Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-0) @ Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-0)
Saturday, October 8th , 12:30pm kickoff PST
TV: ABC or ESPN (check regional coverage)
Come on down to Buckley’s on Queen Anne this Saturday and join the WWIC in watching the Hawkeyes travel to Penn State to open the Big Ten season. I know everyone is craving some Hawkeye football after the bye week and this one should be a great game with Beaver Stadium and it...s 107,000 rowdy fans providing the atmosphere. Hopefully the bye week won’t slow down Iowa ’s recently explosive offense and has given the defense more time to continually improve.
Iowa has been the thorn in the side of Penn State recently winning the last 3 meetings, and 8 out of the last 9. It hasn’t come without some memorable moments, such as the comeback wins of 2008 & 2009. And who can forget the thrilling 6-4 victory in 2004.
Nobody is sure what to expect of the Nittany Lions this weekend. They are coming off a lackluster performance in their win at Indiana this past Saturday. In five trips into the red zone PSU didn’t score a single touchdown, they had three field goals, and two turnovers. But they still managed to win the game behind their defense, which ranks 5th nationally in total defense.
**Fun fact from the archives. In every season that Iowa started 3-1 in the Fry/Ferentz era, Iowa has gone on to at least 7 wins and a bowl game. Below are the seasons where Iowa started 3-1, the final record, and the bowl game.
1981: 8-4 – Rose Bowl
1983: 9-3 – Gator Bowl
1987: 10-3 – Holiday Bowl
1990: 8-4 – Rose Bowl
1991: 10-1-1 – Holiday Bowl
1996: 9-3 – Alamo Bowl
2001: 7-5 – Alamo Bowl
2002: 11-2 – Orange Bowl
2008: 9-4 – Outback Bowl
2010: 8-5 – Insight Bowl
Hope to see you Saturday and Go Hawks!
