Indiana Football has had a whirlwind few days. Fresh off a statement win over then–No. 9 Illinois, the Hoosiers rocketed up to No. 11 in the AP Polls. It was a signature moment in a pivotal stretch of the season—but as Coach Curt Cignetti reminded everyone on Monday, it was just the beginning. One conference win down, eight more to go.
“It’s a tough place to play, Kinnick Stadium,” Cignetti said in his opening remarks. “They sell out almost every Saturday. It’s loud. So we’re going to have to play well. This will be a challenge, a more difficult challenge than the last one, for sure. And the sooner our guys realize that, the better.”
The Hoosiers savored their victory for the weekend, but that celebration is over. The road now leads to Iowa City, where Kinnick Stadium has been a graveyard for Indiana hopes. The Hoosiers have dropped four straight there, with their last win in Iowa City coming in 2007. Overall, they’re just 1–8 against the Hawkeyes since 2008. To snap that trend, Cignetti knows his team must bring total focus and intensity to practice this week, because Iowa will test them in one of the most hostile environments in college football.
Iowa’s fans are notorious for making Kinnick one of the loudest, most distracting venues in college football. Last season, Indiana’s most painful losses—to eventual national title contenders Ohio State and Notre Dame—were marked by costly self-inflicted mistakes, often amplified by hostile environments. Cignetti is determined not to let history repeat itself. His message is simple: give maximum effort and eliminate the errors that derail big games.
“One thing I’m going to say about Iowa is they’ve been running basically the same defense for a long time,” Cignetti said. “Now, there’s tweaks. And they’ve always played great defense and they’ve got great special teams. They’ve always been able to run the ball really well. And this quarterback has been a guy that finds a way to get it done. But the thing about Iowa in general, they will not beat themselves. You will have to beat them. They’re not going to beat themselves and they play really well at home.”
Indiana won’t be fooled by Iowa’s lack of a ranking—the Hawkeyes remain a dangerous opponent. At the center of their attack is quarterback Mark Gronowski, a transfer from South Dakota State who has already shown his dual-threat ability. Through the air, he’s thrown for 492 yards, completing 60.5% of his passes with three touchdowns and just one interception. On the ground, he’s added 143 yards and six rushing scores, forcing defenses to respect both phases of his game.
“Won a lot of football games, that guy has,” Cignetti said of Gronowski. “He’s a great competitor. He’s a big guy. He’s got good mobility. They’ll run him, design runs. And then there’s somewhere he could give it or run it. And they’ve got good play-action, out-of-pocket game. And in the pocket he can make the throws. He’s got a strong arm. They built the offense around the quarterback. There’s some new design there.”
While Iowa’s passing attack hasn’t been its calling card in recent years, the Hawkeyes boast a punishing ground game and a mobile quarterback who can wreak havoc if he slips away from Indiana’s pass rush. Last Saturday, the Hoosiers showcased their dominance up front by holding Illinois to just two rushing yards. Replicating that level of disruption will be key if Indiana wants to improve to 5–0.
But Iowa’s strength isn’t limited to the run game. The Hawkeyes’ defense remains a staple, and their special teams can change games in an instant—especially with returner Kaden Wetjen lurking.
“[He’s] a great returner, great returner,” Cignetti said. “And they’ve always done a good job on kickoff return. And he took that first swing against Rutgers, he was about five yards deep and was really untouched. He’s an excellent punt returner. He’s in the 30s on kickoff return and punt return. So we’re going to have to do a great job there, be prepared and give great effort and tackle in space, defeat blocks.”
Wetjen has been nothing short of electric. He’s returned seven punts for 235 yards and a touchdown—highlighted by a 95-yard sprint—and added six kick returns for 213 yards and another score, including a 100-yarder. He’s the type of weapon who can flip momentum with one touch, and the Hoosiers know they’ll need discipline and focus to contain him.
Iowa presents challenges across the board, but nothing Cignetti and his staff haven’t prepared for before. With the spotlight on Kinnick Stadium this Saturday at 3:30 EST, Indiana will look to silence the Hawkeyes, stay unbeaten, and keep their early-season surge rolling.