Big Ten football season gets underway for both Iowa and Rutgers this weekend from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. The Hawkeyes enter at 2-1 after dispatching of Nevada last weekend 27-0 in a game that had three separate lightning delays.
“We got off the mat and got back in the fight and did a good job in unusual circumstances tonight. So to stay focused, that was good to see. Just really pleased. We showed some progress in certain areas. Happy about that. Obviously, it was good to get Nico back and Keagan back and then Brody was able to get involved a little bit too at the receiver position. So gave us a few more guys to throw to.
“All in all, the team effort was good. Again, you go 60 minutes broken down over seven hours, not easy to do. Defensively, you all saw the game, those guys played a good game. They were aggressive and very tough to run against and they made the passing yardage tough as well. I thought especially in the first half. It was a little disjointed once we got back in the second half. But in the first half I thought we had a little rhythm offensively. The run game wasn’t perfect, but we did some better things so that was encouraging,” Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz said following the Hawkeyes’ win over Nevada.
Meanwhile, Rutgers is feeling great about its perfect 3-0 start. Wins over Boston College, Wagner and Temple have the Scarlet Knights set up for a sellout crowd to welcome Iowa in.
“Iowa is a different program. They are an established Big Ten program. Coach Ferentz is certainly the dean of the league, but he’s one of the best coaches in America, period, and his program continually, there’s consistency year-in, year-out, and you know exactly what you’re going to get. They play very hard. They are physical. They are technically sound.
“So it’s a great challenge for our guys, great challenge for our coaching staff. You put all that together and throw it in this Saturday night, wearing red to the game and packing the place, that’s what college football is all about,” Schiano said of Ferentz and the Hawkeyes.
Now, the two teams collide with a 1-0 start to Big Ten play on the line. How do the two teams stack up statistically? Let’s take a closer look.