With college football season starting to creep up, we’re running down Indiana’s schedule to preview all 12 opponents for 2025.
The last time Indiana football played against Iowa created a haunting memory. The Hawkeyes dominated a ranked IU team in the first game of the 2021 season, setting the tone for a disappointing season that began with high expectations. The Hoosiers will return to Iowa City this season in week five, for the first time since that 34-6 beatdown. Iowa has been extremely consistent under Kirk Ferentz, with 12 consecutive winning seasons and 16 in the last 17 years.
- Opponent: Iowa
- Date/Time/TV: Saturday, September 27, time TBD
- Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
- 2024 record/postseason result: 8-5, 6-3 Big Ten, 27-24 Music City Bowl loss to Missouri
Returning production, offense: 64 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (45th in the country)
Offensive outlook: Iowa’s offense has been among the worst in the nation for the last several years. The program changed offensive coordinators last season, and the offense improved by nearly 100 yards per game. But UI still ranked in the bottom 20 offenses in the nation. The Hawkeyes excelled in the run game, ranking 24th in the country and second in the Big Ten with 197.2 yards per game. But they paired that with the fifth-worst passing attack in the country.
Star running back Kaleb Johnson left for the NFL, so redshirt sophomore running back Kamari Moulton (473 yards on 84 attempts, three touchdowns in 2024) and redshirt junior Jaziun Patterson (309 yards on 63 carries, two touchdowns) will step into bigger roles in the backfield.
Iowa will turn quarterback duties over to South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski, who finished 52nd in FCS last season with 181.3 pass yards per game. He threw 23 touchdowns across 15 games, with seven interceptions. That would be more passing yards per game by a Hawkeye quarterback since 2020, and the most passing touchdowns since 2018.
Leading receiver Jacob Gill (35 receptions, 411 yards, two touchdowns) is back. But he was Iowa’s lone receiver with more than 400 yards last season, and the team appears likely to rely mostly on returning pass-catchers. The Hawkeyes simply need better production out of that group this year, as well as from their quarterback.
Iowa has three returning starters on the offensive line, including All-Big Ten second team selections Logan Jones at center and Gennings Dunker at right tackle.
Returning production, defense: 47 percent (per Bill Connelly/ESPN) (88th in the country)
Defensive outlook: Iowa’s defense continued to be a major strength last season, ranking 20th in the nation and eighth in the Big Ten with 318.4 yards per game allowed. The run defense finished 25th in the country, allowing just 115.3 yards per game; UI ranked 42nd in FBS giving up 203.1 pass yards per game. Iowa also tied for 17th in the nation with 24 takeaways last season.
The Hawkeyes have five defensive starters returning. Perhaps the most significant of that group is graduate student defensive end Ethan Hurkett, who led Iowa with 11.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles last season. Hurkett, along with defensive tackle Aaron Graves (six sacks, eight TFLs) and defensive end Max Llewellyn (5.5 sacks, eight TFLs) could form an imposing defensive front.
But Iowa had some turnover at linebacker and in the secondary. The team has three returning starters in the defensive backfield, but its two strongest DBs from last year in All-Big Ten third team picks Sebastian Castro and Jermari Harris are both gone. Additionally, the Hawkeyes lost first-team all-conference standout linebacker Jay Higgins. They’ll have some new faces in those spots this season.
Special teams outlook: Iowa’s special teams, overall, was one of the strongest units in the Big Ten last season. Sophomore punter Rhys Dakin and senior kicker Drew Stevens each earned third-team All-Big Ten honors last season, and both players are back for 2025. Stevens went 20 for 23 on field goals and 40 for 40 on extra points. Additionally, first-team all-conference return specialist Kaden Wetjen also returns; he averaged 12.6 yards per punt return with a touchdown last season, and he led the Big Ten by averaging 28 yards per kick return with a touchdown.
Overall Outlook: Iowa is still looking to capitalize on its consistency and take a bigger leap forward, like what Indiana did last season. But the Hawkeyes can only go so far if their offense remains such a weakness. They’ll be able to handle the teams they should beat, and they’re capable of making things interesting against nearly everyone on their schedule. But they will need offensive improvement to make that next step and hang with the best teams in the country. That said, this won’t be an easy game for the Hoosiers. This is their first road game of the season, and Iowa’s defense could make things hard for IU’s offense.
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