Game preview: IU football travels to Iowa City for first road game
- Josh Pos
- 1h ago
After four consecutive home games to begin the season, Indiana football hits the road to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Saturday afternoon.
The Hoosiers are fresh off a 63-10 thrashing of No. 9 Illinois in primetime. Also coming off a victory are the Hawkeyes, who traveled to Piscataway and beat Rutgers 38-28 last week.
Following the victory, Indiana jumped eight spots to No. 11 in the most recent AP Poll.
Ahead of Saturday’s game under the lights, here is Inside the Hall’s preview of the afternoon tilt between the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes.
Game information
Who: No. 11 Indiana (4-0, 1-0 in Big Ten) at Iowa (3-1, 1-0 in Big Ten)
Where: Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium
When: Saturday, September 26th, 2025. 3:30 p.m. EST
TV: Peacock, Paul Burmeister (Play-By-Play), Phil Simms (Analyst), Caroline Pineda (Sideline)
Radio: Don Fischer (Play-By-Play), Buck Suhr (Analyst)
The line: Indiana -8.5, Over/Under 47.5 (DraftKings)
SP+ prediction: Indiana 30, Iowa 21 (72 percent chance of an IU win)
Meet the opponent
Earlier this season, Kirk Ferentz became the winningest coach in Big Ten history, passing Woody Hayes with 206 career victories at Iowa.
In his 27th season in Iowa City, Ferentz is a Big Ten staple. Known for defense and smashmouth football, the Hawkeyes have been wildly successful since he took over for Hayden Fry.
The Hawkeyes are off to a decent start this season with a 3-1 record. Their lone blemish was a 16-13 loss on the road against in-state rival Iowa State.
Led by South Dakota State transfer quarterback Mark Gronowski, Iowa continues its tradition of running the football. The FCS transfer has completed 49 passes for only 492 yards and three touchdowns this season.
As a team, Iowa has rushed for 200 yards per game and has averaged 33 points per contest.
For the most part, the Hawkeye defense has been stout. The run defense has been phenomenal, allowing just 66.7 yards per game, which ranks 10th nationally.
Similar to Indiana, the secondary has been a source of concern lately. The Hawkeyes allowed 300 yards passing against a mediocre Rutgers offense.
Injury Update
Curt Cignetti announced last week that running back Lee Beebe Jr. is officially out for the rest of the season after suffering a non-contact knee injury in the Week 3 victory over Indiana State.
Byron Baldwin Jr. remains day-to-day and his status remains uncertain.
The required Big Ten availability report will be released two hours before kickoff, at 1:30 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Storylines
Can Indiana quiet a raucous crowd early?
Kinnick Stadium has a rich history of being one of the hardest places to play, not only in the Big Ten, but in the country.
With IU playing in its first road game of the season, the noise has the potential to be a monumental factor early in the game. In its two home games this season, Iowa is 2-0 with a +67 point differential.
The Indiana offense struggled to move the football in its first possessions last week against Illinois. IU eventually figured it out, scoring a touchdown in each of its full possessions in the final three quarters.
Coming out of the gates slowly will only add fuel to the Kinnick fire, allowing the Hawkeye defense confidence and momentum. An opening drive that ends in points will go a long way towards a victory on Saturday afternoon.
Will Mendoza and the offense expose the Iowa secondary?
Fernando Mendoza had his coming-out party last weekend, completing 21-of-23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns.
His all-around dominance against a highly-touted Illinois offense put the nation on notice and has since become the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman.
With the secondary being Iowa’s Achilles heel, Mendoza has an opportunity to have another big game.
Last week, Rutgers quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 330 yards, picking apart the Hawkeye secondary throughout.
Mendoza has proven on a big stage that he is capable of dominating formidable defenses. If he can pick up where he left off last weekend, Indiana could leave Iowa City with a victory.
Can Indiana put together a full 60-minute effort on the road?
Similar to last season, Indiana has been dominant in the game’s first three quarters, so the fourth becomes academic.
This weekend may be different.
Iowa is rarely blown out, especially at home and the Hawkeyes will give the Hoosiers all they can handle.
Indiana will need to stay mentally sharp for a whole 60-minute battle. Until proven otherwise, there’s no reason to doubt Cignetti and his staff’s preparation. However, if IU slips up, Iowa will capitalize on the mistakes and turn it into a game.
“The thing about Iowa in general, they will not beat themselves,” Cignetti said Monday. “You will have to beat them. They’re not going to beat themselves and they play really well at home.”
Outlook
Some in the national media have flipped their narrative about Indiana following the victory against Illinois.
There has been a lot of chatter about how good Indiana actually is, although it wasn’t much of a surprise to those who have actually watched IU this season.
A higher ranking in the polls puts even more of a target on the backs of the Hoosiers.
Kinnick Stadium will be rocking this weekend with Iowa’s homecoming, making it difficult for the IU offense.
That said, the game is played between the white lines and Indiana is a better team than Iowa. This game will be close early, but Indiana should be able to pull away and win comfortably.
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