The last time UNI came to Iowa City was 8 years ago, but no one is talking about that game (a 38-14 Hawkeye win) this week. No, a visit from the Panthers will only, ever, invoke one memory for most Hawkeye fans, and that memory is from September 5, 2009.
Pretty sure most of us remember this one vividly, I know I do. The first and only game in recorded football history that ended on consecutive blocked field goal attempts. Special teams wins games, nuff said. Thank you to Broderick Binns for the first block, and a very special thank you to Jeremiha Hunter for the second. That was a great year for Iowa football that would likely have been very, very different if either of those kicks had cleared the line of scrimmage.
Look, this isn’t a rivalry game, there are no trophies at stake, there’s likely not an Iowa fan in the world that truly dislikes UNI, and Todd Stepsis seems like a good guy and a good coach. This is a tuneup and everyone knows it, let’s just hope that Iowa’s players take it as seriously as they take any other game, nobody wants a repeat of 2009.
Let’s take a look at the numbers.
The Teams
- Iowa: 2-0 overall, 0-0 conference (No. 18 AP / No. 20 Coaches)
- Northern Iowa: 1-1 overall, 0-0 conference (Missouri Valley Football Conference, FCS)
Series History
- Modern series (since 1995): Iowa leads 7-0. The two programs also met occasionally in the early 1900s, but the “modern” era of the series — the only span with a complete, verifiable record — began in 1995.
- Most recent meeting: Iowa won 38-14 on Sept. 15, 2018, at Kinnick Stadium.
- Current streak: Iowa has won 7 straight; this is the first meeting between the two programs since 2018 (an 8-year gap, the longest in the modern series).
- Fun fact: This is Iowa’s Family Weekend / “Harvest Game” (presented by Associated Builders & Contractors of Iowa).
Coaching Staff
- Iowa: Kirk Ferentz (28th season) / Tim Lester, OC (3rd season) / Phil Parker, DC (15th season) / Chris Polizzi, ST Coordinator (1st season)
- Northern Iowa: Todd Stepsis, HC (2nd season) / Nate Thompson, OC/TE coach (2nd season) / Al Smith, DC/Linebackers (2nd season) / Michael McCourt, ST Coordinator/Running Backs (2nd season)
Offense
| Total YPG | Passing YPG | Rushing YPG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 395.5 | 204.5 | 191.0 | 28.0 |
| Northern Iowa | 396.5 | 264.5 | 132.0 | 40.0 |
Iowa’s offense did not look great against Iowa State and had a lot of issues getting going against a defense that was selling out against the run. Hank took longer than most of us would like to get into rhythm and had a couple of misses that could have been big plays (that miss to Diaz over the top in the early in the 2nd quarter would have been yuuuuger), but got it done when it mattered the most. I’m not sure how much I want to take away from El Assico, because it is rarely a game where either team plays up to it’s full potential. Rivalry games are what they are, and the CyHawk is the Clones’ Super Bowl, and unless they can continue to roll out 35 unique offensive looks every game this season, I refuse to believe otherwise.
Iowa probably underestimate Iowa State’s talent, and I know I (and most of the other writers here at the Pants – and around the country) did as well. I don’t like Jimmy Rogers and I don’t like Iowa State, but I’ll be pretty shocked if they don’t manage to win at least 6 games this season (which will make this win look better), but unlike the days when Matt Campbell was running the show, I won’t be rooting for them.
UNI has put up a lot of yards and a lot of points so far this year (they hung 56 on Drake), but they’ve not faced a defense like Iowa’s (or Iowa State’s for that matter), so I have a feeling they’re production is going to drop quite a bit Saturday. They’ve got some weapons, but I feel like they’re going to struggle a bit more against the nations 7th ranked defense.
ADVANTAGE: Push – the numbers say push, so it’s a push, but we all know it’s not a push.
Defense
| Total YPG Allowed | Passing YPG Allowed | Rushing YPG Allowed | PPG Allowed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 187.5 | 115.0 | 72.5 | 6.5 |
| Northern Iowa | 360.0 | 276.5 | 83.5 | 24.0 |
I honestly don’t feel like there’s much to write here. UNI’s defense is allowing nearly 4 times as many points, and nearly twice as many yards in games against two FCS foes. Iowa has given up 13 points through 2 games and if you subtract the garbage time yards in the NIU game (89 of their 120 total yards), they’re allowing just about 155 ypg. Either way, it’s fairly obvious that the Iowa defense is going to give UNI a fair bit of trouble, and Iowa should see their offensive production increase significantly week over week.
ADVANTAGE: Iowa
Special Teams
| Punt Avg | FG% | Kick Return Avg | Punt Return Avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 43.9 | 83.3% (5-6) | N/A (no returns) | 21.0 |
| Northern Iowa | 45.3 | 50.0% (1-2) | 19.5 | 4.0 |
Caden Buhr (boo-er) didn’t have a great start to the season, but he’ll never pay for another drink in Iowa City after he sent the Clones home with a loss. He’s hit 5 straight and nabbed his first B18 STPOW award. It’s worth noting that Iowa special teams, a group we were all pretty worried about coming into the season, has won back to back player of the week awards. Also, it should be noted that Tanner Philpott should never pay for another drink in Iowa City as long as he lives, that was an unreal recovery on the hold for the game winner. Boston Everitt has looked good so far and has dropped 2/3 of his kicks inside the 20, he’s not at Tory Taylor levels of awesome yet, but I won’t be surprised if he gets there.
UNI’s ST unit hasn’t had a lot to do the first couple of weeks. Max Bartacheck is 1-2 on the season, but hit on 10-13 last year and missed only a single XP attempt (and he’s perfect on PATs so far in 2026), so he’s no slouch – at least not from inside 30 yards. Punter Logan Gregory has only had 4 attempts this season, with a long of 56 and he’s put 3 of the 4 inside the 20, and we can all appreciate good punting.
What Iowa has that UNI doesn’t is a few potential weapons in the punt return game (possibly in the kick return game to, provided they ever get the chance to return one). RVZ had a couple of good returns against ISU, and Evan James is still 3rd in the nation in punt return yardage thanks to his 77-yard return for a TD against NIU. UNI has amasses 8 total punt return yards and is averaging just under 20 on kickoffs. I’ll give the nod to Iowa here.
ADVANTAGE: Iowa
Position Battles
Let’s hope this is the last week where this section is necessary.
- QB (Iowa) — Hank took every snap against Iowa State (going 21-of-30, 191 yards, 22 yard rushing, and 1 TD) and looked pretty good once he got going, but that wasn’t enough to convince Kirk to remove the OR on the depth chart this week and said that it is “still an open battle” in his presser on Tuesday. Heck should see some real run against UNI unless something goes horribly wrong. I’m guessing we’ll get Hank until Iowa has a 3 TD lead, then Heck until the 4th when Jimmy Sullivan will get some more live reps. If nothing else, it’s nice to see backup QBs get live reps, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that at Iowa.
Numbers to Watch
- 14 – Tony Diaz, Iowa WR – team-high 15 catches (on 25 targets) for 179 yards and a TD through two games; his 89.5 rec yards/game ranks 30th nationally.
- 33 – Cam Buffington, Iowa LB – leads the team in tackles, including a career-high 15 (9 solo) vs. Iowa State in just his second career start
- 96 – Bryce Hawthorne, Iowa DT – 9 tackles and consistent interior pressure through two games, a big surprise at a position that lost all four starters from 2025
- 15 – Jaxon Dailey, UNI QB – 36-of-51 passing (71%), 529 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT through two games; also UNI’s short-yardage rushing threat (18 carries, 3 rushing TD)
- 0 – Max Bartachek, UNI K – 1-of-2 on field goals and perfect on PATs (18-of-18) so far; made 10 FGs a year ago. He may be their leading scorer on Saturday.
Injury Report
- DJ Vonnahme, Iowa TE — DOUBTFUL. banged up in the Iowa State win; Kirk said he should be back for Michigan (fingers crossed).
- L.J. Phillips Jr., Iowa RB — OUT/questionable. High ankle sprain suffered vs. NIU in Week 1; Kirk said he’s making good progress but stopped short of ruling him in.
- Tyler Brown, Iowa S — OUT/doubtful. James Madison transfer is “starting to get some work” back but it is unlikely that he will play against the Panthers
- Kamari Moulton, Iowa RB — day-to-day per Kirk’s presser.
Lines
As of: Sept. 16, 2026
- Point spread: Iowa -38.5
- Over/Under: 48.5
Iowa should win this game comfortably, but there’s a reason that they play the games. I don’t think Iowa is gonna cover this one (unless they shut the Panthers out again), but only because KF is not one to run up the score on an overmatched opponent. Get Hank some more reps, get Heck some more reps, get Sully some more reps, let the defense do what the defense should do against an FCS team and then let the backups get some reps. This should be over by half, now I’ve got to go knock on all the wood I can find.
Sources:
- Current Record/Rankings — hawkeyesports.com, unipanthers.com, ESPN, Wikipedia (2026 Iowa Hawkeyes / 2026 Northern Iowa Panthers football team pages)
- Series/History — unipanthers.com opponent history page, Yahoo Sports (“Five Fast Facts About Northern Iowa”), SI.com
- Coaching — hawkeyesports.com, unipanthers.com (2026 staff page), SI.com, Wikipedia (Todd Stepsis)
- Offense/Defense — hawkeyesports.com game notes (“NOTES: Family Weekend vs. Northern Iowa”), ESPN team stats, FoxSports team stats, ESPN box scores (Iowa-NIU, Iowa-Iowa State, UNI-Eastern Washington, UNI-Drake), niuhuskies.com official box score
- Special Teams — hawkeyesports.com (Caden Buhr Big Ten honor release), ESPN/CBS Sports gametracker box scores, FoxSports team stats, unipanthers.com game recaps and roster
- Numbers to Watch — ESPN player stats/splits, hawkeyesports.com game notes, unipanthers.com roster and game recaps
- Position Battles — SI.com, Yahoo Sports/Hawk Central, dearoldgold.com
- Injury Report — RotoWire, SI.com, Yahoo Sports
- Lines — FanDuel (via SportsGrid odds aggregation)
