Game Notes: Iowa vs. Minnesota

1: Iowa has won 12 of the last 16 meetings in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale. The Hawkeyes have won the last seven games played in Iowa City.  
 
2: LB Josey Jewell leads the Big Ten with 70 tackles. Jewell missed the Northwestern game due to injury. The DNP snapped a streak of 37 consecutive starts. Jewell’s 11.7 tackles per game leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country.
 
3: QB Nate Stanley has a 160.8 passing efficiency in the fourth quarter and overtime (28-49//432 yards//5 TDs//1 INT). Iowa has outscored its opponents 73-23 in the fourth quarter.  Iowa scored points in the final two minutes to tie the game or take the lead against Iowa State, Penn State and Northwestern.
 
4: DB JoshJackson leads the Big Ten in passes defended (13) and passes broken up (11). He is tied for fourth with two interceptions. He was added to the Bednarik Award watch list on Oct. 6.
 
5: DE Anthony Nelson ranks third in the Big Ten with five sacks (25 yards). Nelson had six sacks as a freshman last season, second best on the team.
 
6: Injuries to senior tackles Ike Boettger and Boone Myers have cleared the depth chart for redshirt freshman LT AlaricJackson and freshman RT Tristan Wirfs. Jackson has started every game this season at left tackle. Wirfs has started the last two games at right tackle. He is the first true freshman in Ferentz’s 19 seasons to start at offensive tackle.
 
7: WR Matt VandeBerg has a reception in 26 consecutive games played. He has 124 career receptions, 11th most in program history. He has 1,578 career receiving yards, 18th in program history. He is 11 yards from passing Ed Hinkel in receiving yards, and three receptions from moving ahead of Marv Cook and into the all-time top 10 in receptions.
 
8: RB Akrum Wadley has 29 career touchdowns. He is three scores from moving into the top five and tying Tim Dwight (32) and Ronnie Harmon (32). Wadley averages 7.6 yards per carry (23-175) in two career games against Minnesota. He scored the game-winning touchdown in 2016 (54 yards).  
 
9: Iowa’s starting linebackers have a combined 104 career starts: Josey Jewell (37), Ben Niemann (34), and Bo Bower (33). They rank one, two, and three on the team in tackles. 
 
10: Iowa’s three losses have been decided by one possession, and two have come down to the game’s final play. Since 2014, Iowa is 31-12 in the regular season, and 10 of those 12 losses have been decided by one possession. Since 2014, Iowa is 12-10 in games decided by one possession.
 
     HAWKEYE HISTORY
     Iowa has played 1,227 games since beginning football in 1889. Iowa’s overall record is 637-551-39 (.535). That includes a 398-218-16 (.643) record in home games, a 239-333-23 (.422) record in games away from Iowa City, a 321-372-25 (.464) mark in Big Ten games and a 282-183-15 (.607) record in Kinnick Stadium.
 
     FINISH STRONG
     Iowa has outscored its opponents 73-23 in the fourth quarter. Iowa has outscored its opponent in the fourth quarter in six of seven games (Northwestern, 3-3). QB Nate Stanley has a 160.8 passing efficiency in the fourth quarter and overtime. The numbers include 28 completions in 49 attempts for 432 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Iowa scored points in the final two minutes to tie the game or take the lead against Iowa State, Penn State and Northwestern.
    
     STANLEY MAKING HISTORY
     QB Nate Stanley has 16 touchdown passes, second in the Big Ten and tied for 17th in the nation. Stanley threw 12 touchdowns in the first four games of the season, becoming the first quarterback in program history to throw 12 touchdown passes in their first four starts. The four-game stretch was Iowa’s best since Chuck Hartlieb threw 12 touchdowns over a four-game stretch in 1987. Chuck Long threw 14 touchdowns in the first four games in 1985.
     Stanley threw three touchdowns in his first career start Week 1. The last quarterback to do that was Ricky Stanzi (3, vs. Florida Atlantic in 2008). Since, 1999, the only other quarterback to throw three or more touchdowns in his first career start under Ferentz was Jon Beutjer (4, at Indiana in 2000).  
     Stanley threw for five touchdowns and 333 yards against Iowa State in Week 2, becoming the first Iowa quarterback with 300-plus passing yards and five-plus touchdown passes since Chuck Hartlieb vs. Northwestern in 1987.
     After a slow start in the home loss to Penn State, Stanley completed 12 of his final 14 pass attempts, while also leading Iowa on a three-play, 80-yard scoring drive to take a 19-15 advantage in the final two minutes.
 
     FERENTZ AMONG B1G LEADERS, CLOSING ON FRY
     Kirk Ferentz has 139 overall wins and 83 Big Ten wins as Iowa’s head coach. The 83 conference wins rank sixth among the conference’s all-time winningest coaches in Big Ten games.
     Ferentz’s 139 wins in all games coached as a member of the Big Ten Conference rank sixth in league history and second all-time at Iowa. He is four wins from tying Hayden Fry as the Hawkeyes’ all-time winningest football coach.
     Both Ferentz (139, 83) and Fry (143, 96) rank in the top seven in overall wins and Big Ten wins. Only Iowa and Michigan have two coaches ranked in the top 10 of both win categories (Bo Schembechler 194, 143; and Lloyd Carr 122, 81).
  
     IN THE RANKINGS
     Iowa’s 2017 schedule includes five schools currently ranked in the AP top 25. The Hawkeyes lost at home to then-No. 4 Penn State, 21-19, on Sept. 23. The Nittany Lions are now No. 2 in the country. Iowa State (W, 44-41 OT on Sept. 9) and Michigan State (L, 17-10 on Sept. 30) were unranked when they played the Hawkeyes, but both schools are now in the AP top 25. Iowa State is No. 25, and Michigan State is No. 16.
     The Hawkeyes final five regular season games includes a home contest against No. 6 Ohio State (11/4), and a road trip to No. 5 Wisconsin (11/11).
     The Hawkeyes first seven opponents have a combined record of 32-17. Their final five opponents have a combined record of 23-12.

     REINVENTING THE STADIUM WAVE
      In a tradition that started at the University of Iowa football team’s season opener in 2017, fans inside Kinnick Stadium and patients and families inside the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital exchange waves at the end of the first quarter of each home game.
      The UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital opened in 2017. It is connected to the south end of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and overlooks Kinnick Stadium from the southwest grandstands. During Iowa football home games, patients and their families can watch the game from the top floor (Level 12), one of the highest vantage points in Iowa City.
      The wave highlights the relationship between the football team and the hospital. The Hawkeyes’ “Touchdowns for Kids” campaign has long been a fundraiser and during every game, a “Kid Captain” from the hospital receives special recognition from the Hawkeye football program.
 
     398 AND COUNTING
     The Hawkeyes have won 398 games at home since becoming a varsity football team in 1889. The Hawkeyes are 398-218-16 at home, including a 116-35-1 mark at Iowa Field and a 282-183-15 record at Kinnick Stadium.
     Iowa’s first win at home was 64-6 victory vs. Cornell in 1891 at Iowa Field.
     Kinnick Stadium opened in 1929 as Iowa Stadium. It was renamed Kinnick Stadium in 1972 in honor of 1939 Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick. Prior to 1929 Iowa played its home games at Iowa Field, located on the east bank of the Iowa River (now a parking lot between the English Philosophy Building and UI Main Library).
 
     HAWKEYES AT HOME                                                              
     Iowa Field (1890-1928)                              116-35-1
     Kinnick Stadium (1929-present)           282-183-15
     TOTAL                                                              398-218-16         
 
     TACKLE BY JOSEY JEWELL
     LB Josey Jewell leads the Big Ten and ranks with 70 tackles. Jewell missed the Northwestern game due to injury. The DNP snapped a streak of 37 consecutive starts.
     Jewell’s 11.7 tackles per game leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the country. His 9.5 tackles-for-loss (39 yards) ranks second in the Big Ten. He matched his career high with 16 vs. Penn State and 16 at Michigan State. Jewell has 42 tackles over his last three games played.
     Jewell has led the team in tackles in each of the last two seasons (126 in 2015, 124 in 2016). His 2017 totals include 2.5 sacks (24 yards), 9.5 tackles for loss, six pass break-ups, and one interception.
     Jewell has 371 career tackles, eighth all-time in program history. He has 17 career games with double digit tackles.
     Jewell was named Walter Camp, Lott IMPACT, and Bednarik Award national and Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa’s 24-3 win over Wyoming on Sept. 2. Jewell led Iowa with 14 tackles, including seven solo stops.
     Jewell was named Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week, Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik Award, and College Sports Madness Defensive Player of the Week following his performance vs. No. 4 Penn State.  He matched his career best with 16 tackles, including 11 solo stops.  He added three tackles for loss, two pass break-ups, and a recovered fumble.  His fifth career interception and 33-yard return in the second quarter led to Iowa’s first touchdown of the game.
     Jewell was recently named midseason first team All-American by five media outlets, including Associated Press, ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, Sporting News, and The All-American.
 
    FLOYD OF ROSEDALE
    As a result of a bet between the governors of the two states in 1935, possession of Floyd of Rosedale is at stake Saturday.  The trophy is currently in possession of Iowa.  Minnesota holds a 42-38-2 advantage in the series with Floyd of Rosedale on the line. Iowa has won 12 of the last 16 meetings.
        The Floyd of Rosedale contest is one of four trophy games on Iowa’s 2017 schedule. The Hawkeyes defended the Cy-Hawk trophy with a 44-41 overtime win at Iowa State on Sept. 9. They’ll defend the Heroes Trophy on Nov. 24 at Nebraska, and try to regain possession of the Heartland Trophy at Wisconsin on Nov. 11.
 
    THE SERIES
    Saturday will be the 111th meeting between Iowa and Minnesota. Minnesota holds a 62-46-2 advantage in a series that began with a 42-4 Gopher victory in 1891. The Golden Gophers won the first 12 games in the series before Iowa earned a 6-0 win in 1918. Iowa has won 12 of the last 16 meetings, and is 29-23-1 in games played in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes have won the last seven games played in Iowa City.
 
     POCKET PRESSURE
     Sophomore DE Anthony Nelson ranks third in the Big Ten with five sacks (25 yards). Nelson had six sacks as a freshman last season, second best on the team. True freshman A.J. Epenesa is tied for second on the team with 2.5 sacks, and leads the team with six quarterback hurries.
 
     WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
     Junior DB Josh Jackson and sophomore FS Amani Hooker have stepped up to lead a secondary that lost two members to the NFL (Desmond King, Chargers; Greg Mabin, Bills/49ers).
     Jackson has started all seven games this season at defensive back and leads the Big Ten in passes defended (13) and passes broken up (11). He is tied for fourth with two interceptions. He was added to the Bednarik Award watch list on Oct. 6.
     Hooker made his first career start Week 4 against Penn State and recorded a career-high 13 tackles. He had five tackles in his second career start at Michigan State. He has 34 tackles this season, fourth on the team. He recorded his first career interception Week 6 against Illinois.
 
     BRANDON SNYDER CAMEO APPEARANCE
     Six months after suffering an ACL injury during spring camp, FS Brandon Snyder returned the lineup on Oct. 7 to help Iowa defeat Illinois, 45-16. Snyder started the contest and contributed with three tackles, two pass breakups, and one interception, an 89-yard pick six that halted Illinois’ go-ahead touchdown drive.
     The 89-yard interception return for a touchdown ties for the sixth longest in school history and is Iowa’s longest play this season. Iowa has had at least one pick-six every year since 2009.
     Snyder was sidelined again against Northwestern due to injury.
 
     WADLEY PURSUES RARE FEAT
     Senior RB Akrum Wadley has 573 yards rushing in 2017. He rushed for 1,081 yards in 2016, and with another 1,000-yard campaign he could become the fourth Hawkeye in program history to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and the first since Fred Russell went back-to-back in 2002 (1,355) and 2003 (1,264). The other Hawkeyes with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons include Sedrick Shaw (1,002 in 1994, 1,477 in 1995, 1,116 in 1996) and Ladell Betts (1,090 in 2000 and 1,060 in 2001). 
 
     WADLEY MOVING UP THE CHARTS
     RB Akrum Wadley is one of 15 players in program history to rush for 2,000 career yards. He has 429 career carries for 2,336 rushing yards, ninth all-time.
     Wadley has 22 career rushing touchdowns, tying for seventh all-time, and 29 career touchdown, sixth all-time, and 174 career points, 13th all-time.
     Wadley has 3,107 career all-purpose yards, 14th most in program history (2,336 rush, 671 receiving, 100 KO returns). He is averaging 133.7 all-purpose yards per game, fourth best in the Big Ten and 20th nationally.
 
     VANDEBERG STREAKING UP THE RANKINGS
     Senior WR Matt VandeBerg has a reception in 26 consecutive games played. He has 124 career receptions, 11th most in program history. He has 1,578 career receiving yards, 18th in program history. He is 11 yards from passing Ed Hinkel in receiving yards, and three receptions from moving ahead of Marv Cook and into the all-time top 10 in receptions.
     VandeBerg missed Iowa’s final nine games of 2016 due to a foot injury sustained in practice on Sept. 26. He played in the first four games of the season, leading the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns (19-284-3 TDs) before the injury. On Dec. 21, 2016, the Big Ten Conference granted the University of Iowa’s medical hardship waiver request on behalf of VandeBerg and granted the wide receiver a fifth year of eligibility.
 
     A NEW LOOK TO NATION’S TOP OFFENSIVE LINE UNIT
     The Hawkeyes entered the season with seven players returning on what was the top offensive line in the country in 2016, but injuries to senior tackles Ike Boettger and Boone Myers have cleared the depth chart for redshirt freshman Alaric Jackson and true freshman Tristan Wirfs.
     Jackson has started every game this season at left tackle, a position Myers has occupied 17 times, including the last five games of 2016.
     Wirfs has started the last two games at right tackle. He is the first true freshman in Ferentz’s 19 seasons to start at offensive tackle, and only the fourth true freshman under Ferentz to ever start on the offensive line. Center James Daniels, a junior in 2017, made two starts at left guard in 2015. The other two true freshman include Byran Bulaga in 2007 (5 games at LG) and Mike Jones in 2003 (seven games at left guard).
      Boettger  (LT, LG, RT), Myers (LT, LG), and Sean Welsh (RG, RT); Daniels (C), Lucas LeGrand (C), and Keegan Render (LG, RG); and Levi Paulsen (RG) all started at least one game for an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award in 2016.
     The Joe Moore Award honors offensive line units that display a high level of toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and “finishing”.  It is the only major college football award to honor a unit.
     The Hawkeyes were selected over national runner-up Alabama and third-ranked Ohio State. Iowa was selected by a voting committee comprised solely of people who played or coached the offensive line position, including all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level as well as former players, coaches and colleagues of Coach Moore, and select media. Iowa’s offense averaged 171.8 rushing yards per game — averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and more than two yards before contact — and 325 yards total offense per game.
    
      ALL ABOARD TO KINNICK STADIUM!
      The Hawkeye Express, the passenger train that transports fans from Coralville to Kinnick Stadium, is in its 14th season in 2017.
      Adults can ride the train for $15, round trip, while children (12-and-under) ride for free.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at the UI Ticket Office or on game day (cash only on game day) at the Hawkeye Express depot located near the boarding ramp.  The trip to Kinnick Stadium is approximately 10 minutes. Media credentials are accepted as well.
      Free parking is located in lots near the Comfort Suites and Coral Ridge Mall.  Fans can begin boarding the train three hours prior to 11 a.m. kickoffs, and four hours prior to the start of afternoon and night games. Return trips begin at the start of the fourth period and run 90 minutes after the game.
      The Hawkeye Express is owned by the Iowa Northern Railway Company and operates on the Iowa Interstate Railroad.
 
          IOWA GAME DAY INFORMATION
          The University of Iowa has implemented changes intended to improve the safety and game day experience for fans attending Iowa football home games at Kinnick Stadium this fall. Changes include, but are not limited to, a partial closure of Hawkins Drive, a postgame two-lane traffic pattern on Melrose Avenue, single-game ADA parking, and information regarding the UI Hawkeye Marching Band pregame performance in the Recreation Building. A complete list of game day changes and procedures is available at http://hawkeyesports.com/footballgameday.