Alex Padilla, Southern Methodist Football News: Draft Scout Player News

11/07/21 - QB Alex Padilla, rSr/2024, Southern Methodist

Alex Padilla could feel the jitters when he got the call to go into the game. Once he stepped on the field, he sure looked comfortable, though. Padilla took over for the banged-up Spencer Petras and led three scoring drives, Tyler Goodson ran for 141 yards and a touchdown and No. 19 Iowa beat Northwestern 17-12 on Saturday night to stop a two-game losing streak. "Definitely some nerves," Padilla said. "There were definitely some of those. Just excited. I have a great group of guys around me. They make my job easy. Just excited to get in there and play some." The Hawkeyes (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) got the bounce-back win they were seeking coming off lopsided losses to Purdue and Wisconsin that sent them tumbling 17 spots in the AP poll, though it wasn't exactly a breeze. Northwestern (3-6, 1-5) pulled to 17-12 with 2:21 remaining on Andrew Marty's 31-yard touchdown pass to Evan Hull and quickly got the ball back after Iowa went three and out. But Dane Belton immediately sealed it with his second interception, sending the Wildcats to their third straight loss.

Padilla, a sophomore, led two touchdown drives in the first half in his first extensive look after Iowa went nowhere on its first three possessions. And the Hawkeyes won for the first time since beating Penn State on Oct. 9, after getting outscored 51-14 over the previous two games. "It felt great," Belton said. "That's what you play for. You love the game and you love to celebrate victories. ... That's football. That's college football. And for us to be able to do that as a team is the biggest thing overall." Padilla came in late in the first quarter and completed 18 of 28 passes for 172 yards. The sophomore helped get the offense going after Petras, limited by a shoulder injury he suffered at the end of last week's game, went 2 of 4 for 4 yards. - Iowa/AP College Football

rSr/2024