Every week, we will post the TV schedule for all games featuring Big Ten teams. Here is where and when you can watch them this week:
Sept. 28:
Miami (Ohio) at Illinois, 11 a.m., BTN
Northern Illinois at Purdue, 11 a.m., ESPN2
Iowa at Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2
No. 23 Wisconsin at No. 4 Ohio State, 7 p.m., ABC
*All times listed are Central Standard Time.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
Check out all of these links to content posted on Saturday after Iowa’s 59-3 win over Western Michigan at Kinnick Stadium. Please note, anything with “premium” in parentheses are links that can only be accessed by those logged in as either a paid subscriber or three-day free trial member to HawkeyeDrive.com:
RECAP: Hawkeyes obliterate Broncos
COMMENTARY: Playing a complete game (premium)
VIDEO:
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A massacre took place inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, and what a massacre it was.
All three phases — offense, defense and special teams — clicked for the Iowa Hawkeyes, as they routed Western Michigan 59-3 to move to 3-1 before opening Big Ten play next week. It didn’t matter who was on the field, as the Hawkeyes played like sharks underwater that smelled blood in the water.
Iowa blew the game open in the second quarter while holding a 10-0 lead. Western Michigan punted the ball to junior wideout Kevonte Martin-Manley and he took it back 83 yards for Iowa’s first punt return touchdown since Andy Brodell took one back against Iowa State in 2008.
Following another Bronco 3-and-out, Western Michigan rugby-style punted a line-drive to Martin-Manley and for the second time in as many returns, he made the Broncos pay by sprinting 63 yards to the end zone to put Iowa up 24-0.
“I was happy that they did that,” Martin-Manley said about the Broncos punting to him just after he had already returned the previous punt for a score. “It was another opportunity to score again.
“When I did it, I was like, ‘I can’t believe that just happened.'”
Because this was the style of punting Western Michigan was accustomed to doing, the Hawkeyes put together a game plan that consisted of redshirt freshman wide receiver Riley McCarron lining up a few yards in front of Martin-Manley.
“The trick on the rugby punts is to field them,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “If you can field them cleanly, you’re going to have a chance because the ball doesn’t get up in the air too high. It’s easier said than done, so Kevonte did a great job.”
A Western Michigan field goal was countered by a seven-play scoring drive spanning 65 yards and capped off by a 4-yard rushing score from junior running back Mark Weisman. Moments later, senior cornerback B.J. Lowery returned a Tyler Van Tubbergen interception 35 yards for a touchdown to put Iowa ahead 38-3 at halftime.
“We were running man-to-man, Christian Kirksey and I. His man was on the line, so I was off a little bit,” Lowery said about his first pick-six. “He pretty much had a good jam on the guy and I was able to work over the top and I picked it off.”
As though deja vu on special teams wasn’t enough, the defense provided more of it early in the third quarter. The Broncos made a QB change by putting Zach Terrell in to start the second half and his first throw of the day was picked off by Lowery, who again scored on a 13-yard return to make it 45-3 in Iowa’s favor.
“My job was to just backpedal because it was a smash route,” Lowery said about the second pick. “We knew it was coming. Instead of me just dropping off like I was supposed to do, I just felt something and just took it.”
Because the Hawkeyes were able to blow the game open, they were able to get some of their less heralded players to step up and make plays. Prior to the onslaught, Iowa got its second consecutive touchdown in as many weeks from sophomore receiver Jacob Hillyer. It also got a first touchdown catch for junior college transfer Damond Powell and as a result of four running backs being able to accumulate double-digit carries, sophmore Jordan Canzeri was able to record his first career rushing touchdown — the final score of the day from the Hawkeyes.
As a result, Iowa was able to put together a strong showing from start to finish.
“You can’t play one half of football. That’s not what we’re trying to do,” sophomore quarterback Jake Rudock said following a performance where he was 10-of-15 passing for 134 yards and those two strikes to Hillyer and Powell. “We played both halves today and that’s really important.”
Now having won three straight, Iowa can set its sights on Big Ten play, starting with its annual Floyd of Rosedale battle with Minnesota Sept. 28 in Minneapolis. Kickoff from TCF Bank Stadium is slated for 2:30 p.m. Central and the game will air nationally on either ABC or ESPN2 as part of ESPN’s reverse mirror on Saturday afternoon games.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — For years, the Iowa Hawkeyes have branded themselves with the reputation under head coach Kirk Ferentz of playing their competition close and down to the wire. The games many would expect Iowa to win by 4-5 touchdowns, it would maybe win by 20 points or fewer, if that.
For one afternoon inside Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes played as complete a game as their fans could’ve asked for. They not only beat Western Michigan 59-3. They massacred the Broncos.
Iowa had a halftime lead of 35 points, the first time since a 37-6 win over Michigan State in 2010 the Hawkeyes led a game by 30 or more at halftime. Sure, it played a Western Michigan squad that entered Saturday 0-3, but the Hawkeyes did what they had to do. The message this week around the Hayden Fry Football Complex was playing a complete game and Iowa did just that.
Setting the tone for the third straight week was Iowa’s defense. Western Michigan ran the ball seven times in the first half and had just six yards total on the ground. The Broncos were also just 1-of-11 on third-down conversions during the first stanza.
Which leads to the domination done by the Hawkeyes’ special teams. After weeks of hearing how they can’t handle onside kicks or react properly to fake punts (and these may or may not still be issues down the road, mind you), it received a performance for the ages returning punts by junior wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley. He became the first Hawkeye player ever to return two punts for touchdowns in a single game, and he did so on consecutive returns in the second quarter. He was the first Big Ten player in 30 seasons to ever do it and just the third Big Ten player ever.
Then if that wasn’t enough, senior cornerback B.J. Lowery got in on the act defensively with a pair of interception returns for scores. The first one came right before halftime after junior running back Mark Weisman had just extended Iowa’s lead to 31-3. The second pick-six came on Western Michigan’s first play from scrimmage in the second half.
It’s one thing to see a player return interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive games, but rarely does a defensive player find himself getting two pick-sixes in one contest.
Finally, let’s get to the offense. Sure, the 28 points off defensive and special teams touchdowns makes things more difficult to evaluate, but there were encouraging signs here as well. After consecutive games where had 30-plus carries, Weisman only needed 10 carries Saturday. In fact, Iowa managed to get double-digit carries for four running backs in this game and one of them — sophomore Jordan Canzeri — scored the first touchdown of his career during the fourth quarter.
This game also displayed growth at other skill positions. For the second straight week, Jacob Hillyer caught a touchdown pass and did so by making his own explosive plays with yards after catch (YAC). Junior tight end Ray Hamilton has also shown strides and led the team in receptions with three of them for 39 yards. And then there’s Damond Powell, a junior college transfer that’s arguably the fastest player on the entire team. He had two catches — one of which was his first career TD — and led the Hawkeyes in receiving yards with 83 of them.
A lot still remains to be seen. Iowa opens Big Ten play next week with a trip to Minnesota and make no mistake, it will be a difficult game for the Hawkeyes to win. In fact, it’s fair to say next week’s outcome could ultimately prove the difference in whether or not Iowa makes bowl eligibility.
But with that being said, this is about as encouraging a performance as they could have had leading up to league play. Iowa showed its full potential Saturday and while it’s crazy to think it can consistently score 59 points, it shouldn’t be crazy to think the Hawkeyes can’t put together a complete game like this where all three phases looked strong.
That’s what it’ll take going forward for this team to maintain this level of success and play above the outside expectations that are there and have been there from the start.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa senior cornerback B.J. Lowery returned two interceptions for touchdowns — 35 yards and 13 yards, respectively — in the Hawkeyes’ 59-3 win over Western Michigan on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa junior wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley became the first player in team history to record two punt returns for touchdowns, scoring from 83 yards and 63 yards out on consecutive returns during the second quarter of the Hawkeyes’ 59-3 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa senior defensive end Dominic Alvis recorded one tackle and was credited with a quarterback hurry in the Hawkeyes’ 59-3 win over Western Michigan on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa sophomore quarterback Jake Rudock completed 10-of-15 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 30 yards on four carries in the Hawkeyes’ 59-3 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the media in a post-game press conference following the Hawkeyes’ 59-3 win over Western Michigan on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. With the win, Iowa improved to 3-1 this season entering Big Ten play.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa sophomore wide receiver Jacob Hillyer recorded one catch — a 21-yard touchdown reception — in the Hawkeyes’ 59-3 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.