| OPPONENT | Western Michigan at Iowa |
| DATE | Saturday, Sept. 16 |
| LOCATION | Iowa, Iowa | Kinnick Stadium (69,250) |
| KICKOFF | 2:40 p.m. (CT) |
| TELEVISION | BTN |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Radio Network |
First and 10
- Head coach Kirk Ferentz — the dean of coaches in college football – won his 200th career game on Sept. 9 when the Hawkeyes won a 20-13 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup at Iowa State. Ferentz is the 27th head coach to reach the milestone at an FBS institution and just the 99th college coach across all divisions since 1890.
- Iowa is back in the AP Top 25 poll in Week 2, coming in at No. 25. The Hawkeyes also enter the AFCA Coaches’ Poll at No. 24 and are receiving votes in the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll. (The team was No. 25 in the preseason AP Poll.)
- Senior DB Sebastian Castro was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11 after returning an interception 30 yards for a touchdown, collecting four tackles and a pass breakup in Iowa’s 20-13 road win at Iowa State.
- Tight End U – Iowa’s tight end duo of Luke Lachey and Erick All has combined for 16 catches for 178 yards and one touchdown in the Hawkeyes’ first two wins of 2023. Lachey has a team-best 10 catches for 131 yards, while All has six receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown.
- Lachey and All have combined for 106 career receptions for 1,274 yards and seven touchdowns.
By the Numbers
59
RB Jaziun Patterson had a career-long 59-yard run on third-and-1 on Iowa’s opening possession at Iowa State. It was the second-longest rush by a Hawkeye dating back to the 2022 season.
65-2
Since the start of the 2015 season, Iowa is 65-2 when leading by eight points at any point of the game.
6/46
The Hawkeye defense has scored six points during the 2023 season and 46 points since the start of the 2022 season.
27
Head coach Kirk Ferentz is the 27th head coach to reach the 200-win milestone at an FBS institution and just the 99th college coach across all divisions since 1890.
11.5
LB Jay Higgins is second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally, averaging 11.5 tackles per game. The Indianapolis native had a career-high 16 tackles in the season opener against Utah State.
25/24
Iowa is back in the AP Top 25 poll in Week 2, coming in at No. 25. The Hawkeyes also enter the AFCA Coaches’ Poll at No. 24 and are receiving votes in the FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll.
BALL HAWKS
- Iowa has had at least one interception return for a touchdown in each of the last 16 seasons and 21 of the last 23 seasons.
- DB Sebastian Castro’s 30-yard pick-six at Iowa State in Week 2 extended the streak to 16 straight seasons, which is the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Utah (19). Iowa is one of four teams nationally to have a pick-six streak of 10-plus years.
Broncos vs. Hawkeyes
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday’s game will be the fourth meeting all-time between Iowa and Western Michigan. The Broncos hold a 2-1 advantage in the series, winning 27-21 in 2000 and 28-19 in 2007. The Hawkeyes won the most recent meeting, 59-3, in 2013 when P.J. Fleck was Western Michigan’s head coach.
- The Hawkeyes have won their last five games against teams from the Mid-American Conference. Iowa’s last loss to a MAC team came against Northern Illinois, 30-27, in the 2013 season opener.
SERIES RESULTS
- 9/9/00 – L, 21-27 (H)
- 11/17/07 – L, 19-28 (H)
- 9/21/13 – W, 59-3 (H)
STINGY D
- Iowa’s defense has allowed one touchdown or less in 11 of its last 15 games, dating back to the start of the 2022 season. The Hawkeyes allowed a late touchdown (against the second team defense) in the season opener against Utah State and Iowa State scored late in Week 2 in Ames.
- The Hawkeye defense held five teams without a touchdown during the 2022 season.
