Blackout...With An Aesterisk

Blackout...With An Aesterisk

Nov. 4, 2008

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The UI Athletics Department has officially declared the Iowa football team’s game Saturday against nationally ranked Penn State a “Blackout” event…with an asterisk: The UI is inviting UI students to follow the lead of their student peers and “Greene Out” the student section of historic Kinnick Stadium.

“It will require a total team effort to have success Saturday against what is clearly one of the nation’s very best college football teams. I can’t wait to see Kinnick alive and electric with our fans fully engaged, loud and proud and respectful, and, this week, dressed in black to show their support for the Hawkeyes,” said Gary Barta, the UI’s director of athletics.

“I’m also excited to see our student body getting behind one of their fellow students in their support for Shonn. Their creativity, resourcefulness, and energy will add a little extra color and, more importantly, energy and excitement to an already incredible atmosphere,” Barta added.

Iowa and Penn State will kick off shortly after 2:30 p.m. Iowa time inside historic Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.

The Nittany Lions are unbeaten in their first nine games of 2008, sit alone atop the Big Ten Conference standings, and are currently ranked third in the most recent Bowl Championship Series poll. They will be the highest ranked team to play in Kinnick Stadium since the 2006 season when Ohio State visited Iowa City as the nation’s top ranked team.