Iowa off to first 5-0 start, since 2009; twenty years ago, Iowa opened 5-0, as well.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-0, 1-0 B1G West) are off to the best start in six years, as well are ranked for t he first time, since the 2010 season. The 10-6 win over Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1 B1G West) was the first Iowa win over a Top 25 opponent, since the 24-16 win over Michigan in 2011.

The Iowa-Wisconsin game has been played ten times for the 
Heartland Trophy.  The series is now tied at 5-5, with Iowa's 10-6 win. 
The overall series is now, 43-44-2 in favor of the Wisconsin Badgers. 
Kirk Ferentz is now 4-3 in Madison.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz has 120 wins as a member of the Big Ten Conference, passing Barry Alvarez (119) for ninth in conference history. A nice way to celebrate the 120th season of Big Ten football.

Iowa Kirk Ferentz is 2-0
head to head vs. Paul Chryst,
after his 24-20 win last
season at Pitt.

The road team has won seven of the last nine games in this series. This is an amazingly close series, with Wisconsin leading 44-43-2 all-time. The Heartland Trophy record, since it was debuted in 2004 is tied at 5-5. The Hawkeyes ended a three game winning streak by the Badgers. All three games were in Iowa City.

Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis and defensive coordinator Phil Parker are now 4-0 in Big Ten road openers, since 2012. It is Davis' fourth season at Iowa, while Parker is in his fourth season as DC; he has been at Iowa for all 17 seasons, since Ferentz became head coach.

Iowa is now ranked for the first time, since the 2010 season, after the win in Madison. The Hawkeyes are ranked #22 in the latest AP Poll, released on Sunday, after the Week 5 win. The Hawkeyes are #23 in the Coaches Poll.

Iowa CB #14 Desmond King is showing outstanding moments
over the past five games, including his second game, with
two interceptions. He leads the Big Ten in interceptions.

The Hawkeyes have won their second trophy game of the season (Cy-Hawk, Heartland), after the previous road win @ Iowa State 31-17 in Week 3. Iowa has two trophy games remaining on its schedule (Minnesota, Floyd of Rosedale; Nebraska, Heroes). Last season, the Hawkeyes were 0-4 in trophy games.

Junior CB Desmond King recorded his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season for Iowa. It was his second multi-interception game of the season (Pitt). King tied for the team lead with three interceptions last season. He entered the game tied for the Big Ten lead with three interceptions. His second quarter interception led to an Iowa touchdown. Three of his five interceptions this season have resulted in Iowa scores (2 TDs, 1 FG).

Iowa senior DE #34 Nate Meier forces a big fumble in the game at
the goal line. The Hawkeyes won the turnover game 4-3 @ UW.

Iowa senior DE Drew Ott forced a fumble in the second quarter. It was Ott's third forced fumble of the season, and third of his career. Senior DE Nate Meier recovered the fumble, Wisconsin's first lost fumble of the season (resulted in 33-yard field goal). Ott (2.5) and Meier (1.5) combined for four TFL and 1.5 sacks.

Iowa Junior DT Faith Ekakitie recovered a fumble inside the Iowa five-yard line in the fourth quarter. It is his first career fumble recovery.

Talk about an all-Big Ten type day for Wisconsin senior 
OLB #58 Joe Schobert, who was extremely disruptive all game. 
He is a force for the Badgers.

One Badger was very disruptive today.

Wisconsin OLB #58 Joe Schobert, with
one of his sacks on #16 C.J. Beathard
during Saturday's trophy game. 

Wisconsin senior OLB Joe Schobert finished with 8 tackles, with 3.5 tackles for loss, including three sacks. He also added 5 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Schobert now has 13 tackles for loss and entered the game tied for the national lead in that category. He also entered the game tied for 4th nationally in sacks and now has nine on the year.

Iowa junior QB #16 C.J. Beathard had
a very challenging day, with Badgers
senior OLB Joe Schobert pressuring him.

QB C.J. Beathard is 6-0 as Iowa's starting quarterback, a record that includes a 3-0 mark on the road and a 3-0 mark at home. The junior QB's numbers include 101-of-168 (62.6) passing for 1,284 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions, and 192 yards rushing with three rushing touchdowns for the season. The last Iowa quarterback to win his first six career starts was Matt Sherman, who won seven from 1994-95, when Sherman opened the 1995 season with a 5-0 mark, twenty years ago.

Beathard was disrupted much of the day, by Wisconsin's OLB Schobert, who clearly distinguished himself, as one of the Big Ten's best in 2015. Beathard  was 9 for 21 passing, with one interception and one touchdown pass.

Iowa senior RB #33 Jordan Canzeri came up
with 125 yards on the ground. He also 
caught one pass for 14 yards.

Iowa senior RB Jordan Canzeri rushed 26 times for 125 yards. It is his third 100-yard rushing game this season, and the fifth of his career.

Iowa sophomore OLB #44 Ben
Niemann was the Iowa Radio Network's
player of the game, as a leader in
the Hawkeyes own defensive effort in the
10-6 win over Wisconsin.

Iowa fifth year senior WLB Cole Fisher (14) and sophomore OLB Ben Niemann (7) recorded career high in tackles. Junior CB Greg Mabin (7) and sophomore SS Miles Taylor (7) matched their career highs with seven tackles.

Iowa junior LT #64 Cole Croston
got his first start, in place of injured
Boone Myers @ Wisconsin.

Junior LT Cole Croston and true freshman WR Jerminic Smith made their first career starts for Iowa. Iowa likely missed senior WR Tevaun Smith, who lead Iowa with four catches for 78 yards, including long of 32 yards, in last year's 26-24 loss in Iowa City to Wisconsin.

Junior WR #89 Matt VandeBerg
continues to be Iowa QB C.J. Beathard's
favorite target in most games.

Smith is the first Iowa freshman to start at wide receiver since junior Matt VandeBerg started two games in 2013. Thirteen Hawkeye have made their first career start this season: junior RB LeShun Daniels, Jr., sophomore LT Boone Myers, sophomore DT Nathan Bazata, junior DT Jaleel Johnson, fifth year senior WLB Cole Fisher, sophomore OLB Ben Niemann, sophomore SS Miles Taylor, redshirt freshman TE Jameer Outsey, redshirt freshman DE Parker Hesse WR Riley McCarron, LT Croston, and WR Smith.

WR Matt VandeBerg had six catches for 61 yards. It is the fourth time in five games he has had at least six catches. However, most of his production was all in the first half.

For the second straight game, Iowa junior
TE #46 George Kittle scored a TD reception
from QB C.J. Beathard. 

Iowa junior TE George Kittle caught a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It was the second receiving TD of his career, and the second in as many weeks.

Wisconsin had won nine straight trophy games, until Saturday's Iowa win. The Badgers will play another trophy game this Saturday at Nebraska (2-3, 0-1 B1G West), when they meet for the Freedom Trophy against the Cornhuskers. The Badgers close out the 2015 Big Ten regular season at Minnesota (3-2, 0-1 B1G West) in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Ax.

Wisconsin won the toss and elected to receive. It was the first time this season Iowa did not receive the opening kickoff. In 17 seasons as Iowa's head coach, Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have started the game on defense in 39-of-205 games (21-18).

The 2015 Homecoming Game at Iowa.

The Hawkeyes return to Iowa City, with a Saturday game at Kinnick Stadium for Homecoming. This year's Homecoming opponent is the Illinois Fighting Illini (4-1, 1-0 B1G West), who won their second straight fourth quarter comeback, with a 14-13 win in the Big Ten home opener against Nebraska.


The Homecoming game will be another 11 a.m. kickoff, this game will be televised by ESPNU. This is the 103rd Homecoming game in 126 seasons of Iowa Football. Iowa is 16-4, since 1995 in Homecoming games. Since 2000, the Hawkeyes are 12-3, with a 12-4 record under Kirk Ferentz for Homecoming. The Hawkeyes won last season's Homecoming game in a 45-29 shootout with Indiana.

Iowa defeated Illinois in Champaign last season, by the score of 30-14. Ferentz is 6-3 in his career at Iowa, as head coach. The last game in Iowa City was back in 2007, when Iowa beat Illinois by a score of 10-6, when the Fighting Illini represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Ferentz is 3-1 in games played at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa wins 24-10 over Purdue to open B1G with another road win

West Lafayette, IN - - The Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-0 B1G West) survive a pick 6 and Purdue (2-3, 0-1 B1G West) field goal to roar back with 24 unanswered points for a win in Big Ten road opener.

Iowa defense held Purdue to 157 total yards to give the offense the opportunity to overcome a 10 point deficit. The Hawkeyes pulled even before the half at 10-10, dispite miscues and drops on offense.

Iowa picked up their third straight road win at Purdue, as well as third straight win in Big Ten road openers, with the 24-10 win at Purdue.

Iowa won the explosive plays and turnovers over Purdue, and that is often a winning formula, especially for offensive coordinator Greg Davis.

The defense had four sacks and two interceptions by senior strong safety John Lowdermilk,  as the Hawkeyes win back to back road games, fueled by solid defensive play in the second half for the second week in a row. Junior defensive end Nate Meier lead Iowa with six tackles, including two sacks.

Sophomore quarterback C.J. Beathard made his first career start as a Hawkeye, since junior Jake Rudock was out due to a hip injury. Iowa was also without senior running back Damon Bullock and sophomore wideout Matt VandeBerg.

Iowa ran the ball by committee, as senior Mark Weisman, redshirt freshman Jonathan Parker, sophomore LeShun Daniels and senior Jordan Canzeri all contributed in various ways by committee.

Iowa did have an early illegal procedure penalty, poor field position, drops and a costly pick 6 by Beathard. But, Iowa pushed through the inconsistencies to get back into the ball game.