It's Been a Long Time

Hit the music...

Thanks, Southside Johnny. That makes me feel a little bit better, but not much. You see, my friends, it has been a long, long time. On Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes will have the Northwestern Wildcats over to Kinnick Stadium. By my math, Northwestern made 22 trips to Kinnick through 2002. Iowa went 18-4 in those games. Most of them weren't close. 

However, 2002 was the last time that Iowa beat Northwestern upon God's field in Iowa City. Nine years is far FAR too long. How long has it been? Let's open up the November 9, 2002 time capsule and see just how long it's been. 

Cut the music...

It's been SO long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick...

• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that five days before the last Iowa win, Northwestern elected Rod Blagojevich to serve as Governor of Illinois (the rest of the state is getting a pass here. We're blaming Blago entirely on you, Northwestern).
• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that the reigning box office champ at the time of the game was The Santa Clause 2. I hold Northwestern responsible for that, too.
• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that Eminem's "Lose Yourself" was the Number One song on the billboard charts. And the idea of the song being used to peddle cars was just silly.

• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that the day before that game, the United Nations unanimously passed Resolution 1441, requiring Iraq to fully comply with weapons inspectors to ensure that the country was obeying the orders from the end of the previous decade's Gulf War. In other words, this has lasted longer than the War in Iraq.
• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that Northwestern has played in, and thus lost, five bowls since that game. The Wildcats have been allowed to travel to Detroit (where they lost to Bowling Green), El Paso (where they lost to UCLA), San Antonio (where they lost to Missouri), Tampa (where they lost to Auburn), and Dallas (where they lost to Texas Tech).
• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that Iowa has beaten EVERY OTHER BIG TEN TEAM* IN KINNICK STADIUM AT LEAST ONCE SINCE THAT GAME. That's right, currently Northwestern has gone the longest without losing in Kinnick.  
• How long has it been? It's been so long since Iowa beat Northwestern at Kinnick, that this shit has gotten old. It ends this Saturday. Hawks 27 Cats 21. If this is the year that Penn State slays their pest, we get to do it, too.