Saturday, Sept. 1 -- 3:30 p.m. ET
Kinnick Stadium -- Iowa City, IA
Kinnick Stadium -- Iowa City, IA
Neither team will forget the last time Northern Illinois visited Iowa. Mathew Sims hit a 36-yard field goal with four seconds left to complete a late comeback as the Huskies edged Iowa 30-27.
Northern Illinois went on to a monster season that included an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third in the Heisman voting, and while he is now a part of Huskie history, NIU has a promising quarterback to lead them against Iowa in the latest matchup. Marcus Childers became the first Huskie in 32 yards to be named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2017 while breaking the school record for total offense yards by a freshman.
Northern Illinois went on to a monster season that included an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third in the Heisman voting, and while he is now a part of Huskie history, NIU has a promising quarterback to lead them against Iowa in the latest matchup. Marcus Childers became the first Huskie in 32 yards to be named MAC Freshman of the Year in 2017 while breaking the school record for total offense yards by a freshman.
For its part, Iowa has a pretty good quarterback of its own. Junior Nate Stanley threw for 2,437 yards and 26 touchdowns (6 INTs) last season. Five of his TDs came against Ohio State as Iowa shocked the Buckeyes 55-24 last November.
The elation was relatively short-lived, however, as Iowa lost its next two (Wisconsin away and Purdue at home).
After finishing 8-5, the Hawkeyes are focused on consistency. The first test, obviously, is the first game. However, Iowa will be well award of the Huskies bite, evidence of which includes:
MORE ON IOWA . . .
➤➤ Various media outlet polls picked Wisconsin to win the Big 10 West, but the Hawkeyes got a lot of love and could challenge. They lost to UW by a 38-14 count last year, but the Hawkeyes get Wisconsin in Iowa City Sept. 22.
➤➤ Head coach Kirk Feretz is entering his 20th year at the helm, and a hallmark of his teams has been offenssive line play. This year should be no exception, with a talented group up front despite the departure of James Daniels and Sean Welsh.
➤➤ Sophomore running back Akrum Wadley is gone, but Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin should find more than a few holes to run through as they step into bigger roles.
➤➤ Junior tight ends Noah Fant and sophomore T.J. Hockenson combined for 14 TDs and typically are matchup problems for opposing defenses.
➤➤ Iowa struggled with consistency on offense last year. Stanley could help solve that with a better pass completion percentage, but the Hawkeyes are thin at wide receiver Nick Easley (51 catche, 530 yards, 4 TDs) leads that group.
➤➤ The Hawks ranked 17th among FBS teams in scoring defense last year.
➤➤ As with the offense, Iowa boasts a very strong front on the defensive side.
➤➤ First Team All-Big Ten selections Josey Jewell,(linebacker) and Josh Jackson (cornerback) gone, but Iowa has pieces to fill in nicely. There will be pressure from ends Anthony Nelson and Parker hesse. Safety Amani Hooker can be a playmaker. In short, there don’t seem to be easy paths through or over the Hawkeye defense.
IOWA OVERVIEW
The Hawkeyes defense should be solid. The question is can Iowa generate enough of a passing game to keep drives moving to touchdowns. With defense being a Northern Illinois strength, it will be a test for both programs.
The elation was relatively short-lived, however, as Iowa lost its next two (Wisconsin away and Purdue at home).
After finishing 8-5, the Hawkeyes are focused on consistency. The first test, obviously, is the first game. However, Iowa will be well award of the Huskies bite, evidence of which includes:
- the 2013 home loss to NIU
- Huskie head coach Rod Carey’s 4-1 record against Big 10 teams.
- NIU has won three of its last five season openers. Even the losses were close -- three points at home to Boston College and six points at Wyoming (triple overtime).
MORE ON IOWA . . .
➤➤ Various media outlet polls picked Wisconsin to win the Big 10 West, but the Hawkeyes got a lot of love and could challenge. They lost to UW by a 38-14 count last year, but the Hawkeyes get Wisconsin in Iowa City Sept. 22.
➤➤ Head coach Kirk Feretz is entering his 20th year at the helm, and a hallmark of his teams has been offenssive line play. This year should be no exception, with a talented group up front despite the departure of James Daniels and Sean Welsh.
➤➤ Sophomore running back Akrum Wadley is gone, but Toren Young and Ivory Kelly-Martin should find more than a few holes to run through as they step into bigger roles.
➤➤ Junior tight ends Noah Fant and sophomore T.J. Hockenson combined for 14 TDs and typically are matchup problems for opposing defenses.
➤➤ Iowa struggled with consistency on offense last year. Stanley could help solve that with a better pass completion percentage, but the Hawkeyes are thin at wide receiver Nick Easley (51 catche, 530 yards, 4 TDs) leads that group.
➤➤ The Hawks ranked 17th among FBS teams in scoring defense last year.
➤➤ As with the offense, Iowa boasts a very strong front on the defensive side.
➤➤ First Team All-Big Ten selections Josey Jewell,(linebacker) and Josh Jackson (cornerback) gone, but Iowa has pieces to fill in nicely. There will be pressure from ends Anthony Nelson and Parker hesse. Safety Amani Hooker can be a playmaker. In short, there don’t seem to be easy paths through or over the Hawkeye defense.
IOWA OVERVIEW
The Hawkeyes defense should be solid. The question is can Iowa generate enough of a passing game to keep drives moving to touchdowns. With defense being a Northern Illinois strength, it will be a test for both programs.
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