Saturday, September 15, 2018

Game Day Saturday Week 3: #24 Iowa Hawkeyes host the UNI Panthers at Kinnick Stadium

Iowa City, IA --- The Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) unveiled the 'Iowa Wave' as College Football's newest tradition last year, in the season opening win over Wyoming. Tonight, it will be celebrated, as the University of Northern Iowa Panthers (0-1) arrive down I-380 from Cedar Falls to be a part of the college football celebration, with the 6:30 pm kickoff on the Big Ten Network.

The Hawkeyes opened the 2018 season, with a 33-7 win over the Northern Illinois Huskies in Week 1. The Hawks followed it up last Saturday, with a 13-3 win over Iowa State to claim the Cy-Hawk Trophy for the fourth consecutive season, the first under Kirk Ferentz, who is in his 20th season at the helm as head coach and who passed Hayden Fry in career wins in the season opener.

The Panthers lost the season opener in Week 1 at Montana 26-23, as they got in a deep hole and ran out of time, in their effort to comeback, under their second team quarterback. The question heading into the Iowa game is who will be under center for Mark Farley's team?

Iowa Kirk Ferentz and UNI Mark Farley will watch their teams head into Kinnick
Stadium for the 18th meeting, since the 1898 debut, between the Hawkeyes-Panthers.
The Hawkeyes have won 16 straight over the Panthers, though the 2009 game, came down to the wire, in a 17-16 win, that ended on back to back blocked field goals by Iowa to preserve the win, as time expired. The Panthers finished 2017, with an 8-5 record and another birth in the FCS playoffs.

The Hawkeyes are 2-0 heading into the Week 3 game against Northern Iowa.
It is the first FCS opponent heading into Kinnick Stadium, since the Week 3
loss 23-21 in 2016 to North Dakota State. Will the Panthers step up tonight?
The Iowa Hawkeyes defense is off to an outstanding start in back to back games, only allowing a total of 10 points all season. The strength of the Iowa defense is the defensive line, which can go 8-9 deep across the line. They have 9 sacks, including two forced fumble recoveries, in the first two games.

The Iowa Defense has been "dominant" in back to back weeks at Kinnick Stadium,
in wins over Northern Illinois and Iowa State to start 2018.
The starting linebackers are all new for 2018, since Iowa lost their Top 4, after last season. Look for redshirt freshman WLB Dijmon Colbert, senior MLB Jack Hockaday and OLB sophomore Nick Niemann to make the start tonight against Northern Iowa.

Iowa redshirt freshman #32 Dijmon Colbert made his first start of his career in the
13-3 win over Iowa State. After a 66 yard scoring drive against the Cyclones to kickoff
the Cy-Hawk Game, the Iowa defense took over the line of scrimmage and shutdown
the ISU offense, including junior RB #32 David Montgomery.
The Iowa offense and junior QB Nate Stanley are off to a slow start in 2018. Sophomore RB Ivory Kelly Martin missed the last game, due to an ankle injury. Now, sophomore WR Ihmir Smith Marsette is out with a shoulder injury, after picking up a 45 yard reception against the Cylcones, which is the play he was injured. on.

As others are reporting, Iowa junior QB Nate Stanley is pressing to kickoff the
2018 season. Link is from @IowaSwarm https://t.co/Z4JWh0r5Zx, who talkd
about Stanley's early performance in 2018.

How will the Iowa Hawkeyes' offense come out against Northern Iowa on Saturday night?

The Hawkeyes should take care of business at Kinnick Stadium tonight. Our prediction is:


  • The Hawkeyes 23 (Iowa is averaging 23 points per game in 2018)
  • The Panthers 10 (Iowa has given up 10 points in two games in 2018) 



Iowa sophomore DE AJ Epenesa celebrates his birthday tonight at Kinnick Stadium, with his teammates. It should be a special night, as Pat Green performs his song Wave on Wave at halftime, with the marching bands. Green's song is played at the end of the first quarter, as the 'Iowa Wave' is performed each home game.

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