By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – What happened on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium was supposed to be a stage setter as much as a football game.

It was supposed to be the appetizer before an incredible main course, but then Brigham Young University spoiled dinner plans for next Saturday night by upsetting sixth-ranked Wisconsin 24-21 on Saturday in Madison, Wis.

Northern Iowa also had a chance to pull off an upset, but Iowa withstood that attempt in impressive fashion by defeating the Panthers 38-14 before a sellout attendance of 69,250 at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa defeated the Panthers for the 17^th time in a row, but more importantly, the Hawkeyes finished the non-conference portion of their schedule 3-0, unlike Wisconsin, which will bring a surprising 2-1 record into next Saturday Big Ten opener at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa did its part to build the drama for next Saturday's game by starting 3-0 for the eighth time in 20 seasons under Kirk Ferentz.

There was concern that Northern Iowa was a trap game because it fell in between last Saturday's 13-3 victory overy Iowa State and the Wisconsin game..

The Panthers also had put up strong fight in the previous three games against Iowa, especially in 2009 when Iowa had to block two field goals in the final seconds to escape with a 17-16 victory at Kinnick Stadium.

But it didn’t take long to realize that Saturday’s game would not be a repeat of the 2009 nail-biter as Iowa scored touchdowns on its second, third and fourth possessions in the first half and then cruised to Kirk Ferentz’s 146^th career victory as the Iowa head coach.

"I never use that word," Ferentz said in reference trap game. "I have used it in the past, but not today. We have always had great respect for UNI and their program and what their whole program's done."

Junior tight end Noah Fant struggled in the first two games by his incredibly high standards, but his struggle ended on Saturday in a big way as the Omaha native caught five passes for 99 yards and one touchdown in the first quarter alone.

Fant said he wasn't worried about starting slow because he trusts his coaches and they kept encouraging him to stay the course.

"We just listen to our coaches," Fant said. "They were just telling us the whole time to just keep grinding and things will come. It ended up breaking open a little bit tonight, and hopefully, we can get a little more open than that. It's definitely progress, but we also want to get better."

Senior receiver Nick Easley also broke out of a mini slump that saw him catch just one pass in the first two games. The Newton native had 10 catches for 103 yards and one touchdown in Saturday's game.

"Certainly, it's good any time we go out there and execute like that," Easley said. "I am just proud of the way we came out with energy as a team right from the get go. There are definitely things we need to clean up, but we did some really good things tonight."

Junior-college transfer Mekhi Sargent continued to impress as both a runner and receiver, while his backfield partner, Toren Young, had his moments, too, thanks partly to the blocking up front.

Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley also overcome two early sacks by former Iowa City Regina star Jared Brinkman to throw for over 300 yards for the first time this season and for the second time as a Hawkeye.

Iowa finished with 545 yards, including 207 yards on the ground, while Northern Iowa was held to just six rushing yards on 21 carries.

Iowa entered Saturday’s game as a 19-point favorite and it probably would’ve been hard to find a Hawkeye fan or member of the media that thought an upset would happen.

And for good reason because Northern Iowa was no match for this Iowa team, especially at the line of scrimmage. The game basically turned into a situation in which a potential Big Ten contender had its way against a physically overmatched FCS opponent.

Iowa had 316 yards in the first half, including 215 passing yards, while Northern Iowa was held to just 20 yards on 20 plays in the first half.

As for next Saturday's game, which will include the latest start ever for a game at Kinnick Stadium at 7:35 p.m., the most-anticipated matchup will pit Iowa’s defensive line against Wisconsin’s offensive line in a Who’s Who of future NFL players.

The winner of that matchup could go a long way in determining the game's outcome.

Wisconsin has won five of the last six games in the series. including the last four games at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa hasn't defeated the Badgers at Kinnick Stadium since a 38-16 victory in 2008.

The Iowa offense also has combined to score just 15 points in the last three games against the Badgers. The offense was shutout during last season's 38-14 loss at Camp Randall Stadium.

Both of Iowa's touchdowns were scored on pick sixes by former All-America cornerback Josh Jackson.

So there still will be a lot at stake next Saturday even with the Badgers saddled with an unexpected loss.

And don't let the loss lull you into thinking that Wisconsin is more vulnerable than usual. It could serve as a wakeup call because the mark of a good team is the ability to bounce back from adversity. 

Iowa has taken care of business so far this season and now is in positioin to do something special.

The players and coaches always stress the importance of taking it one game at a time, and that should be easy with the Badgers coming to town regardless of their record.