GameDay: #14 Iowa at #19 Michigan in the Big House

The #14 Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0 B1G West, 4-0) travel to #20 Michigan (1-1 B1G East, 3-1) for a Homecoming showdown in the Big House. It is an 11 AM kickoff on FOX. The Hawkeyes have won five of last six in the series over the past decade.

The Hawkeyes and Wolverines have not meet, since the 2016 season. The Iowa Hawkeyes upset then-#2 Michigan 14-13 in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Iowa has won two in a row in the series, and the Hawks have won the last two Homecoming match ups in the Big House.

Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines were the Big Ten favorite by the Media entering 2019. However, a Big Ten opening loss two weeks ago in Madison, 35-14 have tempered views on the Wolverines.

The Wolverines got back on the winning track last week with a 52-0 win over Rutgers at home. The Hawkeyes opened Big Ten play in Week 2, with a 30-0 win over Rutgers. Rutgers has fired head coach Chris Ash, after the 0-2 B1G start.

This is a big game today for the Wolverines and very important for the Hawkeyes, as well.

Both teams feature senior quarterbacks. Iowa has three year starter Nate Stanley, while former Ole Miss QB Shea Patterson is in Year 2 at the helm of the Michigan offense.

Iowa is coming off a 48-3 win over Middle Tennessee and the offense is clearly humming. The Michigan offense under first year OC Josh Gattis and smooth sailing has not been the case, until last week over the Scalet Knights. A program that hasn't won a FBS match up, since 2017.

The Hawkeyes have played clean football in 2019, with the fewest turnovers in College Football. But, Iowa enters the game as the underdog.

Michigan is the favorite, despite the inconsistent play on offense. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh called Iowa "consistent" in all three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. Not to surprising for a Kirk Ferentz team.

The Hawkeyes will likely have to bring that game to Michigan, if they want to remain undefeated in 2019.

Our pick:

Iowa Hawkeyes 30
Michigan Wolverines 20

The Hawkeyes should bring a very balanced attack to Ann Arbor. The Hawkeyes have a sold offensive and defensive line. It will come down to the 3 keys in football: turnovers, explosive plays and tackling on Saturday in the Big House.

Year 21 under Kirk Ferentz: Is Iowa finally coming to age?

• at Iowa State, W 18-17
• at Michigan, Saturday, 11:30 am Kickoff on FOX

Has there ever been a bigger game in the two series?

Michigan is ranked, unlike Iowa State, who the Iowa Hawkeyes beat 18-17, in a game that included to separate lightening delays for roughly three hours But, heading into each road game this season, has there ever been a bigger game in Ann Arbor or Ames, for that matter for both teams?

The 1985 game was the biggest game to date in the Iowa - Michigan series, but oh my, how important is this one, on Saturday for each team?

• Iowa head coach was OL coach under Hayden Fry
• Michigan head coach was QB, under Bo Schembechler

Iowa is going for its third win on a Michigan Homecoming, under Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes won the previous games, 34-9 in 2002, and 38-28 in 2010. Iowa is 7-5, since 2001, during the Kirk Ferentz era against Michigan.

Since 2001, Iowa has won 152 games and finished in the Top 10 nationally, five times. For Michigan, it is 151 wins, and four Top 10 finishes.

Know the foe: Iowa

Although the Hawkeyes barely escaped against Iowa State on the road, they've played well to start the season. They've shared two common opponents with Michigan: Middle Tennessee State, who they beat 48-3 on Saturday, and Rutgers, who they beat 30-0 in Week 2. The offense has impressed under the direction of quarterback Nate Stanley. The senior is completing 64% of his passes, averaging 8.2 yards per attempt and has eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. The run game features a trio of backs in Mekhi Sargent, Toren Young and Tyler Goodson; collectively, they are averaging 6.2 yards per carry and have 752 rushing yards. The defense is allowing just 8.5 points per game and is anchored by star defensive end A.J. Epenesa, a future high NFL draft pick. - Detroit Free Press

Iowa at Michigan, Week 6 - Homecoming for the Wolverines.

Another battle of two quarterbacks. This one, features two seniors at the helm, of each offense for Iowa and Michigan, respectively.

However, defense and special teams are always important to each of these programs.

And, what about fifth year Michigan head coach, Jim Harbaugh?

Homecoming for the Hawkeyes: Illinois (0-1 B1G) @ Iowa (0-2 B1G) square off looking to get in the B1G win column for 2017

Iowa City, IA -- The Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2, 0-2 B1G West) opened September with three straight non-conference wins, but the past two Saturdays in the Big Ten have lead to an 0-2 start against two East division opponents. The Hawkeyes return to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday for an 11 a.m. kickoff against fellow West division foe, Illinois (2-2, 0-1 B1G West).

It is Game 6 for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2017 College Football season, ahead of their bye week. The Hawkeyes are seeking to get back on track in all three phases of the game.

"Nice of the Hawkeyes to promote breast cancer awareness month
by painting our locker room pink. #Illini 👌 – at Kinnick Stadium,"
the Illinois program tweeted ahead of today's game.

Illinois' last win against Iowa came during the 2008 season. The Hawkeyes have won six of last seven in the series.

One player to watch is Illinois junior WR 18 Mike Dudek, who
is back, after missing back to back seasons, due to knee injuries.

Iowa is 57-43-5 in 105 Homecoming games. The #Hawkeyes have won 5 of its last 7 Homecoming games. Iowa is 6-5-2 vs. Illinois on Homecoming.

#FightforIowa is the rally cry in 2017-18 for Hawkeye athletics ...

Our prediction at Kinnick ...

• IOWA HAWKEYES 28
• Illinois Fighting Illini 9

B1G West Spotlight: #17 Iowa @ #20 Northwestern at Ryan Field on Saturday

The 2015 Northwestern Wildcats will celebrate Homecoming in Week 7 of
the College Football season by hosting Big Ten West rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Evanston, IL -- The #17 Iowa Hawkeyes (6-0, 2-0 B1G West) will travel to Ryan Field to face the #20 Northwestern Wildcats (5-1, 1-1 B1G West) in a key conference game on Saturday with an 11 a.m. kickoff on ABC. The Wildcats will be celebrating Homecoming, as well as the twenty year anniversary of their 8-0 Big Ten championship in 1995. The Wildcats plan to wear new Under Armour throwback jerseys celebrating the 1995 championship season.

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald was one of the members of the 1995 Big Ten championship team, as his former coach Gary Barnett will return to serve as honorary captain for Saturday's Homecoming game. While there will be no celebration on Saturday, the Iowa Hawkeyes won the Big Ten thirty years ago. The Hawkeyes thirty years ago arrived with a similar 6-0 record for a game at Ryan Field, known then as Dyche Stadium.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz during
the 2012 game at Northwestern.
The Wildcats won over the Hawkeyes
28-17 in route to a 10-3 season,
the best year under NU's Pat Fitzgerald.

Iowa holds a 49-24-3 advantage in the series that began with a 12-6 Iowa win in Evanston in 1897. Iowa has won three of the last four meetings, including a 48-7 decision a year ago in Kinnick Stadium. Iowa holds a 23-15-3 advantage in Evanston, but has not played at Ryan Field since 2012. Iowa has lost on its last two visits to Ryan Field, with its last victory in Evanston coming by a 28-17 score in 2007.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is 7-7 in the Northwestern series, as he enters his 17th season as head coach of the Hawkeyes. The dean of the Big Ten will face, the second most active coach, in the Big Ten, when the Hawkeyes and Wildcats meet. Fitzgerald has a 5-4 record vs. Iowa, now in his tenth season at his alma mater. Ferentz is 2-4 in Evanston.

Injured CB #27 Matthew Harris at
Iowa last year, as he reaches to
tackle Iowa RB #25 Akrum Wadley.
Wadley had a career high 15 carries
and 106 yards rushing in Iowa's
48-6 win over the Wildcats.

On Saturday, in Ann Arbor, junior CB Matthew Harris was carted off the field during the 'Cats 38-0 loss to Michigan. The starting CB has broken bones in his face and will be out for the foreseeable future. "A good time to ask me (about his return) will probably be right after the bye week (at the end of the month)," said Fitzgerald during his Monday press conference with the media.

Iowa Offense vs. Northwestern Defense

Iowa averages 31.7 points per game, the second best scoring offense in the Big Ten. Northwestern allows only 12.2 points per game, third best in the conference. Iowa faced a similar match up in the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes won 10-6 in a four quarter slobber-knocker.

Iowa and Northwestern are tied for second in the league in red zone defense. Both teams have allowed nine scores on 13 trips to the red zone (69.2 percent). Iowa has allowed six touchdowns, while Northwestern has surrendered four.

Northwestern is the least penalized team in the Big Ten.

Iowa and Northwestern ranks fourth and fifth, respectively, in turnover margin. The Hawkeyes are plus-five with a Big Ten-best eight interceptions. Northwestern is plus-three.

Northwestern has no Iowa natives on its roster. Iowa’s roster includes 14 Illinois natives, more than any other outside state. Iowa is coming off a 29-20 win over Illinois, so back to back games vs. Illinois teams for the Hawkeyes.

ONE POINT OF EMPHASIS in the days leading up to that Michigan game, Fitzgerald noted, was the importance of first and second downs. The reason for that was obvious. No team wants to face a third-and-long against any defense, let alone a defense as strong as the Wolverines'.

So Fitzgerald was accurate on Monday when he said, "We put ourselves in third-and-long almost the entire day. With their defense, that's a recipe for disaster. I think they're outstanding, especially up front. But we sure compounded the problem. Not physical enough up front. . . . Up front, we couldn't get any movement on our one-on-ones. That made it tough sledding for Justin (Jackson). We've got to get our run game going. That's our bread-and-butter. We've got to be able to run the football."

Northwestern's leading RB sophomore
#21 Justin Jackson was held in check
by Michigan during the Wildcats'
38-0 loss in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

ANOTHER OF FITZGERALD'S beliefs is that you've got to flush away disappointments and move on, which his 'Cats must certainly do with undefeated Iowa set to visit Ryan Field on Saturday. "You've got to get off the mat. You get knocked down, you don't have the game that you're capable of having, you've got to get up. There's no other choice," he reiterated on Monday.

THE 'CATS, of course, never did manage to run the football against the Wolverines, who limited Jackson to just 25 net yards on his dozen carries. That buttressed a contention often made by Fitzgerald, who regularly avows that Big Ten games are determined by the mano-a-mano combat that goes on in the trenches. He echoed that theme on Monday when he said, "They (Michigan) didn't do anything we didn't prepare for. That's probably where our offensive guys were frustrated."

In last year's game at Iowa,
Justin Jackson wore #28,
as a true freshman. Here
he was tackled by Iowa
DE #34 Nate Meier.

"When I met with some of the Leadership guys on our offense, I said, 'What could we have done differently?' They said, 'Everything you guys showed us last week is exactly what they did.' So got to credit Michigan. They executed, we didn't. We've got to win in those one-on-one situations. We're going to be in them again the next six weeks. There were plenty of times in the first five (weeks) that we did (win). Just got to get back to accomplishing that."

Iowa will seek to duplicate what Michigan was able to do against Northwestern, but the Hawkeyes will have to manage it on the road. And, the Wildcats will be celebrating a 20th anniversary of a championship, along with Homecoming on Saturday at Ryan Field.

Michigan QB #15 Jake Rudock won his
third game against Northwestern.
The past two wins were in an Iowa
uniform, the past two seasons.

"I like the way the guys were this morning. They came with a great attitude. We coached the you-know-what out of them. Put the game away pretty quick and moved on. I think I'll know a lot more tomorrow walking off the field (after practice). But where they were at this morning was a positive place. . . . I think they were mad-- mad at themselves individually, mad at the performance that we did not have. We talked about what did we do in the first five weeks to have that success. It was the way we prepared and obviously the way we performed," Fitzgerald reported on Monday.

MICHIGAN, Fitzgerald also said, is "Playing as hot as anybody in the country." Then, in the next breath, he added, "You'd probably say Iowa is right there with them. We have to rise to the occasion."

SATURDAY is the 'Cats homecoming game. Saturday the 'Cats will honor their 1995 edition that went to the Rose Bowl. Saturday the 'Cats will wear new uniforms designed in tribute to that storied team. But, most importantly, Saturday the 'Cats will face the team that sits atop their division, a team that must be beaten if they hope to achieve their goal of appearing in their conference's title game. "I think there's extra motivation because they're in the driver's seat in the Big Ten West. That's the bottom line," Fitzgerald said of that reality.

"They've put themselves in that position by the way they've played. They've won their games. They've found ways to win close games, tough games. That's a hallmark of (Hawkeye coach) Kirk (Ferentz's) teams. They're tough. They're physical. They do what they do. They do it well. They execute fundamentally. They don't make mistakes. They typically don't beat themselves." - Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald on Iowa

"You've got to execute to beat them," Fitzgerald went on to say about the game with the Hawkeyes this Saturday.

The game on Saturday should be another classic chess match between the Hawkeyes and the Wildcats.

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard has
used his feet and his arm to lead the
Hawkeyes to a 6-0 start in 2015.

Each team has a new quarterback at the helm. QB C.J. Beathard is 7-0 as Iowa’s starting quarterback, a record that includes a 3-0 mark on the road, a 4-0 mark at home, and a 3-0 mark in the Big Ten. Numbers include 116-of-199 (58.3) passing for 1,484 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, and 221 yards rushing with three rushing touchdowns. The last Iowa quarterback to win his first seven career starts was Matt Sherman, who won seven from 1994-95.

Northwestern redshirt freshman QB
#18 Clayton Thorson leads the 2015
Wildcats' offense.

One of the reasons Jake Rudock transferred to Michigan after the Spring as a graduate transfer was due Ferentz electing to name the junior Beathard the #1 QB, back in January. It has worked out well for both Michigan and Iowa.

Northwestern has opened the 2015 with a positive record lead by redshirt freshman signal caller Clayton Thorson, who offers a run, pass option, as often has been popular under Fitzgerald. The Wildcats are 2-1 against ranked opponents, with wins against Stanford in the season opener and @ Duke in Week 3.

Northwestern finished 2012 with a 10-3 record, the best ever under Fitzgerald. The Wildcats were a +14 in turnover margin, an unreal number under Fitzgerald. The Wildcats came into the 2015 season, off the heels of back to back 5-7 seasons.

Iowa has been 19-21 the past five seasons in the Big Ten. After a disappointing 7-6 season last season, including three straight losses, Ferentz revisited all aspects of the program. One area of emphasis was turnover margin.

“We hope (an advantage in turnovers is) something we can build on weekly. It is one of the most important stats, if not the most important, when it comes to winning and losing. It was a real factor in the game yesterday -- our defense forced a couple takeaways and to convert those into points is even more important. Getting that last fumble recovery and getting insurance points was a big sequence in the game (against Illinois).” - Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz shared Sunday about the 2015 season.

Iowa senior running back Jordan Canzeri continues to impress. On Sept. 26 he rushed for four touchdowns and Ferentz said he was equally complimentary of Canzeri’s blocking in the game. He had a similar feeling Saturday when he saw Canzeri carried the ball 43 times for 256 yards. Canzeri has also been effective as a receiver, as well, beginning the season, as the third down back.

Iowa senior RB #33 Jordan Canzeri is leading the
Big Ten in rushing, in conference games. He has 10 
touchdowns in leading Iowa to a 6-0 start.

“It is a tribute to his determination and hard work,” Ferentz said. “It is all playing off and his commitment to our football team. That last drive (against Illinois) in particular he didn’t even looked at the bench giving even an inkling that he wanted to come out. He had 11 carries in that possession (for 59 yards). That to me was the biggest series we had in the football game. He got good blocking in there, but a big part of that was his effort and determination.”

The Hawkeyes won 48-7 last season in Kinnick Stadium -- a game Ferentz calls an “aberration.” Two weeks after that game, the Wildcats went on the road and defeated No. 15 Notre Dame, 43-40.

“It is going to be one of those tough Big Ten contests. We’re on the road and we will have to be at our best to have a chance in this game. We have had great knock-down, drag-out football games with them going right down to the wire. That’s what I expect this year, too.” - Kirk Ferentz on facing the Wildcats on the road

Iowa is 2-0 away from home this season and was 3-2 on the road last season. Iowa entered the season with zero trophies and have won two trophy games, each on the road to kickoff the 2015 season.

As is the case with 13 other league teams, the hard-fought, tough, physical Big Ten games have taken its toll on the Hawkeyes on the injury front. Ferentz said Tevaun Smith and Drew Ott will miss the Northwestern game, although as of Sunday evening, it is unknown the severity of an injury Ott suffered against Illinois. Iowa right now has lost starters at DE, both offensive tackles, starting running back, wide receiver and last year's top tight end.

“We have some guys that are hobbled right now and some guys who might not make it at kickoff,” Ferentz said. “Drew Ott, we are not very optimistic there. We will know more when the doctors actually have a chance to examine him and get an MRI on Monday. Tevaun Smith is out, too. For sure those two guys will be out and we may have others."

At the beginning of the season, no starters were freshman for Iowa, but that has changed now.

“A lot of teams have injured players, so you have to fight through it, other guys have to step up. That was one of the highlights yesterday in the ball game -- guys like (redshirt freshman DE) Parker Hesse and (true freshman G/T) James Daniels jumping in there.”

Iowa true freshman WR #9 Jerminic
Smith will likely have an expanded
role at Northwestern.

True freshman wide receiver Jerminic Smith has replaced Tevaun Smith and had a breakout game on Saturday for the Hawkeyes. Smith caught four passes for 118 yards, all in the first half. His first three receptions -- of 14, 46, and 49 yards -- moved the chains. He also had a 9-yard grab.

"It felt great," Smith said of making his first collegiate catch. "I'm just doing my job and this game will give me confidence. I will keep working hard and hopefully keep doing well."

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz with closing comments after the Homecoming win
against Illinois, as Iowa took sole position of the Big Ten West at 2-0.

Game Day Saturday: Happy Homecoming at Kinnick, the Big House, Columbus and Happy Valley

It is Homecoming Saturday at four Big Ten schools this weekend, as the #22 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0, 1-0 B1G West) host Illinois (4-1, 1-0 B1G West), #18 Michigan (4-1, 1-0 B1G East) hosts #13 Northwestern (5-0, 1-0 B1G West), #1 Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 B1G East) hosts Maryland (2-3, 1-0 B1G East) and Penn State (4-1, 1-0 B1G East) hosts Indiana (4-1, 0-1 B1G East) in conference play.

The other undefeated B1G, #4 Michigan State (5-0, 1-0 B1G East) travels to Rutgers (2-2, 0-1 B1G East) in a prime-time game on the Big Ten Network. The Scarlet Knights are coming off their bye week, ahead of the showdown with the Spartans.

Iowa junior CB Desmond King has stepped up his game in 2015. The Hawkeyes
are looking to get to 6-0 today, with a Homecoming game against Illinois.

• Illinois at #22 Iowa 11:00 am on ESPN2 - The Hawkeyes won 30-14 last year, in this one. The last time the game was played at Kinnick was 2007, when the Hawkeyes won 10-6, which was Iowa's score last weekend at Wisconsin.
  Our pick for today's score: Iowa 31, Illinois 20

The Hawkeyes are 5-0 for just the third time since 1986 and the secret is that the new thing is the old thing.

"It's like everything you do and about anything that's important in life. You get back to the basics. We haven't split atoms or anything like that. It's just trying to do everything a little bit better." - Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz

Over the years, when you think of the Nittany Lions, defense often sets the
tone. It is Homecoming in Happy Valley, as the IU Hoosiers visiting ...

• Indiana at Penn State 1:00 am on ESPN - The Hoosiers lost the Big Ten opener at home last weekend, with 38-31 hard fought defeat to #1 Ohio State; so, the Nittany Lions need to be careful, to avoid second loss in series history.

The Big Ten Network has three B1G games today spotlighting OHIO,
Michigan-Northwestern and Michigan State: 11 am, 2:30 pm and 7 pm ...

• Maryland at #1 Ohio State 11:00 am on BTN - The final game for Randy Edsall at Maryland? What happens, if the Terrapins pull off the upset in Columbus?

How does this game play out in 2015?

• #13 Northwestern at #18 Michigan 2:30 pm on BTN - Twenty years ago, the rolls were reversed, as the Wolverines were undefeated ... the Wildcats won and went onto an 8-0 B1G record and title, with coach Pat Fitzgerald, then on the gridiron.
• Minnesota at Purdue 2:30 pm on ESPNU - The Golden Gophers face back to back road games to open Big Ten play, in a battle of 0-1 B1G teams in the West ...
• Wisconsin at Nebraska 2:30 pm on ESPN2 / ABC - The Badgers and Cornhuskers each opened Big Ten play at 0-1, so a big one in Lincoln, as each program looks to rebound, under new coaches.

Michigan State opened the 2015 season on the road; time to hit the road
in the Big Ten, with a first road opener @ Rutgers.

• #4 Michigan State at Rutgers 7:00 pm on BTN - some suggest this could be a trap game for the Spartans, but MSU begins back to back road games, with a date at Rutgers and even a bigger game in Ann Arbor next Saturday in the Big House ...

Other Games of Note in Week 6 of the College Football Season ...

• Baylor at Kansas 11:00 am on FS1 - Big 12 leaders ... 
• Oklahoma vs. Texas 11:00 am on ABC - Red River Shootout should be one sided this year!
• Virginia at Pittsburgh 11:30 am ESPN Extra / ACC Network - Panthers are off to good start under first year coach ...
• Northern Iowa at North Dakota State 1:00 pm ESPN Extra / CSNC  / espn3 / NBC ND (cable) - The Panthers appear to be off to an 0-2 start in Valley play ...
• Georgia at Tennessee 2:30 pm on on CBS - Who stays alive in the SEC East?
• Georgia Tech at Clemson 2:30 pm on ESPN2 / ABC - The ACC race ... can the Tigers lead?
• Iowa State at Texas Tech 2:30 pm on FSN Affiliates - The Cyclones hit the road in Big 12 ...
• LSU at South Carolina (Baton Rouge) 2:30 pm on ESPN - The Gamecocks try to play at home in Louisiana, after tragic flooding in South Carolina ...
• Navy at Notre Dame 2:30 pm on NBC - the series is more competitive than decades past!
• Oregon State at Arizona 3:00 pm on FS1 - The Wildcats seek to improve in the Pac 12.
• Washington State at Oregon 5:00 pm on PAC-12 Network - The Ducks have lost some feathers in early 2015 ...
• Arkansas at Alabama 6:00 pm on ESPN - Bama seeks to keep pace in the SEC West ...
• Boise State at Colorado State 6:00 pm on CBSSN - MWC showdown in the Springs! 
• Illinois State at Youngstown State 6:00 pm on ESPN Extra - Could this be a Valley upset?
• Oklahoma State at West Virginia 6:00 pm on ESPN2 - The Cowboys are undefeated right now!
• East Carolina at BYU 6:30 pm ESPNU / WatchESPN - The Cougars host a C-USA club ...
• Florida at Missouri 6:30 pm SEC Network / WatchESPN - another SEC East showdown for the Gators
• TCU at Kansas State 6:30 pm on FOX - Big 12 road test for Horned Frogs ...
• Miami-FL at Florida State 7:00 pm on ABC / espn3 - The battle of the Florida ACC ...
• California at Utah 9:00 pm on ESPN - Who is the Top Pac 12 team right now in 2015?
• Colorado at Arizona State 9:00 pm on PAC-12 Network

The Battle for Top Pac 12 team, as 5-0 Cal visits 4-0 Utah ...

  

Homecoming Saturday at Kinnick: Iowa's opponent the Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois interim coach Bill Cubit has the Fighting Illini 4-1, 1-0 B1G West.
Cubit's last meeting in Iowa City was as head coach at Western Michigan,
where the former MAC coach pulled the upset over Iowa 28-19 to close
out Iowa's 2007 season. The Hawkeyes have had Cubit's respect for years.

Champaign, IL -  Illinois is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten West after Saturday's win over Nebraska 14-13 in the final minute, the program's best start since 2011, when the Illini were 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the B1G to start the season. Illinois has won three straight B1G games and four of last six dating back to last season. In the 25 Big Ten games prior to those last six, the Fighting Illini were 1-24.

Saturday, the Fighting Illini will travel to Iowa City to face the #22 Iowa Hawkeyes, 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten West, at Kinnick Stadium for a 11 a.m. kickoff, televised on the ESPNU. Clay Matvick and John Congemi will have the coverage on Saturday. It is Homecoming in Iowa City on Saturday.

Illinois coach Bill Cubit is 0-4 against AP-ranked opponents in his 8+ years as a Division I head coach. He is 1-1 against Iowa, as a head coach, with the win coming in Iowa City, in 2007, when he lead his Western Michigan team to a 28-19 to close out Iowa's Senior Day.

Iowa's Kirk Ferentz against Illinois
in the 2014 game on the road.

Illinois holds an 18-16-2 advantage in games played in Iowa City in the all-time series. Illinois has an all-time series lead of 38-30-2.

The Hawkeyes are 5-5-2 against the Illini on Homecoming, and 12-4 in Homecoming contests under Kirk Ferentz.

Kirk Ferentz is in his 20th year as a college head coach and his 17th year as Iowa's head coach. His career record is 132-106 and he is 120-85 at Iowa. He ranks ninth in the Big Ten Conference in coaching wins and is Dean of Big Ten coaches, since Joe Paterno's departure at Penn State in 2011.

Ferentz is 6-3 all-time against the Illini, as a head coach. Iowa is the last Big Ten team to beat Illinois, which is on a three-game conference winning streak. Iowa defeated Illinois 30-14, on the road last season to reach their seventh win.

"We're going to play Iowa. Watching them on tape, a really physical football team. I think a really well-coached offense, line wise. They've been around football a long, long time and it's one of the few offensive lines that I really enjoy watching. Even when I was at the last place, I would always try and get film just to see how synced they are; they do such a good job. The quarterback is playing really well and then defensively their front collectively is the best we've played against. They've got some guys there that are really good football players and then the [Desmond] King kid in the back, he's leading the league in interceptions, he's a ball hawk and I remember being involved in recruitment with him back then when he was from Detroit so really a good player. For our kids, we've just got to stay with the process; understand what we're trying to do every day and I think they'll do that. I think they're buying in pretty well for us. We've got an opportunity to go up there and play a really good Iowa team so that's exciting." - Bill Cubit talking about Illinois' upcoming game with Iowa during his weekly media conference on Monday

Illinois' win over Minnesota last season gave the Illini their first win over a ranked team in either the AP or Coaches poll since 2011, as the Golden Gophers were No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches poll (they were not ranked in the AP poll).

The Illini had lost 10 straight and 19 of their last 20 against foes ranked in the AP poll since beating No. 1 Ohio State 28-21 on Nov. 10, 2007. The lone win during that span came on Sept. 17, 2011, over No. 22 Arizona State, 17-14. Illinois has lost its last nine road games against ranked foes since beating OSU in 2007.

This is the Fighting Illini's first road trip to Iowa in the Big Ten, since the 2007 season, when Iowa upset Illinois 10-6. The Fighting Illini won a birth in the Rose Bowl after the 2007 regular season. Iowa's longest winning streak in the series (five games) was snapped with the Illini's 27-24 win in 2008, in Champaign.

Illinois faces its first Associated Press Top 25-ranked opponent of the season on Saturday as Iowa is No. 22 in this week's AP poll. The Hawkeyes are No. 23 in USA Today coaches poll. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 10-6 win @ Wisconsin to open the 2015 Big Ten season. The Hawkeyes are ranked for the first time, since the 2010 season. The win over Wisconsin was the first win over a ranked opponent, since the Hawkeyes beat Michigan in 2011.
Both programs have had Cardiac moments lately in 2015

Illinois senior WR #8 Geronimo
Allison celebrates after his 1-yard
TD reception with 10 seconds
remaining in game vs. Nebraska.

Cardiac Illini: The last two Fighting Illini games, both victories, have each been decided in the final 10 seconds of regulation by a total of three points. Against Nebraska, QB Wes Lunt found WR Geronimo Allison for a 1-yard TD with 10 seconds left for a 14-13 Illini victory. That followed up a 27-25 win over Middle Tennessee on Sept. 26 after the Blue Raiders missed a 43-yard field goal with four seconds on the clock.

Cardiac Iowa: The Hawkeyes clinched wins in the fourth quarter this year @ Iowa State with two late touchdowns to clinch the game 31-17; with a 57 yard field goal on the last play against Pittsburgh at home to win 27-24 and in the fourth quarter @ Wisconsin in the 10-6 win.

Captain Comeback: Illinois has seven fourth-quarter comeback wins in the last two seasons (five in 2014 and two so far in 2015). QB Wes Lunt has orchestrated five of those seven fourth-quarter comebacks, including both this season (vs. Middle Tennessee and vs. Nebraska).

Last year, Iowa's starting quarterback for 12 of 13 games was Jake Rudock, who is now leading Michigan (4-1, 1-0 B1G East), after transferring to the Wolverines as a post-graduate transfer. In last year's 30-14 win in Champaign, Iowa's current quarterback, C.J. Beathard, finished the game 3-of-3 for 73 yards, with one touchdown pass.

Ferentz decided to move junior Beathard  to #1 in January. Beathard is now 6-0 as a starter at Iowa. He has shown a good ability to help make plays both running and passing the football in 2015. The Hawkeyes are 5-0 for the second time under Kirk Ferentz. A win Saturday would be Iowa's second 6-0 start in the Ferentz era (2009). The 2009 Hawkeyes won their first nine games, finished 11-2 overall, and won the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl over #9 Georgia Tech.

Here is Iowa's DE #95 Drew Ott
tackling Illinois QB #12 Wes Lunt
in last year's game in Champaign.

Illinois is currently without sophomore WR Mike Dudek, due to a knee injury in the Spring. Dudek caught two touchdown passes against Iowa, in last year's game leading the Illini in receiving. QB Wes Lunt played part of the game, finishing 14 for 25, with one interception and one touchdown against Iowa. The Hawkeyes defense sacked Luck once.

D-Fence: The Fighting Illini defense over the first five games has shown vast improvement since last season. The same can be said about the Hawkeyes in 2015.

The Illini rank in the top-25 nationally in nine different stat categories, including blocked kicks (1), third down defense (4), TFLs (15), interceptions (18), passing efficiency defense (19), total defense (21), first downs allowed (23), scoring defense (23) and turnovers gained (24).

Iowa is the only school in the country yet to allow a rushing touchdown. The Hawkeyes yield an average of 84.4 rushing yards per game, second best in the Big Ten and 11th nationally. Iowa limits its opponents to 2.6 yards per carry (161 attempts, 422 yards), 10th best in the country.
 

Through five games in 2014, the Illini were allowing 468.6 ypg and 35.0 ppg. This season, they're allowing 303.4 ypg and 17.8 ppg through five games.

Iowa averaged 37.8 points per game in its first four wins, but scored just 10 in its Big Ten opener against Wisconsin. It marked the fewest points scored in a Big Ten win since defeating No. 18 Illinois, 10-6, in 2007. The 151 points scored (37.8 ppg) through four games was Iowa's highest total since 2011, when it also scored 151 points (34, 41, 31, 45).

The Illini have forced 31 three-and-out drives this season (6.2 per game), tied for the fifth-most in FBS. Illinois forced 44 three-and-out drives in all of 2014 (3.4 per game). 

The Illini rank fourth in the nation in third down conversion defense, allowing just 17 first downs in 78 third down attempts this season (.218).

Block Party: Illinois is tied for the FBS lead as one of four teams with three blocked kicks this season. The Fighting Illini have blocked two punts, returning both for touchdowns, and one field goal on the season.

Senior RB Josh Ferguson has climbed up to 11th on the Illinois career rushing list with 2,259 career yards. Ferguson was injured, during the game with Nebraska. It is unlikely he will play against Iowa. Next man in for the Fighting Illini will be true freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who is coming off a 98 yard rushing game against the Cornhuskers.

Iowa RB Jordan Canzeri carried 12 times for 68 yards, as a backup last season against Illinois. Now a senior, Canzeri rushed 26 times for 125 yards against Wisconsin. It is his third 100-yard rushing game this season, and the fifth of his career.
 

Illinois senior WR Geronimo Allison leads the Big Ten in both receptions (32) and receiving yards (453), ranking in the top-20 nationally in both categories. A recent addition to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, Allison had eight catches for 91 yards against Nebraska, pushing him over 1,000 career receiving yards (1,051).

Iowa junior WR Matt VandeBerg is second in the Big Ten in receptions (31) and has 303 receiving yards on the season. He has scored on two touchdowns from Beathard.

Last year, Illinois CB #2 V'Angelo
Bentley came up short defending on
Iowa's QB C.J. Beathard's TD pass.

Senior CB V'Angelo Bentley is the Illinois career leader in kick return yardage (1,530). He surpassed Pierre Thomas' record of 1,495 yards against MTSU on Sept. 26. The Hornung Award candidate is the first Illinois player in school history to record kick, punt, interception and fumble returns for TD in his career.

Senior WLB Mason Monheim has 331 career tackles, the second-most among active FBS players. The Butkus and Lombardi Award candidate has forced seven career fumbles, tied for fourth most in Illinois history and the fourth-most among active FBS players. Monheim had a career high 15 tackles against the Hawkeyes in 2014.

Last year, eight different Hawkeye players combined for seven tackles-for-loss against Illinois. 

Iowa junior CB Desmond King
against Illinois in 2014.

Iowa and Illinois tie for the conference lead with seven interceptions in 2015. Iowa CB Desmond King leads the Big Ten with five interceptions. Illinois DB Taylor Barton ties for second in the league with three interceptions.

Junior CB Desmond King was named Big Ten Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Iowa's 10-6 win at Wisconsin. The Big Ten honor is the second for King. He was also recognized on Oct. 21, 2013, after recording 12 in a 34-24 loss at #3 Ohio State.

Illinois junior  SS #3 Taylor Barton
working to break up a reception by
Iowa senior TE #87 Jake Duzey.

Illinois junior SS Taylor Barton has three interceptions this season, tied for 10th-most in the nation through the first five weeks of the season. It's the most for an Illini in a season since Terry Hawthorne in 2011 and equal the total for the entire team in all of 2013. 

Iowa is one victory from becoming bowl eligible for the 14th time in 15 years under Ferentz. The Fighting Illini need two more wins to reach bowl eligibility and their first back to back bowls, since the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Iowa senior RB #33 Jordan Canzeri is tied for the lead in rushing TDs in the
Big Ten and is #6 in rushing. Illinois senior CB #27 Eaton Spence had a
career high three pass breakups against Iowa, last year.

Gameday Iowa: The Hawkeyes at Maryland in Big Ten Football

College Park, MD - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0 B1G West) travel to Maryland (4-2, 1-1 B1G East) for the first time ever in this series, as the Terrapins have joined the Big Ten in 2014. The Hawkeyes are seeking to close out October undefeated,  by raining on the Terrapins Homecoming today, in an 11 a.m. kickoff televised on ESPN2.

Iowa fans are traveling to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium for the inagrual game between these two Big Ten programs. Iowa sold out their ticket allotment for the game.

The Terrapins are coming off a bye week, but have lost back to back home games this season. The Terrapins have lost four straight conference games, dating back to the last three ACC games plus the opening conference home loss to Ohio State prior the bye week.

How will the bye week help Maryland, as Iowa arrives for the Terrapins for their Homecoming Game?

"It was very refreshing," said Maryland six-year senior quarterback C.J. Brown reflecting on bye week ahead of Iowa game. "Especially to get away from the contact and just kind of rest your mind, even if it's for two or three days. It was very beneficially to the team and myself."

Maryland fourth-year head coach Randy Edsall reflected on his team's bye week, ahead of the game with Iowa in week 7 of the college football season. "Again, I thought the bye week came at a good time for us. We were able to get some rest for our guys and get some of those bumps and bruises taken care of. We were able to take a look at ourselves and our tendencies and see what we were doing and what people were seeing out of us. We were able to get out on the practice field and have the opportunity to get a jump-start on Iowa. I thought the bye week was productive for us in all those ways. Hopefully that will bear out on Saturday."

Could we see another high scoring game, evolving Iowa, after the Hawkeyes 45-29 win last Saturday in Iowa City?

This season, Maryland has posted at least 24 points in all six games played. It is the first time in program history a Terrapin offense has scored 24 or more points in its first six games. The Terps are averaging 34.7 points per contest, tied for the fourth-highest total in the Big Ten. In addition, Maryland has totaled 25 plays of 20 or more yards this season including eight against Indiana on Sept. 27. Of the 25 plays that have gone for 20 or more yards, 10 have been scoring plays.

Iowa has scored 24 points in the two road wins at Pittsburgh and in the Big Ten opener at Purdue. The Hawkeyes followed up those two wins with 45 points vs. Indiana, in Iowa's Homecoming victory in 2014. Now, back on the road in College Park, the Hawkeyes are simply looking for a way to win.

"They made a lot of big plays against Indiana, Edsall said. "They hit a post over the top, they got a pick six; they did a lot of good things. They got a big run by one of their freshman (Jonathan Parker) so again they have some big play capabilities there. They'll hit you with all kinds of different looks; they hit you with 21 personnel, 12 personnel, 22, 11. Again, they're well coached, they know what they want to do and they're going to do it. What you have to do is you've got to stop them."

Will big plays, explosive plays, make the biggest impact in today's Iowa at Maryland game? Of course, turnovers and special teams likely will figure into today's game, as well.

Generally, Iowa likes a grind out, establish the run, physical game, won in the trenches, as opposed to offensive dominated games that Maryland has enjoyed headlined quality receiving corp led by junior wide receiver Stefon Diggs with 36 catches and 450 receiving yards.

Edsall said, "tough game this week against a really good football team in Iowa. As you watch Iowa on tape, they are a team that is very sound in what they do scheme-wise. They are very well coached. You can tell that Kirk's [Ferentz] has been there for 16 years. He's got things going the way he wants and their team plays hard and physical. They are very good fundamentally and from a technique standpoint. They have good players. We are looking forward to the opportunity Saturday."

Defense is an important phase of the game today.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz called the Terrapins a "good defensive football team." Like Iowa, "They're a physical group. Their linebackers, they've got a bunch of them and they're all kind of the same size, but they're all strong, physical guys. They're disruptive up front. The one guy, the linebacker is really more of a defensive end, but he's made a lot of tackles for losses and sacks. So they're not I wouldn't call them overly fancy. They do some things on third down. They've got a good package. Their guys really know the package, and they play hard within the scheme, and that's what good defenses do. They know what they're doing, and they're pretty aggressive. They're a tough match up for us."

Maryland's run defense could play a big role today. Edsall reflected on the Maryland run defense ahead of today's Iowa game.

"Usually when you give up yards it's because people aren't executing, guys aren't fulfilling their responsibilities the way you need to. It might be a guy missing a gap here; it might be a guy missing a tackle there. It's a combination of everybody not doing the things that you need them to do. Those are the things that we've been working on, getting everybody to understand what their job is and getting them to continue to do their job. If you can get everybody doing their job and doing it to the best of their ability you have a lot more opportunities for success. Again, guys are working hard. Guys are really working hard. They want to be good, they want to do things the right way, and they don't like giving up the yards. But I think the one thing, other than the last game we played, we found a way to keep people out of the end zone. That's what we have to continue to do and we have to continue as a coaching staff to take a look at who we are and who we have and put together the best plan we can to take advantage of the skillset because we've had some guys out due to some injuries."

Will Iowa have to continue to rely on fourth down plays today? Iowa is nine of 12 on fourth downs, through the first half of the 2014 season. All nine first downs have led to points. Special teams has been completely revamped with new personnel in 2014.

Ferentz reflrected on the fourth down success, by saying, "some of it is by design, some of it is by feel. The guys are doing a good job, they really are. We're trying to be smart about when we calculate and pull the trigger and go ahead and go forward or try to take a field goal or whatever it may be. But the bottom line is our players are doing a good job of executing. I think if you combine that with third down, we're a little bit of mature numbers last year, but it feels a little better right now for sure."

Iowa is typically stout against the run, but in the season opener against Northern Iowa, the Panthers talented running back hurt Iowa's defense for over 200 yards receiving and explosive plays. The Iowa back 7 will be tested today, so the front 4 will have to play extremely well, which is the strength of the Iowa defense.

Of Maryland’s 12 touchdown passes this season, three have gone to running backs. Junior RB Brandon Ross has caught two including a 36-yarder against IU after catching a 90-yarder at Syracuse, the Terps’ longest play from scrimmage.

Iowa needs the defense to step up, if they are going to overcome the 4.5 point underdog role they face in College Park vs. Maryland. The Hawkeyes have been successful at 6-1 over the past season and a half, in true road games. Maryland has lost two straight this season, and five of last seven home games.

The formula for success is typically:

1. Establishing the line of scrimmage, so which team wins the game in the trenches? Iowa - Maryland will be a physical game.

2. Explosive plays - defenses will seek to hold them down, as offenses seek to attack, while staying ahead of the sticks on first and second down.

3. Turnovers are always an important aspect of any game, especially in conference play. This will be an important element today.

4. Special teams favors Maryland on experience, but Iowa can't afford to let down in this phase or any phase, if they are going to win their third straight road game, as well as third straight B1G game in 2014.

5. Coaching staff: Ferentz and Edsall have a lot of respect for one another, as each coach has ties to UConn. Ferentz's is an alumnus and former linebacker, while Edsall elevated the program from FCS to the FBS level, as a former head coach there.

Our Pick: Iowa 24, Maryland 18 - Iowa takes the big play away and establishes the line of scrimmage turning this one into a grind out, game in the trenches. An explosive game favors the home team.

Iowa beats Indiana 45-29 to take a 2-0 B1G West lead, with Minnesota

Iowa City, IA - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0 B1G West) join the Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-1, 2-0 B1G West 2-0) with the early lead in the Big Ten West Division, with the Hawkeyes 45-29 win over Indiana at Kinnick Stadium on Homecoming. Floyd of Rosedale is smiling today in Iowa City, as the Hawkeyes and Gophers take an early lead in the Division.

Like the 2012 game at Indiana, Iowa took an early 14-0 lead fueled by a pick 6, but this time around Iowa pulled out the win with a 28-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, 38-21 at the half. After all the offense in the first half, neither team scored in the third quarter. Iowa scored seven early in the fourth, with IU finishing out with eight points to end the fireworks on Iowa's Homecoming Game on ESPNU.

It was a roller coaster for Hawkeye fans, as explosive plays roared for both teams. Iowa intercepted three passes against the Hoosiers, survived a couple onside kicks in the first half. In the later part of the second quarter, Iowa's defense knocked the Hoosiers quarterback Nate Sudfeld out of the game, with a sack by Carl Davis and Drew Ott.

Sudfeld finished 4-of-9 for 85 yards with a touchdown and interception before leaving the game early in the second quarter. His replacement, true freshman Chad Covington was 3-of-12 for 31 yards with two interceptions for the Hoosiers.

The Hawkeyes head to Maryland (4-2, 1-1 B1G East) next Saturday for an 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN2. The Terrapins were idle this week, ahead of their own Homecoming hosting the Hawkeyes.

Indiana (3-3, 0-2 B1G East) will head home to Bloomington for a game against defending B1G champ, Michigan State. Minnesota took care of Northwestern (3-3, 2-1 B1G West) 24-17 at home, fueled by a 100-yard kickoff return to close the game out.

Minnesota hosts Purdue next Saturday for Homecoming in back to back home games, while Northwestern returns to Evanston next Saturday to host Nebraska (5-1, 1-1 B1G West ) for their own Homecoming. The Cornhuskers are enjoying a bye week.

The Hawkeyes scored a season-high 45 points. It is the most points scored by Iowa in a Big Ten game since scoring 45 against Indiana in 2011.

The Hawkeyes are 2-0 in the Big Ten for the fifth time under Kirk Ferentz (2002, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014).

The teams combined to score 74 points, the most total points since Indiana defeated Iowa 45-33 in 2000 in Bloomington.

Iowa led 38-21 at the half. Five different players scored a touchdown (Duzey, King, Powell, Parker, Weisman) and K Marshall Koehn added a 22-yard field goal and five extra points.

Iowa scored 28 points in the first quarter, the most points scored in the first quarter since scoring 28 against Ball State on Sept. 3, 2005.

Iowa scored 38 first-half points, tying the most first-half points in a conference game under Kirk Ferentz (Minnesota, 2005). It is Iowa's highest scoring first half in a Big Ten game since scoring 35 against Indiana in 2011.

Iowa scored 14 points off turnovers, its first such points this season. CB Desmond King returned an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter. RB Mark Weisman scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter following LB Bo Bower'sinterception.

Iowa scored two offensive touchdowns of 60 yards or greater for the first time since Oct. 31, 2009 vs. Indiana. (Stanzi to McNutt, 92 yards; Stanzi to Johnson-Koulianos, 66 yards).

Iowa scored on three straight offensive plays in the first quarter. TE Jake Duzey caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from QBJake Rudock with 4:41 left. On Iowa's next play from scrimmage, WR Damond Powell caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from Rudock. On Iowa's next play from scrimmage, RB Jonathan Parker ran for a 60-yard touchdown.

After scoring 59 combined points in the first half, the teams were scoreless in the third quarter.

Iowa's defense held Indiana 20 total yards and one first down in the quarter. Iowa held Indiana to four first downs in the second half and 2-of-15 on third down attempts in the game. The Hawkeyes forced eight 3-and-outs.

Ten different Hawkeyes caught a pass today. It is the fourth time this season at least 10 Hawkeyes recorded a reception. Iowa is 4-0 in those games.

Indiana running back Tevin Coleman recorded his eighth straight 100-yard game, the longest streak in the nation and the 10th overall in his career, with 219 yards on 15 carries (14.6 average) and 83, 69 and 45-yard touchdowns. He extended his Indiana record by scoring a TD in his 15th straight game, which is also the longest streak in the nation, has six career multi-score games and matched his career-high with three scores.

Indiana senior wide receiver Nick Stoner pulled in a 13-yard touchdown in the second quarter, his first of 2014 and the second of his career.

Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson's postgame comments, after loss at Iowa.

Coach Wilson's Opening Statement:
"Iowa played very well today. They got after us and got a good win. We had a couple opportunities early. They made more big plays than us. The game stats were kind of close, but they had more big plays than us. We played uphill all day. I thought our kids fought hard out there, but we have to do better."

Q: What happened to your quarterback (Nate Sudfeld)?

"His left shoulder got landed on. It's some degree of a separation and we'll evaluate it when we get back. I don't know if it's short or long term."

Q: How much did Nate's injury limit your offense?

"It limited some things with throwing, but it opened up some things because of his ability to run. It's tough because both those guys (Sudfeld and Covington) are different. Chris is young compared to Nate, so as you practice there are certain plays in which you decide work or won't work. You don't want to practice a completely different technical offense for a backup quarterback because your right guard is getting those plays, and if your right guard is playing with your starting quarterback, then he doesn't get those plays. You try to blend those two together. We're very excited about Chris and we think he'll be a very good player for us."

There were a lot of big plays made today, but how much did Shane's drop in the end zone change the game?
"It changed it a little bit. When Iowa had a chance to make a big play, they did. They had some nice conversions to keep drives alive and we didn't. Bottom line, they made a lot more plays than we did. We had our chances, but we didn't execute. They made more big plays than us and that's the difference in the final score."

Q: Did Iowa do anything offensively that surprised you?

Not really. They do what they do. If you blitz one way, they're going to check away from it. If you're in soft coverage, they're going to run quick hitches. They did a good job on third down. They had a couple different personnel things, but the core of what they did was consistent with what they have done all year long.

Kirk Ferentz Post Game Q&A after the 45-29 Iowa win over Indiana.
OPENING STATEMENT

Certainly we're thrilled to get the victory today. I'm proud of the guys. They played hard. Good effort.

Indiana is a good football team as well. We knew that coming in. They played extremely hard. A good football game. A little bit unusual football game, different than we're used to being in, especially that first half. The swarm guys did a lot of good things. The biggest thing is they finished up with the victory. So we're happy about that and we'll move on tomorrow.

Q. Fourth and one, snapped the ball. Looked like you were going to the left side, then to the right. Did you change the play there (end of first half)?

COACH FERENTZ: We did. They got a good look at it. Good timing on their part. We just decided to change.

Q. Looked like you converted Tommy Gaul to the center?

COACH FERENTZ: That's one of the good stories today for sure. We talk about next man in all the time and I just said on the radio last Friday night, I was standing at a high school game with Tommy. He could run for office. Everybody loves him there. Tremendous young guy.

His character really showed up today. He's been practicing well. And Jordan came out early and so we just shifted Austin out and put Tommy in there. He did a really nice job.

Cidsports: Different circumstances in 1981 at Michigan, but senior Bill Bailey emerged that day to fill the void at center. Iowa needed Tommy Gaul, after right guard Jordan Walsh went down, with an ankle injury.

Q. Momentum wise, everyone gave you a lift after halftime?

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, just the way the game was going. They would hit three really big plays on us in that first half. So looked like we were going to need points.

And it didn't affect field position. It was the end of the half. We have faith in our guys. We wanted to play aggressively at that point.

Q. Where did that play come from, from upstairs, the switching sides?

COACH FERENTZ: All the coaches are in communication on that. They saw the play. We felt it was best to change it.

Q. A plan on the quarterback for the whole game or just kind of a feel?

COACH FERENTZ: We had a couple of plans. And one of the scenarios we forgot to cover is what unfolded today. It was just a wild game. Weird game.

You play things by feel. And nothing's really changed. We like both guys.

Q. First half, looked like you were playing basketball?

COACH FERENTZ: Basketball or arena ball. I couldn't make up my mind. We're the birthplace of arena football. Probably appropriate today.

I'm not fond of a scoring contest that's for sure but, boy, looked like it had the chance to be one.

Q. Jake played for quite a while, pretty sharp out there. Did it surprise you how sharp he was?

COACH FERENTZ: No, he's been practicing well. So we thought he'd play well and we thought C.J. would play well also.

Q. You see this team finally get off to such a great start. How did that all come together and how nice was that to see?

COACH FERENTZ: We made some big plays which is obviously helpful. Not just offensively. But Desmond coming up with that pick six, got a good jump on that ball and then finished it.

Next thing you know there's a spark or two and good to go. And we didn't quite finish the way we wanted to at the end of the game. They played hard. It was good to get off to a fast start. We haven't done that in a while for sure.

Q. Big picture, you called one timeout when you had ten men on the field, one time you had 12 on the field and two onside kicks. How disappointed were you?

COACH FERENTZ: There's going to be a ton of things to talk about tomorrow. The ones you pointed out, burned two timeouts for really dumb things. Those are things that are going to cost you games at some point.

The onside kick they did one last week too. We might have talked about it, covered it a couple this time. But you'd never know it watching us play.

That's just bad coaching on our part. And it reminded of Bill Parcells as a young coach. I think it was at Hastings College. Hey, coach, I covered that 43 times with the guy this week. And the head coach told him you better do it 44. That's kind of what it looked like a little bit. We'll have to get some of that stuff corrected.

Q. Jonathan Parker has been a big play guy. Even without the ball. At Purdue, didn't give it to him maybe three times. It affected the play. To give it to him on that jet sweep, not only the way he performed, but also your blocking. I think Jacob Hillyer and Jake Duzey did a really good job.

COACH FERENTZ: There was a headline I saw somewhere that suggested we hadn't lost faith or are getting faith back in him. Just for the record, he had two tough plays in that Ball State game but I don't think anybody was ever down on Jonathan I want to make sure that I clarify this: He really practiced well last December when we were getting ready for the bowl. That's when we saw him start to come.

And I thought he had a really good spring. Good camp. So when you've got a young guy out there, a guy who hasn't played, he's going to go through some tough times. Two like that, probably not desirable. But it happens.

It just wasn't for a lack of trying or concentration. So we're staying with them just because he's been working so hard and doing good things in practice. And that's all you can evaluate.

So it's hard to get down on anybody that is doing things day-after-day in a good fashion. So I think he's trying to help our football team. I'm really happy about that.

Conversely, some of the mistakes that were pointed out and some of the things that you see that are the result of somebody maybe not being as consistent with their effort and their commitment to getting better.

Those are a little bit frustrating, and those probably have to be addressed a little bit better by me. So we'll have to do a little better job on that front.

But going back to JP, he's just been working hard. He's really carrying himself like a winning football player and it's really fun to watch that.

Q. The blocks they had from Hillyer, blocked two guys on that.

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, those guys are doing a good job. That's part of that little package, if you will. And the guy's done a good job in practice on that, too, so it was good to see.

Q. In the fourth quarter you rode Weisman to control and shut the door?

COACH FERENTZ: Even the next to last series there we came up short on third down, it was third and whatever it was. Short of the first.

We ate up some clock and changed field position a little bit in that possession, and then certainly the last one to finish the game that way.

The guys up front, tight ends doing a good job, and fullback also. And Mark running really tough out there. That's something he's really good at.

Q. Indiana got those signature big plays. But what did you think about your defense's ability to kind of shrug those off?

COACH FERENTZ: I guess it's - thank you. You gave me a positive spin. I can use it tomorrow a little bit because I was looking for one.

But it's interesting coming into this game. Nobody's held them to under 200 yards rushing in a game.

I looked at that stat and I just found that kind of hard to believe, with all due respect. But we witnessed it firsthand. They worked us pretty good.

Those three runs that Coleman had were outstanding runs. I said during the week, all their backs are good. And they are, they're all good, but he's really good. You get on the field live with a guy and you really find out what he's like and what he's all about.

I can't remember anyone doing that to us, and I'm including us against ourselves in spring practice, August, we've had some good backs here, Fred Russell, Shonn Greene, Albert Young. It's a little scary. We'll face more good backs. We have to get better stopping that run.

Q. Tevaun Smith really seems to be a big play receiver for you. Caught one huge third down pass, they interfered with him a couple times trying to go deep.

COACH FERENTZ: Same comments as Jonathan Parker. Tevaun has been working hard. And we made the decision, ironically, I think it was this ballgame in 2012 I think it was the first game we played him.

Kind of like Drew Ott, which we made the decision to throw him in the water, get him swimming, see if we can't expedite the process.

I think both players, Drew and Tevaun, have grown into good football players since that time. They work hard in practice. And they do a lot of good things and they're really committed to being good football players here.

So it's fun to watch them have some success out there, make some plays and do good things to help us.

Q. You have a lot of dimensions with him?

COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, it's nice to have a guy who can make some plays out there.

Q. Update on Willies?

COACH FERENTZ: We lost two guys during the week. Derrick since Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Derrick and Boone Myers, didn't dress either of them. I think we're hopeful to have them both next week. Probably know more tomorrow and know more Tuesday when we talk.

Q. Offensively did you see and sense that this team grew up a lot over the last couple of weeks?

COACH FERENTZ: We're making progress. The other part about today is clearly we've got a lot more to make and we better do it fast, because we got a peek at Maryland in preparation for this ballgame.

They've got a good team too. And one thing I remember from our summer is I think they got about 23 starters back. Is that possible? Basically have their whole team back from last year.

That will be a challenge. We've got to keep growing. And we just have a week to worry about it. And just like today was a weird day, we've got a weird schedule with another bye week coming up. All or nothing here for the next seven days including tomorrow.

Q. How much does it Gaul benefit being a fifth year senior really seemed like experience really helped him?

COACH FERENTZ: It helps. There's a lot to be said for experience, especially with linemen. Experience is only good if you make it a positive. And he's done that.

Like I said earlier, he works hard every day. He shows up. And you forget, it's funny, when he's with everybody, he just looks like another guy.

When I was with him at that high school game a week ago, just me and him standing there, realized he's a big guy. No shrimp by any stretch.

But importantly he prepares every day, has a great attitude. Teammates love the guy. They singled him here out after the post game. It's fun when you see things like that and you can feel really good about what he did to help us win today.

Q. Do you know the extent of Jordan Walsh's injury?

COACH FERENTZ: It's an ankle. I don't think anything too bad. Can he play next week? We'll probably know more tomorrow, or maybe Monday and Tuesday.

Q. Looked like a tremendous play from Desmond King, almost reading the quarterback, baiting him, and the catch he made. Shown a lot of growth.

COACH FERENTZ: It was a good play. I just happened to be standing right there. Could almost hear the wheels grinding up there, like he read it out, and made a nice break. He's got good hands.

Ironically, the other day at practice, I looked across the field, saw him catch one with his right hand. I teased him, and I said showboating or what? He said no, the receiver had his left hand pinned down so he snatched it with his right hand.

Desmond's a good football player. For a young guy he's doing a lot of good things out there. And he has potential to grow. It's exciting.

Q. When Indiana cut it down to seven, you guys were able to get a couple of big stops, got the interception from Bo. Turned the tide before the half. How important was that?

COACH FERENTZ: It was important. They're a team that makes you really nervous. Nervous from the start of the game to the end of the game.

I'm hoping their quarterback's okay. But they're just a dangerous team. It's a unique attack. It's a high tempo attack. And if you drop your guard, they do a good job of finding you and they made us pay a couple times today.

So to stop things a little bit and for us to turn it into a positive right before the half was really important. Because I was not relaxed at any time today because they don't let you.

Q. About setting the edge, was it the plays or lack of play from the linebackers?

COACH FERENTZ: I'll have to see the film. But looked like a little bit of each to me. If you let them get started, he knows how to get started and then finish. He does it really quickly. I think we'll probably see some things where we didn't take blocks on as well, stepping underneath blocks at times and things like that. You drop your fundamentals, bad things will happen. And a player like that will really make you pay in a bad way. That's the danger of playing a guy that good.

Q. How do you feel overall, you're 5-1, learning lessons with wins which is better than the alternative?

COACH FERENTZ: I would feel better if we were 6-0. Not realistic at this point. That's yesterday's news. We'll push ahead.

We'll enjoy this game today. Tonight we're feeling good about that, because bottom line is we won a Big Ten football game. We won here. And that's important.

Tomorrow we'll correct and then we have a week to get better. As long as we're moving forward, that's the biggest thing. And I think for the most part we are, and we'll have to because we've got six tough ball games left now and you guys have seen it.

I had a chance to watch football last Saturday. Conference football is always interesting. I'm chuckling right now about some of the predictions for the Final Four yesterday or two days ago.

I'll predict it will look different a month from now, certainly maybe three weeks from now. A lot of football left and it's about getting better and improving. If your team's doing that, then you have a chance. If not, you aren't going to be in good shape.

Q. Did you find any clarity at quarterback, or is that more look at the film and then?

COACH FERENTZ: No, just again, it was a weird deal the way things went. But the only thing I walk away feeling about like I did coming in here. That's one position where I think we have two guys we can win with. And that's a really good thing.

Q. Looking at both playing next week?

COACH FERENTZ: We'll see. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. If we do, I'll feel good about it. I like the way Jake and C.J. work. They practice well.

They're invested. And I talked about some guys earlier, they're the same way. Maybe at the front of the class there. If your quarterbacks aren't, you're in trouble there. So it's really good, and the good news, too, we got to work Wiegers last week during the bye week when Jake was still resting. Have a positive there with Jake sitting out a little bit, gave the other guy a chance to run our offense. He got better as well.

Q. Damond Powell the primary receiver on that route?

COACH FERENTZ: On that one, yeah.

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