Iowa City Today

Iowa will begin its Big Ten Conference schedule with a road game against Rutgers on Friday, September 19 at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Hawkeyes enter the matchup with a 2-1 record, while Rutgers is undefeated at 3-0. Kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. Central Time and the game will be broadcast on FOX and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

This contest marks Iowa’s third night game in the opening month of the season. The team’s last win in a road night game came during the Big Ten opener at Minnesota in 2024. Last season, Iowa had a 1-2 record in road night games.

Through three games, Iowa’s defense has been among the top units nationally, ranking third in total defense (178 yards per game), sixth in rushing defense (57.7 yards per game), and fourteenth in scoring defense (10 points per game). The Hawkeyes have allowed only one touchdown in each of their first three games and have held two opponents under 200 total yards.

Graduate student Kaden Wetjen was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a punt 95 yards for a touchdown against UMass. This return tied both a conference and school record and was the longest ever at Kinnick Stadium. Wetjen accumulated 182 punt return yards during that game, which is fourth-most in Big Ten history.

First-year starting quarterback Mark Gronowski reached his 51st career win as a starter with Iowa’s victory over UMass, surpassing Boise State’s Kellen Moore for most wins by an FCS or FBS quarterback and tying Cullen Finnerty of Grand Valley State across all NCAA divisions. In that win, Gronowski completed 16-of-24 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns—a season high—and led an offense that posted a season-best 422 total yards and scored 47 points under second-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

The Hawkeye offense has gone over 400 total yards four times since Lester took over as coordinator, remaining undefeated when reaching that mark. Their rushing attack ranks sixth in the Big Ten and thirtieth nationally at 214 yards per game, with five different players having rushed for more than 70 yards so far this season.

On defense, Iowa limited UAlbany to just 177 total yards—including only 33 after halftime—in its opener. Against Iowa State, they allowed just 238 yards to an opponent that had averaged nearly double that output previously this year. Versus UMass, Iowa surrendered only eight first downs and allowed just 119 total yards—the fewest since holding Maryland to 115 in 2018.

Senior defensive end Max Llewellyn leads the team with four tackles for loss and three sacks this season after recording career highs against UMass. Graduate linebackers Jaden Harrell and Karson Sharar are first and second on the team in tackles; both set personal bests against Iowa State earlier this year.

Wetjen became the first player in program history to score touchdowns via rushing, receiving, punt return, and kickoff return during his career following his Week 3 performance against UMass.

Senior wide receiver Seth Anderson caught two touchdown passes in the first quarter versus UMass—his second career multi-touchdown game—becoming the first Hawkeye to catch two scores in an opening quarter since Maurice Brown did so against Akron in 2002.

Senior kicker Drew Stevens moved into third place on Iowa's all-time field goals list after converting twice against UAlbany to open the season; he now has made sixty field goals as a Hawkeye. Stevens is also eleventh nationally (third among Big Ten kickers) averaging two field goals per game this year. He holds several school records including ten makes from beyond fifty yards.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz continues his tenure as college football's longest-serving active head coach and recently became the winningest coach in Big Ten history with his victory over UMass on September 13—his 206th conference win—surpassing Woody Hayes’ previous mark. Ferentz also has ten bowl victories as a member of the conference, tying Joe Paterno for most all-time among Big Ten coaches.