It's that time of year again, Western Washington Hawkeyes! Time to break out the black and gold and head to Buckleys on Queen Anne for another season of Hawkeye football, halftime raffle drawings, and catching up with fellow Hawk fans. Iowa kicks the season off in 2013 against Northern Illinois, a team Iowa defeated 18-17 in Soldier Field last year but ran the table the rest of the way to earn an improbable BCS bowl birth. They return star quarterback Jordan Lynch, a dual threat quarterback who rushed for 1,800 yards and threw for over 3,000, but had to replace their entire offensive line, as well as their head coach Dave Doeren, who left NIU to coach at North Carolina State this year.
Hopes are high for a bowl birth this year after a disappointing 4-8 season in 2012. Iowa retains their head coach Kirk Ferentz, but are replacing their quarterback this year. Sophomore Jake Rudock was recently announced as the starting quarterback, replacing departing senior James Vandenberg, who is now on the Minnesota Vikings roster. The Hawkeyes also return a large chunk of their backfield, with juniors Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock leading the charge. Freshman running back LeShun Daniels has also been turning heads, and may be a guy to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Something to keep in eye on at Kinnick Stadium this year is the addition of the Ring of Honor, to honor some of the greatest Hawkeyes of years past. The Cedar Rapids Gazette has a good write-up on it if you care to read more -
http://thegazette.com/2013/08/21/ring-of-honor-at-kinnick-is-a-great-addition/
Kickoff is at 12:30 Seattle time. Enjoy the game, whether you are at Buckleys or not, and Go Hawkeyes!
