| OPPONENT | Iowa (6-4, 4-3) at Maryland (4-6, 1-6) |
| DATE | Saturday, Nov. 23 |
| LOCATION | College Park, Md. | SECU Stadium (51,802) |
| KICKOFF | 11 a.m. (CT) |
| TELEVISION | BTN |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Radio Network |
First and 10
• The Hawkeyes have won 19 of their last 22 games in the month of November, dating back to 2019.
• Iowa is bowl eligible for the 12th straight year and for the 23rd time in the last 24 seasons.
• The Hawkeyes won their 700th game in program history in Week 10 against Wisconsin, becoming the 35th school to reach the milestone.
• Senior LB Jay Higgins is a semifinalist for the Butkus, Lombardi and Bednarik Awards and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He is the only Power 4 linebacker with 90+ tackles and three interceptions.
• Ferentz has 202 career victories as Iowa’s head coach — second-most in Big Ten history. He trails only Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (205) for the most overall wins in league history.
• Senior WR Jacob Gill became the first Hawkeye to have a 100-yard receiving game since 2022 and the first Iowa wideout to achieve the feat since 2021 when he had six receptions for 138 yards in Week 11 at UCLA.
• Brian Ferentz, son of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, is an analyst on the Maryland coaching staff.
• Junior RB Kaleb Johnson, a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, has scored at least one rushing touchdown in every game – the longest stretch in program history. He has three touchdowns in four games.
• Johnson found the end zone for his 20th rushing touchdown (tying Shonn Greene’s school record) and 21st overall TD in Week 11 at UCLA to become the program’s all-time single season scoring leader with 126 points.
• The Hawkeyes are 16-for-16 in red zone scoring opportunities (14 TDs, 2 FG) with QB Brendan Sullivan under center.
• Iowa has scored 40 points in three straight home games for the first time since 2011. Iowa is 31-0 when scoring 21+ points since 2020.
• Johnson, who has 1,328 yards — the seventh-most in program history – is second in total touchdowns (21), third in the nation in rushing yards (1,328), rushing yards per game (132.8) and total points (126), fourth in rushing touchdowns (20) and sixth in yards per carry (7.06).
• Big play KJ… Johnson has 20 rushes of 20+ yards, six 40+ yard runs and nine touchdown runs of 25+ yards this season. Iowa has 23 20+ yard rushes in 2024.
• Iowa’s rushing attack has churned out 200+ yards in seven games — the most for the program since 2015. The team’s 208.1 yards per game ranks first in the Big Ten and 15th nationally. The Hawkeye offensive line is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
• Senior LB Jay Higgins is second in the Big Ten in tackles (11th nationally), making 98 tackles (9.8 per game). He has led the team in tackles in nine games, including a season-high 14 tackles in Weeks 6, 7 and 8 against Ohio State, Washington and Michigan State. He also has three interceptions (29th nationally) and two forced fumbles.
• Higgins, who has 315 career tackles, has five double-digit tackle games this season and 16 in his career.
• Graduate LB Nick Jackson made his 500th career tackle against Washington. He is currently second in FBS history with 540 career tackles and his 7.6 tackles per game this season are eighth in the Big Ten.
• TOs — The Hawkeyes have forced 20 turnovers in 10 games — 14 interceptions, six fumble recoveries. The 20 takeaways are leading the Big Ten and rank 10th nationally.
• 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 fourth in the Big Ten and 29th nationally with three interceptions.
• Iowa’s rushing defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards in five games, including just 24 yards in Week 3 against Troy and 43 yards in Week 9 vs. Northwestern. The unit allows 116.8 rushing yards per game, 32nd-fewest in the nation, and it has allowed two touchdowns on the ground – the fewest in the nation.
• Don’t beat yourself! Iowa didn’t commit a penalty in Week 3 against Troy and was flagged for only one penalty in road games at Minnesota and Ohio State. Iowa leads the nation in fewest penalties (31), fewest penalties per game (3.10), fewest penalty yards per game (29.70) and fewest penalty yards (297).
• Since the start of the 2015 season, Iowa is 77-4 when leading by eight points at any point in a game.
By the Numbers
20
Iowa has forced 20 turnovers in 10 games -- the most in the Big Ten and the 10th-most nationally.
540
Senior LB Nick Jackson has 540 tackles, the second-most in FBS history.
90/3
Senior LB Jay Higgins is the only Power 4 linebacker with 90+ tackles and three interceptions.
700
The Hawkeyes won their 700th game in program history in Week 10 against Wisconsin, becoming the 35th school to reach the milestone.
17
The Hawkeye offense has 17 scoring drives of 70 or more yards this season through the first 10 games.
28
RB Kaleb Johnson needs 28 yards to move into the top five on Iowa's single season rushing list.
OUR BELL COW
Junior RB Kaleb Johnson has rushed for 1,328 yards (third nationally) with 20 rushing touchdowns (fourth in FBS) in 38 quarters. He is third nationally, averaging 132.8 yards on 18.8 attempts per game, which includes 20 rushes of 20+ yards.
• Johnson’s 20 rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in a single season in program history with Shonn Greene. He has scored a touchdown in every game this season — the longest streak in program history — and has multiple touchdowns in seven games, which is believed to be a school record.
• His 126 points are a single-season school record.
• He is second nationally in total touchdowns (21), third in total points (126), fourth in rushing touchdowns (20), fourth in scoring (12.6) and sixth in yards per carry (7.06).
• Johnson was the first Hawkeye since Mark Weisman in 2014 (five straight) to have two or more touchdowns in four consecutive games. He had nine touchdowns in the first four games — the most in the team’s first four games since Tavian Banks in 1997 (12).
• Johnson has three games with three rushing touchdowns and four games with three total touchdowns this season.
• In 10 games, Johnson has 20 20+ yard rushes — 21, 23, 23, 24, 25, 26, 26, 27, 28, 28, 33, 33 37, 39, 40, 41, 53, 54, 64, 75 yards — nine of which went for touchdowns (26, 64, 33, 28, 40, 75, 26, 41, 25). Iowa’s offense had 12 such rushes as a team during the 2023 season.
• In Week 8 at Michigan State, Johnson had a 75-yard touchdown run, tying his career high. It is tied for the 21st longest touchdown run in program history. He had three touchdown runs of 26, 41 and 25 yards against Northwestern and three more against Wisconsin.
• Johnson posted four consecutive 100-yard games, becoming the first Hawkeye to accomplish the feat since Weisman in 2014. He had his second career 200-yard game at Minnesota. He has seven 100-yard games in 10 contests this season, which are tied for the seventh-most in a single season in program history.
• He has 11 career 100-yard games (three in 2022, one in 2023 and seven in 2024), which are the eighth-most all-time.
• Johnson had a career-high 206 yards on 21 carries — 9.8 yards per attempt — in the road win at Minnesota, finding the end zone a career-best three times. He had five rushes of 20+ yards in the game.
• He had 166 yards on 21 attempts with two rushing touchdowns and three receptions for 22 yards and one touchdown in the Week 7 win over Washington.
• He finished with 25 carries for 173 yards and two touchdowns in Week 3 against Troy to surpass his rushing total from the 2023 season (463 yards). Johnson rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 25 attempts against Iowa State in Week 2. He had 105 yards in the first half alone. Johnson is the first Hawkeye since 2017 to post a 100-yard game against the Cyclones and the yardage total is the most by an Iowa player in the series since 1996 (Tavian Banks, 182).
• He rushed for 119 yards on 11 carries (all in the second half) against Illinois State in the season opener, which included a 64-yard touchdown run — the fourth-longest rush of his career.
1K & COUNTING
Junior Kaleb Johnson surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in Week 8 at Michigan State, becoming the 22nd Hawkeye to reach the milestone. The Ohio native, who currently has 1,328 yards on 188 attempts, is the first Hawkeye since 2021 to rush for 1,000 yards.
• Johnson is on pace to finish the regular season with 1,593 rushing yards and should Iowa qualify for a bowl game, he would be on pace for 1,726 yards, which would be the second-most in program history.
• Head coach Kirk Ferentz has coached 12 1,000-yard rushers in his tenure.
Terrapins vs. Hawkeyes
SERIES HISTORY
- Saturday’s game will be the fifth meeting all-time between Iowa and Maryland. The Hawkeyes have won the last three meetings in the series and lead 3-1 overall.
- Iowa is 1-1 all-time in College Park. The Terps won 38-31 in 2014 in the first ever meeting, while Iowa won 51-14 in 2021.
- The Hawkeyes have won the last three games by an average of 25.3 points per game.
SERIES RESULTS
10/18/2014 L 31-38 (A)
10/31/2015 W 31-15 (H)
10/20/2018 W 23-0 (H)
10/1/2021 W 51-14 (A)
DDDDDDD-EFENSE
Iowa’s defense allowed just 189 yards in its 40-0 shutout victory over Illinois State in Week 1 and 163 yards in the Week 9 win over
Northwestern. The Hawkeyes have limited eight opponents to 200 yards or less since 2022.
• The Hawkeyes have the 14th-best scoring defense (18.2) and the 25th-best total defense (320.2) in the nation.
• Iowa’s defense limited Minnesota to 66 yards and just five first downs in the second half.
• Iowa has held five opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing (Illinois State, 56; Iowa State, 89; Troy, 24; Minnesota, 79, Northwestern, 43). The 24 yards are the fewest for the unit since 2022.
• The Hawkeyes allow 116.3 rushing yards per game in 2024, which is ninth in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally. Iowa’s opponents have two rushing touchdowns — the fewest allowed in the nation.
• The unit has four shutouts since the start of the 2022 season and the Hawkeyes have eight shutouts since 2018, second-most in FBS during that span.
