IOWA CITY, IOWA — Northwestern has won the Big Ten West.
On a day where both Purdue and Wisconsin — the two teams closest to the Wildcats in the standings — both lost, Northwestern beat Iowa 14-10, out-slugging the Hawkeyes in a low-scoring, physical affair on a below-freezing afternoon at Kinnick Stadium.
Despite a mostly poor afternoon from quarterback Clayton Thorson, Isaiah Bowser carried the load and then some, posting the best game of his young career on the day Northwestern clinched the West. Bowser rushed for 31 yards on 165 carries, including a key 34-yard touchdown in the third quarter.