Game Notes: Iowa at Michigan

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1st and 10

1: QB Nate Stanley has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions in 2019. He has 60 career touchdowns passes, third all-time in program history. He trails Chuck Long (74) and Drew Tate (61) on the all-time list.
 
2: QB Nate Stanley has started the last 30 games, and the Hawkeyes have averaged 30.2 points per game in those starts. That average ranks fifth in school history, and 10th nationally among active quarterbacks. Stanley has attempted 136 passes without throwing an interception, the sixth longest active streak in the country.

3: DE A.J. Epenesa leads a defense that ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring defense (8.5) and total defense (251.0). Iowa has allowed four touchdowns in four games. Among Big Ten schools, only Penn State (3) has allowed fewer. The Hawkeyes rank fourth in the conference in opponent third-down conversions (.255).
 
4: WR Smith-Marsette leads the team in receiving yards (254) and is tied for the team lead in receptions (15) and receiving touchdowns (3). He rushed for a touchdown (14 yards) in Week 4, his team-best fourth touchdown of the season.
 
5: Iowa has three running backs averaging over 50-yard per game: Mekhi Sargent (74.8), Toren Young (62.8), and Tyler Goodson (50.5). Sargent leads the team in carries (54) and rushing yards (299), and ranks fourth in receptions (9) and receiving yards (102). His 401 all-purpose yards lead the team.
 
6. Then-true freshman K Keith Duncan converted a 33-yard field goal as time expired to propel the Hawkeyes to a 14-13 victory over #2 Michigan the last time these teams met (Nov. 12, 2016). The loss was the first of the season for Michigan, who entered the game a perfect 9-0.
 
7. Saturday is Michigan’s Homecoming. The Hawkeyes have won on their last two trips to Michigan on Homecoming (2002, 30-27; 2010, 38-28).
 
8. Since 2001, Iowa has 152 wins and five top 10 finishes nationally. Michigan has 151 wins and four top 10 finishes.
 
9: Kirk Ferentz (156, 92) and Hayden Fry (143, 96) rank in the top six 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).
 
10: The Hawkeyes are 4-0 for the fifth time under head coach Kirk Ferentz (2003, 2006, 2009, 2015, 2019). Iowa went on to win 10 or more games in 2003, 2009, and 2015.
  
    THE SERIES
    Iowa has won two straight and five of the last six meetings against Michigan.
    Saturday is Michigan’s Homecoming. The Hawkeyes have won on their last two trips to Michigan on Homecoming (2002, 30-27; 2010, 38-28).
    Michigan holds a 41-15-4 advantage in the series that began with a 28-5 Iowa win in 1900. The first meeting between the two teams was played in Detroit and the second in Chicago.
    Iowa is 7-25-3 all-time in games played in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
    MOVE THE CHAINS
    The Hawkeyes set a Ferentz-era record in its 48-3 win over Middle Tennessee in Week 4. Iowa had 644 yards of total offense, the most in the Ferentz era (previous best was 613 vs. Minnesota in 2005), and the most by any Hawkeye team since 1997 (658 vs. Northern Iowa). Iowa rushed for 351 yards against Middle Tennessee, a mark that ranks fourth in the Ferentz era.
 
      STANLEY CLIMBS SCHOOL AND CONFERENCE CHARTS
      QB Nate Stanley has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions in 2019. He has 60 career touchdowns passes, third all-time in program history. He trails Chuck Long (74) and Drew Tate (61) on the all-time list.
      Stanley has started the last 30 games at quarterback, and the Hawkeyes have averaged 30.2 points per game in those starts. That average ranks fifth in school history, and 10th nationally among active quarterbacks.
      Stanley has attempted 136 passes without throwing an interception, the sixth longest active streak in the country.
      Stanley has 17 career multi-touchdown games, including three this season. He completed three touchdown passes in the season opener against Miami, Ohio, three more in Week 2 against Rutgers, and two against Middle Tennessee in Week 4. He has 10 career games with at least three passing touchdowns. Only Long has more in program history (11).
      Stanley threw 26 touchdown passes in 2018, second most in the Big Ten, one shy of tying Chuck Long (1985) for the most in single season school history, and tied for second most all-time in single season history. Stanley also threw 26 touchdown passes in 2017. Stanley’s 52 touchdown passes from 2017-18 are the most ever in school history over a two-year span. Long tossed 49 touchdown passes from 1984 (22) to 1985 (27).
      Stanley threw for a career-high 2,852 yards in 2018, the seventh-highest single-season total in school history. He ranks seventh in career passing yards (6,316) and sixth in career total offense (6,244).
      Stanley is named to six preseason watch lists and listed on the preseason Big Ten third team by Phil Steele.

     POCKET PRESSURE
     DE A.J. Epenesa leads a defense that ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring defense (8.5) and total defense (251.0). Iowa has allowed four touchdowns in four games. Among Big Ten schools, only Penn State (3) has allowed fewer. The Hawkeyes rank fourth in the conference in opponent third-down conversions (.255).
     Iowa’s defense allowed just five first downs against Rutgers in Week 2. That ties for the fewest allowed in the Kirk Ferentz era (Syracuse, 2007). Rutgers’ 125 yards of total offense ranks as the fifth lowest total in the Ferentz era.
     Epenesa had one sack and four quarterback hurries in Week 2. He led the Big Ten and ranked ninth in the country with 10.5 sacks in 2018.
     Epenesa is named to four preseason All-America first teams, is listed on six preseason watch lists, and is preseason Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com.
     Epenesa recorded at least one sack in nine of 13 games last season and was named first-team All-Big Ten by league media, and second-team All-Big Ten by league coaches. He ranked second in the conference and 16th nationally in forced fumbles (4), and ranked fourth in the Big Ten in tackles for loss. He totaled 37 tackles, four pass breakups, eight QB pressures, and a blocked punt in 2018. He recovered his own forced fumble and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown at Illinois.
     The Hawkeyes ranked third in the Big Ten last season with 35 sacks, the second highest single-season total in the Ferentz era (2002, 40).
 
     RETURN TO SENDER
     WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette is named on the Paul Hornung Award watch list, an honor bestowed to the most versatile player in college football.
     Smith-Marsette leads the team in receiving yards (254) and is tied for the team lead in receptions (15) and receiving touchdowns (3). He rushed for a touchdown (14 yards) in Week 4, his team-best fourth touchdown of the season. He set a career-high with 113 receiving yards in Week 2.
     Smith-Marsette averages 29.2 yards on 32 career kickoff returns. The Big Ten record of average kickoff return yardage (minimum 40 returns) is 28.8, set by Stan Brown of Purdue (1968-70).
     In 2018, Smith-Marsette led the Big Ten and ranked No. 2 in the country, averaging 29.5 yards on 24 kickoff returns. He was named Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year in the Big Ten Conference.  He had 23 receptions for 361 yards and three touchdowns. His 15.7 yards per catch led the Hawkeyes (minimum 20 receptions).  
 
     SARGENT LEADS RUNNING BACK BY COMMITTEE
     Iowa has three running backs averaging over 50-yard per game: Mekhi Sargent (74.8), Toren Young (62.8), and Tyler Goodson (50.5).
     Sargent leads the team in carries (54) and rushing yards (299), and ranks fourth in receptions (9) and receiving yards (102). His 401 all-purpose yards lead the team. He has started the last eight games and is named on the Doak Walker Award Preseason Watch List.
     Young (33) and Goodson (34) both have 30-plus carries. Young leads Iowa and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 7.6 yards per carry. He rushed for a career-high 131 yards in Week 4. It was his first career 100-yard rushing game.
     Goodson has 34 carries and nine receptions. His 43 combined touches ranks second on the team to Sargent (63). Iowa averages 173.0 rushing yards per game, sixth in the Big Ten.
     Young (131) and Goodson (97) rushed for career-high Week 4 against Middle Tennessee State. The Hawkeyes rushed for 351 yards in the game, the fourth highest total in the Ferentz era.
     Juniors Ivory Kelly-Martin, Sargent, and Young shared the workload in 2018. The trio combined for 392 carries, 1,723 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (nine by Sargent, five by Young, and two by Kelly-Martin). Sargent had 40.6 percent of the carries (159-745), Young had 34.7 percent of the attempts (136-637), and Kelly-Martin has 24.7 percent of the carries (97-341).
 
    YOUNG, SARGENT SURPASS 1,000 CAREER RUSHING YARDS
    Junior running backs Toren Young and Mekhi Sargent each surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in Iowa’s win over Middle Tennessee on Sept. 28.
Sargent entered the game with 953 rushing yards and moved past 1,000 for his career on a 12-yard run late in the first period. He ended the contest with 91 rushing yards to raise his career total to 1,044 yards on 213 attempts. He is the 48th Iowa running back to surpass 1,000 career yards.
    Young entered the contest with 950 career yards and surpassed 1,000 on a 15-yard run early in the second quarter, becoming the 49th Iowa running back to surpass the century total. With a career-high 131 rushing yards against Middle Tennessee, Young now has 1,081 career yards on 214 attempts. Young ranks 39th on the career list, while Sargent is 45th.
    Sargent moved over 1,000 career yards on career attempt 207, while Young went past 1,000 yards on career attempt 209.
In four games this season, Sargent has 54 attempts for 299 yards and two scores, while Young has 251 yards and one score on 33 attempts.
 
     GRAND THEFT SECONDARY
     DB Michael Ojemudia is tied for second in the Big Ten lead with two interceptions. He intercepted a pass in each of the first two weeks.  LB Djimon Colbert recorded the first interception of his career in Week 2.
     The Hawkeyes have three interceptions this season. Iowa led the Big Ten and tied for second in the country in 2018 with 20 interceptions. Over the last three seasons, no school has more interceptions than Iowa. The Hawkeyes have 44 interceptions since 2017, tied for the most with Boston College.
     Entering this season, Iowa has at least one interception return for a touchdown in each of the last 11 seasons, and 16 of the last 18 seasons.
 
     DUNCAN GETTING HIS KICKS
     K Keith Duncan has made 10-of-11 field goal attempts and 14-of-14 PAT attempts. He leads the team in scoring with 44 points. Duncan has connected on all six kicks of at least 40 yards. He kicked a career-long 49 yard field against Middle Tennessee in Week 4.
     Duncan is seeing his first action since 2016, when he made 9-11 field goal attempts and 38-39 PAT attempts (one was blocked). That year he kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift Iowa over #2 Michigan, 14-13. 
     Duncan was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week and Lou Groza Award Star of the Week on Sept. 16 following his performance at Iowa State. Duncan connected on a career-best four field goals at Iowa State. His final kick from 39 yards provided the margin of victory with 4:51 remaining in the fourth quarter. He also connected from 25 yards on Iowa’s first drive of the game and from 40 yards on the final play of the first half. He nailed a 42-yarder late in the third quarter. 
     The Big Ten weekly honor is the second of his career. He was previously recognized in 2016, earning the weekly honor following Iowa’s 14-13 win over Michigan. Duncan contributed two field goals in that win, including the game-winner from 33 yards on the final play of the game.  
 
     IN THE RANKINGS
     Iowa is ranked No. 14 in the coaches poll and No. 14 in the AP poll. Iowa has three opponents ranked in the AP top 25 (#19 Michigan, #12 Penn State, #8 Wisconsin).
     Iowa was 1-2 in 2018 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. The Hawkeyes fell to No. 18 Wisconsin, 27-17, on Sept. 22, lost, 30-24, on Oct. 27 at No. 17 Penn State, and defeated No. 18 Mississippi State, 27-22, on Jan. 1 at the 2019 Outback Bowl.
     These are Iowa’s most recent wins versus nationally-ranked opponents:
     Home:             55-24 over #3 Ohio State, 11/4/17
                                40-10 over #15 Nebraska, 11/25/16
                                14-13 over #2 Michigan, 11/12/16
     Road:               40-10 over #20 Northwestern, 10/17/15
                                10-6 over #18 Wisconsin, 10/3/15
                                38-28 over #24 Michigan, 10/16/10
     Neutral:          27-22 over #18 Mississippi State, Outback Bowl, 1/1/19
                                27-24 over #12 Missouri, Insight Bowl, 12/28/10
                                24-14 over #9 Georgia Tech, Orange Bowl, 1/5/10
 
      HAWK TALK WITH KIRK FERENTZ
Head Coach Kirk Ferentz is featured on “Hawk Talk with Kirk Ferentz” each week during the regular season. The radio call-in show is hosted by Gary Dolphin, the play-by-play voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  The show airs live each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from VUE Rooftop at the Hilton Garden Inn in Iowa City. There is no show during the Hawkeyes remaining bye week (Wednesday, Oct. 30).

Iowa football hosts Minnesota in the battle for Floyd of Rosedale on Saturday, Nov. 16.  Fans are encouraged to wear black for the Blackout game, and it is the annual military appreciation celebration. Active duty military and veterans are eligible for a military ticket discount. Click here for tickets and pre-paid parking and additional game information.