Last Saturday, Hawkeye fans awoke with a Big Ten win already secured and more optimism than we’d felt in a few weeks. Iowa was fresh off a 38-28 win on the road at Rutgers the Friday night before and perhaps
more importantly, the offense had just shown it could pull its own weight.
That optimism is still alive this week and perhaps for the rest of the season, but as the day wore on a week ago, we all watched as Indiana demolished then #9 Illinois 63-10 in humiliating fashion. With each score, the levels of optimism for today’s matchup against the Hoosiers surely fell.
IU finished the day with 579 yards of total offense to go with those 63 points, led by their QB, Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza has thrown for 975 yards and an absurd 14 TDs without an interception this season. He’s completing nearly 77% of his passes while averaging nearly 10 yards per completion.
Those are scary numbers for a defense that struggled for a half against Athan Kaliakmanis of Rutgers last week. Phil Parker’s bunch locked things down more in the second half and ultimately created their first turnover of the season, but slowing down this Indiana passing attack will take more than two quarters of plus defense from the Hawkeyes.
Even if Parker’s bunch can slow down Mendoza and the passing attack, the Hoosiers are averaging more than 300 yards per game on the ground. It’s a four-headed rushing attack led by Kaelon Black. He’s one of four Hoosiers with more than 200 yards rushing so far this season, all of whom are averaging more than five yards per carry.
Put simply, Iowa is going to have to hang some points on the board if they want to keep up with this talented Indiana team. We saw our first glimpse of that potential last week in Piscataway. We’ll need to see it for four full quarters today.
The Hawkeyes opened as 3.5-point underdogs in this one, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That quickly jumped to 7.5 points last Sunday and has held pretty steady around that mark all week. The over/under is set at 48.5 total points.
It’s going to be a warm one in Iowa City with clear skies.
As we countdown to kickoff, here’s everything you need to know about today’s matchup.
Date: Saturday, September 27th
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: #11 Indiana Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0) at Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 1-0)
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
TV: Peacock
Updated Weather Forecast: Pristine with temperatures in the mid-80s at kickoff.
Updated FanDuel Line: Iowa +7.5, O/U 48.5
