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    IU football game day: Indiana at Iowa primer and prediction

    Mike SchumannBy IU Football No Comments
    Photo - Iowa Athletics

    Let’s take this show on the road, shall we?

    For the first time since December, IU football finds itself in unfriendly environs.

    And for the first time in a very, very long time, the Hoosiers are a road favorite at Iowa — a place they haven’t won since 2007.

    Here’s everything you need to know about Indiana’s week five matchup against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

    No. 11/12 INDIANA (4-0, 1-0) at IOWA (3-1, 1-0)

    • Kickoff:  3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
    • Location:  Iowa City, Iowa; Kinnick Stadium (69,250; field turf)
    • Stream:  Peacock (Paul Burmeister (pbp), Phil Simms (color), Caroline Pineda (sideline)
    • Radio:  IU Football radio network
    • Odds:  Indiana is around an 8.5-point favorite
    • Weather at kickoff:  86 degrees, sunny, wind 9 mph, 0% chance of precipitation.
    • Series:  Iowa leads the series 46-28-4.
    • The Coaches:
      • Curt Cignetti is in his second year as the head coach at IU.  He holds a 134-37 record in his 15th season as a college head coach.  He’s 15-2 at Indiana.
      • Kirk Ferentz is 207-125 in 27 years at Iowa.  He’s 219-146 in 30 years as a head coach.

    TALE OF THE TAPE 

    THE COMPLETE BIG TEN WEEK FIVE SLATE

    Image

    IOWA RESULTS

    Aug. 30 Albany W, 34-7
    Sept. 6 at Iowa State L, 13-16
    Sept. 13 UMass W, 47-7
    Sept. 19 at Rutgers W, 38-28

    IOWA NOTES AND NUMBERS

    (Via Iowa Athletics)

    • The Hawkeyes have won three straight, six of seven and eight of the last 10 games on Homecoming. Iowa is 10-5-1 all-time against Indiana on Homecoming, which includes a 45-29 victory in 2014.
    • Iowa’s defense is seventh nationally in rushing defense (60.8), 13th in total defense (233.5) and 24th in scoring defense (14.5). The Hawkeyes are also sixth in the NCAA in blocks (2).
    • Hidden yards… Iowa’s punt return unit is second nationally, averaging 31.22 yards per game, while the kickoff return unit is 16th (30.0). Kaden Wetjen is No. 1 in the nation in combined kick return yards (448).
    • Iowa scored 38 points in its Week 4 victory at Rutgers – the most points in a Big Ten road contest since finishing with 51 points at Maryland in 2021 (also a Friday night road contest).
    • Iowa is seeking its first victory over a ranked foe since defeating No. 4 Penn State, 23-20, on Oct. 9, 2021, in Kinnick Stadium.
    • Graduate Kaden Wetjen has a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown (Week 3 vs. UMass) and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (Week 4 at Rutgers) this season. He was the only player in the nation to accomplish the feat in 2024 and he did it again in 2025.
    • First-year Iowa starting QB Mark Gronowski won his 52nd career game in the Hawkeyes’ Week 4 road win at Rutgers, making him the winningest quarterback in NCAA history (all levels).
    • Gronowski rushed for three touchdowns at Rutgers – the most by a Hawkeye since Matt Rodgers in 1990 – and he has found the end zone in all four games, which is a first by an Iowa player since 1968.
    • Over his last two games, Gronowski has completed 28-of-42 attempts (66.7 percent) for 365 yards and two touchdowns. He has six rushing TDs this season – tied for fifth in the NCAA.
    • Iowa has started a different running back in each of the first four weeks of the 2025 season.

    THE SERIES
    • Iowa holds a 46-28-4 advantage in the series that began with a 13-6 Iowa victory in 1912. Iowa has won eight of the last nine meetings.
    • The Hawkeyes are 25-10-3 all-time, and have won four straight, against the Hoosiers in Iowa City. Indiana is making its second trip to Iowa City since 2014.
    • Iowa won the most recent game, 34-6, in the 2021 season opener. The Hoosiers were ranked 17th in the nation in the game.
    • Indiana’s last win in Iowa City was a 38-20 victory in 2007.

    HAWKEYES ON HOMECOMING
    Iowa has won 12 of its last 15 Homecoming games dating back to the 2009 season. The Hawkeyes are 63-44-5 all-time on Homecoming, including a 10-5-1 mark against Indiana.
    • Iowa beat the Hoosiers, 45-29, during Homecoming in 2014. Indiana beat the Hawkeyes, 22-17, to spoil the Homecoming festivities in 2007.
    • The Hawkeyes are 19-6 on Homecoming under head coach Kirk Ferentz.

    BALL CONTROL
    Iowa’s offense is averaging 32:14 in time of possession through the first four weeks of the 2025 season, which ranks 31st nationally. The unit is fueled by a rushing attack that averages 200.5 yards per game.
    • The Hawkeyes have three scoring drives that have surpassed eight minutes this season and three drives that have gone 16 plays.
    • In Week 2 at Iowa State, the Hawkeyes had 16-play scoring drives on consecutive possessions in the second and third quarters. The 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter was Iowa’s longest scoring drive (by plays) since the 2021 season (20 plays, 95 yards vs. Kent State).
    • The 16-play, 77-yard scoring drive in the third lasted 9:28. It is the longest scoring drive (by time) under Ferentz and Iowa’s first 9+ minute scoring drive since Nov. 1, 2003, against Illinois (18 plays, 77 yards, 9:06).
    • The 16-play drives are tied for the ninth longest in the nation this season and the 9:28 drive is sixth longest.

    ALONE AT THE TOP
    Kirk Ferentz is in his 27th season as Iowa’s head football coach. He is the longest tenured active head coach in college football and the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten Conference history. Ferentz won his 206th game as a member of the Big Ten on Sept. 13, 2025, against UMass, to pass Ohio State’s Woody Hayes atop the prestigious list. He currently has 207 career victories.
    • Ferentz has 129 Big Ten wins, which rank third all-time, trailing Hayes (153) and Michigan’s Bo Schembechler (143).

    MORE COVERAGE

    PREDICTIONS

    It’s difficult to imagine Indiana winning in last weekend’s dominant fashion.  Iowa should have enough talent and discipline to slow this game down and test the Hoosiers.  But IU has more firepower here, and they avoid the big mistakes that can burn teams on the road.

    TDH PREDICTION:  INDIANA 31  IOWA 20

    • ESPN SP+ (Computer):  Indiana 30 Iowa 21 (72% win probability)
    • ESPN FPI (Computer):  Indiana has a 78.4% chance to win.

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