NOTES: ANF Black & Gold Spirit Game vs. No. 5/6 Ohio State

1ST & 10
• Saturday’s game is the annual ANF Black & Gold Spirit Day as fans are encouraged to wear black or gold clothing depending on seat location to stripe Kinnick Stadium.
• Saturday marks the first time since 2006 that Iowa and Ohio State play with both teams ranked in the top 15 of the AP Poll.
• ESPN’s College GameDay returns to Iowa City in Week 5 for the second time in the show’s history and the first time since 2006.  
• Saturday is Ohio State’s first trip to Kinnick since 2017 – a 55-24 Iowa victory over the third-ranked Buckeyes. It is OSU’s third game in Iowa City since 2010.
• Head coach Kirk Ferentz has two victories over the Buckeyes with both coming in Iowa City in 2004 and 2017.
• The Hawkeyes are 4-0 for the first time since 2021 and for the seventh time under Ferentz.
• WR Reece Vander Zee had a 16-yard reception as time expired to give Iowa a 20-19 road win at Michigan in Week 4. It was the Hawkeyes’ first walk-off touchdown since 2009 (Marvin McNutt, Jr., at Michigan State).
• Iowa’s road win at No. 18 Michigan was its first Big Ten ranked road victory since 2015. The win snapped Michigan’s 58-game home winning streak when leading at halftime, which was the second-longest streak nationally.
• RB Braeden Jackson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after having a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Week 4 at Michigan, which ties the seventh-longest in program history. Iowa has returned both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in three straight seasons.
• Iowa has four 100-yard rushers in 2026 – Kamari Moulton, Xavier Williams, Braeden Jackson and Nathan McNeil.  The team had three 100-yard rushers in Week 3 vs. UNI – a first for the program since 1983.
• QB Hank Brown completed 13-of-19 attempts for 142 yards and two TDs in the fourth quarter in the come-from-behind win at No. 18 Michigan in his first career road start. He was 4-of-6 on third down. Brown, who is completing 68 percent of his attempts in 2026, was named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 List for Week 4.
• Iowa’s defense has posted two shutouts – Week 1 vs. NIU (40-0), Week 3 vs. UNI (55-0). The Hawkeyes are the only team in the country to have multiple 40-point shutouts in 2026. The unit is leading the nation in scoring defense (8.0 points) and is 10th in total defense (239.8 yards per game). The unit has allowed three touchdowns in four games (16 quarters) this season.
• The defense has allowed 32 points in four games – the fewest in the first three weeks since 2022 (23 points). The unit has held two opponents under 200 yards of total offense and two opponents under 100 yards rushing.
• The defense has forced a punt on the opponent’s opening possession in each of the last 10 games dating back to the 2025 season.
• Iowa has sold-out 31 consecutive games in Kinnick Stadium.

A LONG TIME COMING
ESPN College GameDay returns to Iowa City for the first time in 20 years. The iconic show last came to campus in 2006 when the 13th-ranked Hawkeyes hosted No. 1 Ohio State. There have been 361 GameDay shows from 105 different locations (57 Power 4, 18 non-Power 4 and 30 neutral site locations) since it aired from Hubbard Park on Sept. 30, 2006.  

ANF BLACK & GOLD SPIRIT GAME
Saturday’s matchup against Ohio State is Iowa’s annual ANF Black & Gold Spirit Game. Fans are encouraged to wear black or gold, depending on their seat location.

SCHERFF: 2026 ANF WALL OF HONOR INDUCTEE
Former Hawkeye Brandon Scherff will be the 14th member inducted into ANF’s Wall of Honor. The award salutes past University of Iowa football players who exemplify the tenacity, work ethic, and character of the Iowa farmer. 

CLUTCH WHEN IT COUNTS
Through the first three quarters of Iowa’s Week 4 win at Michigan, fourth-year quarterback Hank Brown had completed 8-of-16 passes for 85 yards and the Hawkeyes were 2-of-8 on third down. 
• Brown produced when it counted, leading Iowa to two fourth-quarter touchdowns and a road victory at the Big House.  He completed 13-of-19 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner as time expired. Brown was 4-of-6 on third down in the fourth quarter alone.
• Following his efforts in his first career road start, Brown was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List for Week 4.
• Iowa took over at its own 9-yard line with 1:46 remaining, trailing 19-14. The Hawkeyes went 91 yards over 11 plays – its longest scoring drive of the season – to stun the Wolverines. Iowa converted three third downs on the drive, including a 29-yard completion to tight end Addison Ostrenga, where he tipped the ball to himself, setting up the final play with two seconds remaining.
• The Hawkeyes took their first lead early in the fourth quarter with a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Brown hooked up with WR Tony Diaz for 32 yards and Diaz tipped another ball to DJ Vonnahme to the U-M 16. Vander Zee caught a 16-yard skinny post to give Iowa a 14-13 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter.
• Brown is the third Big Ten quarterback since 2000 to win his first career road start, joining Ohio State’s Craig Krenzel in 2001 and Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz in 2020.

DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!
Iowa has had three walk-off touchdowns in the Kirk Ferentz era (1999-2026) -- Drew Tate to Warren Holloway in the 2005 Capital One Bowl victory over LSU; Ricky Stanzi to Marvin McNutt, Jr., in the road win at Michigan State in 2009; Hank Brown to Reece Vander Zee in the Big House in 2026.
• Vander Zee and Brown joined Hawkeye lore with a game-winning, walk-off touchdown in Iowa’s 20-19 road victory at No. 18 Michigan in Week 4 in Ann Arbor. Vander Zee caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Brown on a comeback route for his second touchdown of the game. He finished with five receptions for 55 yards with the two touchdowns, tying a career high. All five of Vander Zee’s receptions in the game went for first downs.

HAWKEYE SHUTOUTS
• Iowa’s defense posted shutouts in two games in 2026. They are the 19th and 20th shutouts of the Kirk Ferentz era.
• The Hawkeyes have 11 shutouts since 2018, the most in the nation in that span.
• In Week 1 with eight new starters, Iowa limited Northern Illinois to 120 yards and seven total first downs en route to a season-opening shutout. Iowa held the Huskies to 22 yards in the first quarter and 24 in the first half. NIU didn’t pick up its initial first down until the 4:10 mark in the third quarter (which came via penalty).  
• The 120 yards are tied for the sixth fewest allowed under Ferentz, while the seven first downs are tied for the seventh fewest.
• In Week 3 against UNI, Iowa allowed 155 yards of total offense (53 on ground, 102 through air) and nine first downs.

BUILDING BLOCKS
• Iowa has allowed 32 points in four games – the fewest through the first three weeks since the 2022 season.
• The unit has allowed 255 or fewer yards in all three of the team’s four games this season and under 200 yards in two contests. 
• Iowa has allowed a total of 46 first downs – 11.5 per game -- in four contests.
• Through four weeks, Iowa’s defense is leading the nation in scoring defense (8.0), second in first down defense (46), 10th in total defense (239.8) and team passing efficiency defense (102.86), 12th in third-down defense (.268) and passing defense (152.0), 18th in red zone defense (.714) and 19th in rushing defense (87.8).
• Iowa is leading the Big Ten in two team defensive categories.

EVERYWHERE CAM
Third-year linebacker Cam Buffington has a team-high 38 tackles in four games, averaging 9.5 stops per game, ranking 15th nationally and third in the Big Ten. He has 22 solo tackles and three tackles for loss.  
• Buffington, who has led the team in tackles in three of the first four games, has two double-digit tackle games this season. He had a career-high 15 tackles, including nine solo stops, in Iowa’s Week 2 victory over Iowa State and 11 stops in Week 4 at Michigan. He was named the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week on Sept. 16.  
• His 15 tackles are the most by a Hawkeye since Jay Higgins in 2024.

MAKING STOPS
Three Hawkeyes – DB Zach Lutmer and LBs Cam Buffington and Landyn Van Kekerix – all had double-digit tackle games in Iowa’s Week 4 win at Michigan.  Lutmer had a career-high 12 tackles, Buffington had 11 and Van Kekerix had a career-best 10 stops.  Third-year DB Tyler Brown also had nine tackles and LB Jayden Montgomery had a season-high eight tackles.
• It is the first time since the 2024 season vs. Washington that Iowa has had three players tally 10 or more stops.  Jay Higgins (14), Nick Jackson (11) and Xavier Nwankpa (10) combined for 35 stops.

TURNOVER TRACKER
Iowa’s defense has forced five turnovers this season – four via interception and one fumble. The Hawkeyes are +4 in turnover ratio on the year.
• Fifth-year DB Deshaun Lee has a team-high two interceptions, tallying picks in Week 1 and Week 4.  He has five career interceptions. The Michigan native is second in the Big Ten (12th) nationally in total interceptions in 2026.
• Two second-year athletes – Jacob Wallace and Rashad Godfrey, Jr. -- recorded their first career interceptions in Week 3 against UNI. 
• The Hawkeyes are 78-5 since 2012 when winning the turnover battle.

BRAEDEN TO THE CRIB
Second-year RB Braeden Jackson went untouched for 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first quarter of Iowa’s Week 4 road win at Michigan. It was Iowa’s first kickoff return of the 2026 season and the first of Jackson’s collegiate career.  For his efforts, Jackson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 28.
• The 99-yard touchdown return ties for the seventh longest in program history.
• Iowa has had a kick return for a touchdown in three consecutive seasons. The team has returned both a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in three straight seasons. 
• The return was the first kickoff return for a touchdown allowed by Michigan since 2019.
•  Jackson was the first player in the Big Ten to record a kickoff return for a touchdown in 2026. He is one of 13 players nationally to return a kick for a touchdown.
•  Jackson is averaging 59.5 yards on two returns this season.  

NO COOP, NO WEJ... ENTER EJ
Second-year wide receiver Evan James showed off his lightning speed in his Hawkeye debut in Week 1, returning a punt 77-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was the 15th longest punt return for a touchdown in Iowa history.
• James had three punt returns for 108 yards in Week 1 against Northern Illinois, averaging 36 yards per return. 
• The Florida native has eight returns for 149 yards, averaging 18.6 yards, which ranks seventh in FBS (second in the Big Ten).
• James is one of 32 players nationally to return a punt for a touchdown this year.
• Iowa has had at least one punt return for a touchdown in each of the past four seasons.

CLUTCH BUHR
Second-year kicker Caden Buhr was clutch in Iowa’s Week 2 victory over Iowa State, connecting on a career-best three field goals, including a 42-yard game-winner with 15 seconds remaining to give the Hawkeyes the 16-13 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series win. He was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 14 and a Lou Groza Award Star of the Week on Sept. 15.
• It was Buhr’s first career game-winner, and it was the 10th Iowa game since 2015 that the Hawkeyes have won on a field goal in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter.
• Buhr has made 5-of-7 field goals this season, including five straight from under 50 yards after missing his first attempt of the season. He is 2-for-2 from 30-39, 3-for-3 from 40-49 and 0-for-2 from 50+. He is 41st nationally, averaging 1.25 field goals per game through the first four weeks of the season.

AUSSIE HAWKEYE
Second-year punter Boston Everitt is averaging 43.5 yards on 19 punts in his first four games as a Hawkeye. He ranks 21st in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in punting average.
• The Aussie has 12 punts downed inside the 20, including four in Week 2 against Iowa State. He has had nine punts fair caught and three travel 50+ yards.  
• Everitt, a native of Hope Island, Australia, continues Iowa’s Australian pipeline, following Tory Taylor and Rhys Dakin.

ALONE AT THE TOP
Kirk Ferentz is in his 28th season as Iowa’s head football coach, where he is the longest tenured active head coach in college football and all-time winningest coach in Big Ten Conference history. Ferentz broke the record during the 2025 season, passing Ohio State’s Woody Hayes atop the prestigious list. He currently has 213 career victories.
• Ferentz has 134 Big Ten wins, which rank third all-time, trailing Hayes (153) and Michigan’s Bo Schembechler (143). 
• Ferentz won his 200th career game at Iowa State in 2023. He is the 27th coach at an FBS institution to reach the 200-career win milestone and the 99th coach across all divisions. Former Hawkeye head coach Hayden Fry finished his career with 236 victories.
• Ferentz has 11 career bowl game victories -- the most as a member of the Big Ten Conference.