Hate Week is almost over folks, and it’s been one for the ages (at least if the signs hanging off frat houses in Iowa City count for anything). There’s a whole new Cyclone team heading to Iowa City to play under the lights in the house that Hayden built, more than 80 of whom have no experience with, or attachment to, a rivalry that, at one point, was so violent that it was put on hold for 42 years.
Yes, El Assico is back and for the first time in a good while, we might see something pretty different. The Clones are bringing a whole new coaching staff, a whole new system, and a mostly new team to Iowa City to try to extend their current win streak to 3. That mostly new team will be facing a whole lot of Iowa players that know exactly what this game means and have no intention of letting the CyHawk trophy head back down Highway 30 to Ames on Saturday night.
Both teams were impressive in week 1, with Iowa State putting a hurting on FCS Southeast Missouri State (38-10) and Iowa just beating the bejeezus out of Northern Illinois (40-0). NIU (a once formidable MAC opponent) didn’t get a 1st down until the 3rd quarter was half over (on a questionable PI call) and at one point Iowa had gained as many first downs (19) as NIU had run plays, that’s not a stat you see very often. If nothing else, I think that the defense answered many of the questions we had going into the game. They put up 7 sacks, forced 2 turnovers (1 pick, 1 ffr), and held NIU to a grand total of 7 yards rushing (on 31 attempts).
But none of that matters because this is El Assico and all bets are off when these two teams get together. So, let’s see what the numbers tell us about how this year’s game might turn out.
The Teams
- #21 Iowa: 1-0 overall, 0-0 conference
- Iowa State: 1-0 overall, 0-0 conference
Series History
- All-time record: Iowa leads 46-25 (1 tie) since 1894 — Saturday will the 73rd installment
- Most recent meeting: Iowa State won 16-13 on Sept. 6, 2025, in Ames. The Cyclones were ranked No. 16 at the time.
- Current streak: Iowa State has won 2 straight, and 3 of the last 4
- Half-assed internet research: This is only the fifth night game in series history
Coaching Staff
- Iowa: Kirk Ferentz (28th season; 13-12 all-time vs. Iowa State) / Tim Lester, OC (3rd season) / Phil Parker, DC (15th season) / Chris Polizzi, ST Coordinator (1st season, replaced LeVar Woods, who left for Michigan State)
- Iowa State: Jimmy Rogers, HC (1st season) — his first appearance in the rivalry, with an almost entirely new roster (80+ new players) / Tyler Roehl, OC (1st season) / Jesse Bobbit, DC (1st season) / Rob Grande, ST Coordinator (1st season)
Offense
| Total YPG | Passing YPG | Rushing YPG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 507.0 | 218.0 | 289.0 | 40.0 |
| Iowa State | 303.0 | 195.0 | 108.0 | 38.0 |
While we Hawkeye fans may not have been provided a definitive answer to the QB question, we definitely got some answers to questions about this offense, and most of them were quite satisfying. Kamari Moulton put up 183 yards on 11 carries running through holes that in some cases were big enough to allow my overweight, 46 year old, body to gain at least 4-5 yards before being demolished by someone that actually belonged on the field. Watching the OL play on Saturday was like watching a ballet, if ballets involved 300+ pound offensive lineman pancaking their assigned defenders.
Additionally, it would seem that the hype surrounding UTRGV transfer Tony Diaz was far from unwarranted. 7 receptions for 84 yards and a TD (on 13 targets) is a helluva day for an Iowa WR (of late anyways) and when you add in the two TDs that weren’t – due to a terrible toss from Heck and an unfortunate overthrow from Hank – he could have gone for closer to 150. This kid just loves to catch footballs.
Over in Ames, Arkansas St. transfer Jaylen Rayner (who nearly beat Iowa State by himself last season) was pretty much the entire offense, putting up an impressive 216 total yards (184 passing, 32 rushing) and accounting for 4 TDs. That’s 71% of ISU’s total yards and 80% of their scoring from one player. While he was not their leading rusher (Aidan Flores – 45 yards on 7 carries and 1 TD), he was pretty much the offense. I’m going to guess that he’s gonna have a spy all damn day on Saturday. I’m also going to guess that it’s going to be a little harder to complete passes against Iowa’s secondary than it was on SEMO’s.
ADVANTAGE: Iowa — Some would say these offenses are fairly evenly matched, and they would be wrong. Iowa put up 500+ yards on an FBS opponent (329 in the first half alone, which if you notice is more than ISU managed for the entire game). ISU is better than NIU, of that I am sure, but I’m fairly confident (maybe a little too confident) that this Iowa unit is going to be the better of the two on the field Saturday, regardless of who is taking the snaps for the Hawks.
Defense
| Total YPG Allowed | Passing YPG Allowed | Rushing YPG Allowed | PPG Allowed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 120.0 | 113.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 |
| Iowa State | 209.0 | 142.0 | 67.0 | 10.0 |
I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this article, on this website, that you watched Iowa’s defense punk NIU last week, so I’m not really sure how long this section needs to be.
Here are NIU’s drive results from last Saturday: Punt, Punt, Punt, INT, Punt, Punt, Punt, end of half, Punt, Punt, Punt, Fumble, Punt, Punt, End of Game. They allowed NIU to run more than 3 plays on only 4 drives (all in the second half), with only 3 drives going for 6 or more plays.
Iowa’s defense allowed NIU to run for 7 total yards in the game and gave up just 19 yards passing through 3 quarters. They recorded two turnovers, 6 sacks, and 7 TFLs. Dominant, suffocating, relentless.
Iowa State’s defense was hardly poor – 209 total yards allowed (142 pass, 67 run), 6 sacks and 12 TFLs, 3 takeaways. They were good, one might say very good, but they were not as good as Iowa.
ADVANTAGE: Iowa – I refer you to NIU’s drive results.
Special Teams
| Punt Avg | FG% | Kick Return Avg | Punt Return Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 43.7 | 66.7% | N/A (no returns) | 36.0 |
| Iowa State | 37.8 | 100% | 26.0 | 11.0 |
Special Teams may be the one place that Iowa State could have had an edge this year. Kyle Konrardy’s right leg has been the difference the last two years against the Hawks, and he was one of the few players that Matt Campbell couldn’t convince to jump ship to Penn State. He got a fair bit of work last week and he did not miss (5/5 XPs, 1/1 FG). Aiden Flora logged a respectable average of 11 yards per punt return, and Cameron Pettaway did a pretty good job on the 1 kickoff he was able to return.
Iowa’s kicking situation is a little wobbly to start the year. Caden Buhr missed a 53 yarder (wide right) and an XP attempt (also wide right), though he seemed to right the ship as the game progressed, hitting his last 4 XPs and notching 2 FGs. Reese Vanderzee started the game as the punt returner and didn’t really do much. Then Evan James got his shot and, well, he made the most of it. I’m not ready to anoint him the next Jet award winner, but he is fast, shifty, and turned a tough catch into points. He’s got a way to go to achieve Wetjen level, but 1 game in, he’s looking pretty solid back there.
ADVANTAGE: Push — James is a weapon on PR, but a lot of things have to go right for that to make a difference. Konrardy has proved that he can make important kicks in high pressure situations. Both teams have weapons, whether or not they get to use them will decide who wins the ST battle.
Position Questions
- QB (Iowa) — still unresolved entering Week 2: Hank Brown (4th-year, Auburn transfer) and Jeremy Hecklinski (3rd-year, Wake Forest transfer) split five drives apiece against NIU. Ferentz called it “an open battle” heading into the Cy-Hawk game and there is still an OR on the depth chart.
- RB (Iowa State) — Aiden Flora scored a rushing TD and added a 36-yard punt return in the opener but left with an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Saturday, muddying the early-season backfield picture behind a nearly all-new offensive line.
Numbers to Watch
- 28 – Kamari Moulton, Iowa RB – set career highs with 183 yards and 2 TDs on just 11 carries vs. NIU; a 2026 preseason Doak Walker Award candidate after leading the team with 878 yards (5.2 ypc) in 2025
- 9 – Hank Brown / 10 – Jeremy Hecklinski, Iowa QB – platooning under center (see Position Battles); Brown went 12-of-20 for 129 yards and a TD in his Iowa debut, Hecklinski 7-of-16 for 76 yards and a TD
- 33 – Cam Buffington, Iowa LB – I’ve got a feeling that Cam is going to be playing a lot of spy coverage this week. He’s big, strong, fast, and could just be Phil’s answer to the Jaylen Raynor question
- 1 – Jaylen Raynor, Iowa State QB – Arkansas State transfer was sharp in his Cyclones debut, going 8-of-16 for 184 yards and 2 TDs through the air and adding 32 yards and 2 more TDs on the ground vs. SEMO
- 88 – Isaac “Bobby” Terrell, Iowa State DE – exploded for 3.0 sacks in the opener and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week; Iowa State totaled 6 sacks as a team, one short of a school record
- 97 – Kyle Konrardy, Iowa State K – this needs no explanation.
Injury Report
- LJ Phillips Jr., Iowa RB — OUT. Suffered a high ankle sprain vs. NIU; Xavier Williams and Nathan McNeil will share reps behind starter Kamari Moulton.
- Tyler Brown, Iowa S — OUT. The James Madison transfer will miss a second straight game with a lingering soft-tissue/hamstring injury; Anthony Hawkins remains the starting strong safety.
- Aiden Flora, Iowa State RB — Questionable. Left the SEMO game with an undisclosed injury; availability for Saturday is unclear.
- J. Bailey, Iowa State WR — OUT. Undisclosed injury; no clear return timeline.
Lines
As of: Sept. 9, 2026
- Point spread: Iowa -14.5
- Over/Under: 41.5
In Closing
I spend more time than I’d like pulling the numbers for this column every week, and I really hate pulling them for week 2 every season because, at the end of the day, rivalry games like El Assico aren’t about numbers, they’re about which team wants it more. It took Matt Campbell a long time to learn how to beat Kirk Ferentz and now he’s gone. Jimmy Rogers almost beat Kirk Ferentz once, but that was a very different Iowa team, and while he may eventually steal one from the Dean of College Football, I have a hard time imagining that he will achieve that particular feat on his first attempt.
