First Look: Iowa

Here’s an early look at Purdue’s sixth opponent of the 2023 season, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Time: Saturday, October 7, 3:30 p.m. E.T.

Location: Kinnick Stadium

Surface: Field Turf

Capacity: 69,250

2023 schedules/records: Purdue 2-3 (1-1 Big Ten), Iowa 4-1 (1-1 Big Ten)

Series notes: The Big Ten West rivals meet for the 94th time on Saturday, as Purdue leads the all-time series by a 50-40-3 advantage. Since Kirk Ferentz took over at Iowa in 1999, the Hawkeyes have won 12 of the 20 matchups. Purdue trails 21-22-2 in Iowa City, where it won in 2021 when Iowa entered the game ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. The Boilermakers and Hawkeyes, who were once protected rivals in the Big Ten “Leaders and Legends” divisional structure, played some epic games in recent memory, including a dramatic Purdue victory in Ross-Ade Stadium in 2018.

TV: Peacock (subscription required)

Early line: Iowa -4, O/U 36.5

STORYLINES TO WATCH

Iowa’s drive for 325

One of the nation’s most exciting storylines came when Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz received a re-structured contract ahead of this season. To keep his job in 2024, he needs Iowa to average 25 points per game this year, coming out to an average of 325 points over 13 games, including a bowl. To this point, the Iowa offense remains sluggish, as the Hawkeyes are behind the necessary pace for Ferentz to receive his extension.

Further factoring into this could be the health of quarterback Cade McNamara, who suffered an injury early in Saturday’s win over Michigan State. Should he miss time with an injury, the road to reaching the scoring goal gets tougher for Iowa.

Success in Iowa City

Purdue has won two of its last three games in Kinnick Stadium with major ramifications from the two victories. In 2017, Purdue entered Iowa City with a 4-6 record, needing a pair of wins to become bowl-eligible. The Boilermakers pulled off a surprising 24-15 win, highlighted by a big game from Anthony Mahoungou. The following week, Purdue defeated Indiana to earn a trip to the Foster Farms Bowl.

Only Purdue fans will remember the Boilermakers’ 24-7 win at Iowa in 2021. The Hawkeyes, ranked second in the nation, struggled to contain Purdue receiver David Bell and Purdue’s defense picked off four passes to spark the upset. At the end of the victory, the image of offensive lineman Greg Long drinking a beer on the field became etched in Purdue lore.

Hope for a bowl?

After Purdue’s win over Illinois, the Boilermakers sit at 2-3 with seven games remaining. In order to reach the six-win mark to clinch bowl eligibility, Purdue needs to finish the season strong. With very difficult matchups against Ohio State and Michigan still on the calendar, a win at Iowa would go a long way in helping Purdue reach six. Several teams in the Big Ten West appear pedestrian at best, so Purdue should have plenty of opportunities to win games outside of the two Goliaths.

Pro Football Focus on the Hawkeyes

• As one may expect, the Hawkeye offense doesn’t have tons of great grades. Even the run blocking, which has always seemed like a strength of Iowa, doesn’t grade too well
• Backup QB Deacon Hill, who finished last week’s game against Michigan State, grades lowly
• On the flip side, Iowa’s defensive grades jump off the charts. The starting cornerback tandem of Cooper DeJean and Sebastian Castro grade brilliantly.
• Starting safeties Xavier Nwankpa and Quinn Schulte jump off the charts, as well
• Really solid grades from the Iowa defense in tackling, reflecting the fundamentally-sound nature of the Hawkeyes’ program.

Ryan Walters On Iowa from Monday’s press conference

“Iowa is going to be Iowa. They have been since 1999 (the year Kirk Ferentz became the head coach). Some people out there (in Iowa) are upset about that, but the Iowa staff doesn’t care what anyone things because it is been a successful formula for them.”