Game Preview: ANF/Black & Gold Spirit Game vs. Washington

• Iowa and Washington will be meeting for the first time since the 1995 Sun Bowl. It is the Huskies’ second trip all-time to Kinnick Stadium. The first matchup in 1937 was Nile Kinnick’s varsity debut.
• Saturday is the annual ANF/Black & Gold Spirit Game inside Kinnick Stadium.
• Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz tied Chicago’s Amos Alonzo Stagg for second in Big Ten history with his 199th victory as a member of the Big Ten Conference on Sept. 21 at Minnesota. He trails only Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (205)
• RB Kaleb Johnson eclipsed 2,000 career rushing yards in Week 6 at Ohio State. The sophomore has 2,013 yards, which ranks 16th in program history.
• Johnson notched his second career 200-yard game (fourth consecutive 100-yard game), finishing with a career-high 206 yards on 21 attempts and three touchdowns in the road win at Minnesota on Sept. 21. He has rushed for 100 or more yards in four of the team’s first five contests.
• Big play KJ… Johnson has 14 rushes of 20+ yards and five touchdown runs of 25+ yards this season. Iowa has 16 20+ yard rushes in 2024.
• Iowa’s rushing attack has churned out 200+ yards four times this season. The team’s 223.4 yards per game ranks first in the Big Ten and 12th nationally.
• Freshman punter Rhys Dakin was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week following his Week 4 performance at Minnesota. He punted five times, averaging 49.6 yards per punt with three inside the 20 and three 50+ yard punts.
• TOs – The Hawkeyes have forced nine turnovers in five games – six interceptions, three fumble recoveries. The nine takeaways are fifth in the Big Ten and 26th nationally.
• Iowa has played seven games decided by a single possession since the start of the 2023 season. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 in such games.
• The Hawkeyes are averaging 27 points and 363.4 yards of total offense in five games, which ranks 85th and 90th nationally, respectively. Iowa’s 31:35 time of possession is 34th in the nation.
• Senior LB Jay Higgins has led the team in tackles in all five games, including a season-high 14 tackles in Week 6 at Ohio State. He has a team-high 48 tackles (18 solo, 30 assisted), which second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally, and two interceptions. He has two double-digit tackle games this season and 13 in his career.
• DB Jermari Harris had his first career pick-six, returning an interception 28-yards for a touchdown in Week 3 against Troy. It extended Iowa’s pick-six streak to 17 straight years, the longest active streak nationally. Harris ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 19th nationally with two interceptions. He also ranks seventh in the country in passes defended per game (1.4).
• Iowa’s rushing defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards in four of the first five games, including just 24 yards in Week 3 against Troy. The 24 yards were the fewest allowed by the Hawkeyes since 2022. The unit allows 90.2 rushing yards per game, 15th-fewest in the nation, and it has allowed just one touchdown on the ground.
• Don’t beat yourself! Iowa didn’t commit a penalty in Week 3 against Troy and was flagged for only one penalty each of the last two games (at Minnesota; at Ohio State). Iowa leads the nation in fewest penalties (12), fewest penalties per game (2.4), fewest penalty yards (100) and fewest penalty yards per game (20.0).
• Iowa has had 400+ yards in two of the first five games under first-year OC Tim Lester. The last time the offense had 400+ yards twice in a season came in 2021.
• Iowa’s defense allowed just 189 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers to pitch its first season-opening shutout since 2005. Iowa has eight shutouts since 2018, second most in the FBS in that span (Georgia, 9).
• Iowa’s defense has allowed fewer than 400 yards in 32 of the last 33 games and 14 or fewer points in 21 of their last 32 games. The Hawkeyes have held 10 teams without a touchdown since the start of the 2022 season.
• Since the start of the 2015 season, Iowa is 74-3 when leading by eight points at any point in a game.
• Since 2009, Iowa has 234 interceptions — tied for the third-most in the nation. The team’s 35 interception returns for a touchdown are the fourth-most in the nation in that span.

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday’s game will be the seventh meeting in the all-time series between Iowa and Washington. It is the first game between the two schools since 1995.
• The series is tied 3-3 with the Huskies winning two of the last three games. Iowa won 38-18 in the 1995 Sun Bowl following a pair of Rose Bowl defeats to Washington in 1981 and 1990.
• It will be Washington’s second trip to Kinnick Stadium. Iowa won 28-18 over the 10th-ranked Huskies during the 1964 season.

SERIES RESULTS

9/25/1937 – L – 0-14 (A)
10/5/1963 – W – 17-7 (A)
10/3/1964 – W – 28-18 (#10) (H)
1/1/1981 – L – 0-28 (#16) (Pasadena, Calif.)
1/1/1990 – L – 34-46 (Pasadena, Calif.)
12/29/1995 – W – 38-18 (#20) (El Paso, Texas)