterback Aiden McCown hands the ball off to running back Parker Jenkins against Stephen F. Austin at Provost Umphrey Stadium

Lamar quarterback Aiden McCown hands off to Parker Jenkins against Stephen F. Austin at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont. Photo by Julie Isbell.

This was the biggest game in the FCS this weekend, and it played like it. On Saturday at Provost Umphrey Stadium in Beaumont, No. 12 Lamar beat No. 2 Stephen F. Austin 45-28 in the STATS Perform FCS Game of the Week, a showdown between the top two teams in the Southland Conference. The Cardinals never trailed, answered every Lumberjacks comeback, and pulled into a tie for first place in the Southland with two weeks left in the regular season. Photographer Julie Isbell was on the sideline for We Speak Media.

The Fast Start

Lamar opened the game like a team that had been waiting for it. Andres Sandoval kicked a 27 yard field goal, Aiden McCown found Davin Driskell for a 7 yard touchdown late in the first quarter, and Parker Jenkins added a 3 yard touchdown run in the second quarter to build a 17-0 lead. Stephen F. Austin finally answered just before halftime, when Gavin Rutherford hit Clayton Wayland for a 22 yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the half.

Every Answer

*Stephen F. Austin quarterback Gavin Rutherford throws against Lamar. Photo by Julie Isbell.*

The second half turned into a heavyweight exchange. Stephen F. Austin cut the Lamar lead to three points three separate times, and every time the Cardinals answered with a touchdown of their own. Jenkins capped an eight play, 75 yard drive with a 13 yard touchdown run, and McCown connected with Driskell again to push the lead back to ten. The loudest moment came late: JT Kitna found Bugs Mortimer for a 71 yard touchdown that pulled the Lumberjacks within 31-28. On the next Lamar possession, McCown hit Blake Thomas for a 62 yard touchdown strike with 4:45 remaining to make it 38-28.

The Close

The defense finished it. Alexandre Dedieu strip sacked the quarterback on Stephen F. Austin’s next play and Lamar recovered, setting up Jenkins’ third rushing touchdown of the night, a 4 yard run that sealed the 45-28 final.

By The Numbers

*The Stephen F. Austin offense huddles its ground game against Lamar. Photo by Julie Isbell.*

McCown completed 17 of 29 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns. Jenkins carried 30 times for 138 yards and three touchdowns in a career night. Lamar rolled up 488 total yards, including 181 on the ground, scored on all five of its red zone trips, and held the ball for 12 minutes longer than the Lumberjacks. Stephen F. Austin turned the ball over four times, two fumbles and two interceptions, including picks by Bryce McDonald and Mar Mar Evans, and Lamar turned those mistakes into 17 points. For the Lumberjacks, Wayland caught nine passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Quarter by quarter: Lamar led 10-0 after the first, 17-7 at the half, and the teams traded 14 points each in the third before Lamar closed the fourth quarter 14-7.

What It Means

The loss is Stephen F. Austin’s first of the season, ending a 19 game regular season winning streak that was the longest active run across the FBS and FCS. The Lumberjacks fall to 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the Southland. Lamar improves to 8-2 and 6-1, and now owns the head to head tiebreaker in the race for the Southland’s automatic playoff bid. The Cardinals are home again on Saturday, November 14, hosting East Texas A&M, while Stephen F. Austin travels to UT Rio Grande Valley.