Game Watch Week 4: Central Michigan Chippewas (1-1) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1)

Central Michigan Chippewas (1-1) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (2-1)

Saturday, September 22nd, 9:00am kickoff PST

TV: Big Ten Network

Come on down to Buckley’s on Queen Anne this Saturday morning and join the WWIC in watching the Hawkeyes play host to the Chippewas out of Central Michigan. It’s the first early morning (9am) start of the season which means great breakfast food and Hawkeye Bloody Mary’s at Buckley’s! Iowa leads the all-time series 2-0 against Central Michigan as they defeated CMU in 94 & 98, both gam

es were played in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes are looking to build off their interesting win against UNI. It looks like the offense is starting to come around with a “next man in approach” at running back and passing game where passes are finally completed. For those of you looking forward to seeing more of the hero of last week’s game fullback Mark Weisman, he’s listed as the starting running back this week with the other running backs still dinged up.

The Hawks defense continues to roll. They have yet to give up any points in the 4th quarter this season and have only allowed one second half touchdown in their first three games. The Hawkeyes rank 19th in the country in turnover margin (1.33), 23rd in total defense (294.0), 27th in pass defense (180.0), 28th in takeaways (6), 30th in red zone efficiency defense (.700), 32nd in pass defense efficiency (108.99) and 36th in rushing defense (114.0). Iowa has yielded 46 points through three games, which is the fewest a Hawkeye team has allowed the first three games since 2009 (36).

The Chippewas were off last weekend but started off the season beating Southeast Missouri State (38-27) and then losing to Michigan State (41-7). There’s not a lot of info on CMU out there yet and how they’ll match up with the Hawks, but I’ll post the Gazette’s match-ups later in the week on the event page.

Here’s to hoping the Hawkeyes continue to build momentum before Big Ten play opens up. Hope to see you Saturday and Go Hawks! 

Game Watch Week 3: Northern Iowa Panthers (1-1) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-1)

Saturday September 15th @ 12:42 p.m. PST

TV:  Big Ten Network

Come on down to Buckley’s on Queen Anne this Saturday to watch the Hawkeyes play host to the second straight in-state rival, the Northern Iowa Panthers. These two teams have a long history. After falling to UNI in 1898 in the very first meeting, Iowa has won the last 14 meetings, including a 17-16 triumph in the last meeting (2009) in Iowa City. 

The Hawkeyes look to shake off a tough loss against ISU. I could go on and on about the frustrating offense, but hey, our defense has been outstanding in the first two games. The Hawkeyes rank 13th in the country in red zone efficiency defense (0.57), 14th in pass defense (147.5), 18th in turnover margin (+3), 19th in takeaways (5), 20th in total defense (271.5), 25th in scoring defense (13.0), and 26th in tackles for loss (8). Let’s hope the offense catches up soon. 

UNI comes into this game ranked seventh in the FCS and very confident after blowing out Division II Central State this past weekend 59-0. Week 1 they came very close to upsetting Wisconsin in Camp Randall, 26-21. This Gazette article has some good notes and quotes on the Panthers: http://thegazette.com/2012/09/10/farley-feels-shift-in-expectations-vs-iowabig-ten/ 

Should be a closer game than what we’d typically expect against UNI, but it’s at home, it’s “Be Bold, Wear Gold” day at Kinnick, and the Hawks have plenty to be fired up about! Hope to see you Saturday and Go Hawks!Come on down to Buckley’s on Queen Anne this Saturday to watch the Hawkeyes play host to the second straight in-state rival, the Northern Iowa Panthers. These two teams have a long history. After falling to UNI in 1898 in the very first meeting, Iowa has won the last 14 meetings, including a 17-16 triumph in the last meeting (2009) in Iowa City. 

The Hawkeyes look to shake off a tough loss against ISU. I could go on and on about the frustrating offense, but hey, our defense has been outstanding in the first two games. The Hawkeyes rank 13th in the country in red zone efficiency defense (0.57), 14th in pass defense (147.5), 18th in turnover margin (+3), 19th in takeaways (5), 20th in total defense (271.5), 25th in scoring defense (13.0), and 26th in tackles for loss (8). Let’s hope the offense catches up soon. 

UNI comes into this game ranked seventh in the FCS and very confident after blowing out Division II Central State this past weekend 59-0. Week 1 they came very close to upsetting Wisconsin in Camp Randall, 26-21. This Gazette article has some good notes and quotes on the Panthers: http://thegazette.com/2012/09/10/farley-feels-shift-in-expectations-vs-iowabig-ten/ 

Should be a closer game than what we’d typically expect against UNI, but it’s at home, it’s “Be Bold, Wear Gold” day at Kinnick, and the Hawks have plenty to be fired up about! Hope to see you Saturday and Go Hawks!

Game Watch Week 2: Iowa State Cyclones (1-0, 0-0)

Iowa State Cyclones (1-0, 0-0) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0, 0-0)  Saturday, September 8th, 12:42pm kickoff PST TV: Big Ten Network  Rivalry week is upon us! Come on down to Buckley’s on QA this Saturday to watch the Hawkeyes host in-state rival Iowa State. Saturday's game will mark the 60th game in the series in which Iowa holds a 39-20 advantage. The Hawkeyes have won 21 of the last 29 meetings, including three of the last four, four of the last six and six of the last nine. Iowa has also won the last four meetings against Iowa City.  Both the Hawks & Clones are coming off Week 1 performances where they had to come from behind to win the game. Iowa scored nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter to complete an 18-17 comeback win over Northern Illinois at Soldier Field and Iowa State rallied from a 16-7 deficit to post a 38-23 win over Tulsa last Saturday in Ames.  Iowa will be wearing throwback uniforms Saturday in honor of the 1921 and 1922 Hawkeye teams. Here’s a link to check them out: http://thegazette.com/2012/06/26/throwback-or-throw-it-back-iowas-jersey-for-this-years-iowa-state-game-circa-1921-22/.  With good reason the Hawks aren’t too pleased about the way they’ve performed in recent rivalry games. Here’s a good read on Iowa using a little bulletin board material:http://thegazette.com/2012/09/04/iowa-goes-moto/ Thanks to everyone who came out over the busy Labor Day weekend for the last game watch and we look forward to seeing more smiling faces this Saturday! Go Hawks!

Game Watch Week 1: Northern Illinois

Game Watch Week 1:  Northern Illinois - Saturday, September 1, 2012 @ 12:30 p.m. @ Buckley's on Queen Anne.

TV:  ESPNU

2nd Annual BIG Conference Football Season Kick-off Happy Hour

2nd Annual BIG Conference Football Season Kick-Off Happy Hour - Thursday, August 30th @ 5:00 p.m. at Buckley's In Belltown.

NIT First Round Game Watch - Dayton Flyers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Where: Buckley's on Queen Anne

When: Tuesday, March 12, 2012 @ 4:30 p.m. (PST)

Network: ESPN

Insight Bowl Game Watch: Oklahoma Sooners

Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5, 4-4) @ Oklahoma Sooners (9-3, 6-3)

Friday, December 30th, 7:00pm kickoff PST

TV: ESPN

Happy Holidays Hawk fans! I can’t think of a better way to kick off New Year’s Eve weekend than watching the Hawkeyes in a primetime Friday night football game at Buckley’s on Queen Anne with the WWIC. It’s deja vu for the Hawks as they’re heading back to the Insight Bowl in Tempe, AZ for the second straight season. This year they’ll face another top ranked Big 12 team, the Oklahoma Sooners.

As we’ve done at past bowl game watches, we will be holding a 50/50 raffle to raise funds for club events. Tickets will be available for the following: 1 ticket for $5, 5 tickets for $10, and 15 tickets for $20. The usual half-time raffle will still also take place. Thanks in advance for your support.

There are a lot of questions going into this game for both teams. Big news this week coming out of Iowa City is that running back Marcus Coker (MVP of last year’s Insight Bowl) has been suspended for this game after violating the university's student-athlete code of conduct. In coaching news, defensive line coach Rick Kaczenski will not be coaching in the bowl game as he’s leaving the Hawks for Nebraska. And finally, long time defensive coordinator Norm Parker has announced his retirement and that the bowl game will be his final game as defensive coordinator. Let’s hope the defense plays out of their minds in honor of Norm.

The biggest question for the Sooners is will they be inspired to play in this game? They started off the year as the #1 team in the nation with dreams of a national championship. Their losses this season came against Texas Tech, Baylor, and rival Oklahoma State the last weekend of the season. The loss to OSU was their worst loss against the Cowboys since 1945. Mix in a couple of key injuries and nobody is sure what Sooners team is going to show up for the game.

**Random Insight Bowl Game Notes**

• The Hawkeyes and Sooners haven’t faced each other since September 15th, 1979, when Oklahoma won 21-6 against an Iowa squad with a defensive back named Bob Stoops, now the Sooners’ head coach.

• Iowa will wear white jerseys and be on the West bench, which is the opposite of last year against Mizzou.

• Texas Tech, which defeated Oklahoma in Norman, was 1-7 against the rest of the Big 12. Minnesota, which defeated Iowa in Minneapolis, was 1-6 against the rest of the Big Ten.

• Oklahoma has allowed only nine quarterback sacks. That’s one sack for every 62 passes.

• Iowa is just one of four programs in the country with a three-game winning streak in bowls.

Wishing all a safe and merry holiday season and hope to see you next Friday. Go Hawks!