Whether in Iowa City or Evanston — it doesn’t matter. There’s a reason Northwestern fans make the following joke: Iowa is never Iowa in written conversation, but “Io–a.” You see, there’s no W in Iowa, at least for Northwestern. The Wildcats have now won five of six over the Hawkeyes, three straight, in fact, with today’s victory perhaps the best of the bunch: there were no Iowa injuries, such as was the case with Ricky Stanzi last fall, merely an impressive team win piloted by Dan Persa, the first-year starting quarterback who ended this game right at the top of the heap in the conference player of the year conversation.

Northwestern’s lone worry revolves around Persa’s health. He suffered a strange lower leg injury when throwing the game-winning touchdown pass to Demetrius Fields, going down to the turf after the play’s conclusion despite not being touched on the play; if it was Persa’s ankle, he might have twisted the joint delivering the pass.

Later, after the game, the devastating news broke: Persa suffered a ruptured Achilles, sending him to surgery and ending his season. It also places his 2011 season in doubt, at least in the early going. Devastating, to say the least. In hindsight, the injury makes sense. Persa wasn’t touched on the play; we should have suspected an Achilles injury from the start.

Northwestern needs Persa, obviously. It needed Persa in the fourth quarter, after Iowa’s 17-point run gave the Hawkeyes a significant 17-7 lead well into the final 15 minutes. It would have been easy to count the Wildcats out at this point, with momentum fully in Iowa’s corner and the offense struggling to move the football.

Then Persa regained his rhythm: he hit on all seven of his attempts on Northwestern’s first scoring drive of the fourth quarter, a drive that culminated in a six-year scoring pass to Jeremy Ebert — Iowa 17, Northwestern 14. After the Northwestern defense forced Iowa into a punt, Persa did it again: 5-7 for 85 yards and the winner, that toss to Fields.

The immediate results were terrific, though the lasting ramifications of this game will echo throughout the rest of Northwestern’s season and into the spring. The offense enters a dangerous area without Persa; the job falls to redshirt freshman Evan Watkins, whose physical skills are without question — it’s the mental side of the game, Persa’s strength, that could give Watkins trouble.

Persa’s season is over, but he went out on top. Throwing a touchdown pass, for starters, but also beating Iowa — if that’s the last memory he leaves for Northwestern in 2010, it’s nice way to go out. Somewhat lost in the shuffle is yet another win over those Hawkeyes. It might be official: Northwestern owns Iowa.

For the Wildcats, the next step is regrouping without its unquestioned leader. Can Watkins pick up the slack? Next Saturday finds Northwestern facing Illinois — a team with significant defensive questions to address — in Chicago’s Wrigley Field, a homecoming of sorts for the young quarterback. Illinois has taken a step back on the defensive side of the ball over the last two weeks; the Illini gave up 38 points in a disappointing loss to Minnesota earlier this afternoon.

Nevertheless, it’s a defense that has given quarterbacks trouble in the past: it gave rookie starters from Penn State and Purdue fits, for example, though that was earlier in Big Ten play. The onus falls not just on Watkins but on Pat Fitzgerald, who must maintain an even keel while preparing his team for play without Persa.

Despite the injury, Persa deserves all-conference recognition, if not votes for the conference player of the year. He beat Iowa single-handedly, accounting for 361 of Northwestern’s 412 yards of total offense. In the big picture, Persa’s had a banner season — even with missing Northwestern’s final three games. In the day-to-day look, sadly, Northwestern’s season — the quest for another eight-win finish — hangs firmly in the balance; games against Illinois and Wisconsin hinge on how quickly Watkins can acclimate himself to the starting job.

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