For decades, playing a football game under the lights meant the contest carried a significant amount of national exposure.
Night games used to be a rare event for Iowa (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) but Saturday’s contest against rival Wisconsin (2-3, 0-2) will mark the Hawkeyes’ fourth prime time game of the young season, with a fifth game already scheduled against Penn State on Oct. 18 at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa usually holds its practice sessions in the mornings, potentially making the adjustment for night games a challenging one. But this is no longer an obstacle for the night owl Hawkeyes. In fact, the defensive lineman room has a tradition where they watch a scary movie in the hotel before each game. The movie choice varies, but it’s a custom that has allowed them to settle in.
“It’s definitely helped just playing so many night games, you kind of get used to the mental side of things, and not playing the game before it’s time to play the game,” fifth-year defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett said at media availability Tuesday. “So we got some good practice with that.”
Head coach Kirk Ferentz cited the addition of the four West Coast schools to the Big Ten as the reason for the uptick in night games.
“I’ll date myself, but one o’clock was a normal starting time. When I got back here 20 some years ago, it was 11 o’clock, and now there, there is no normal, maybe at night is normal,” Ferentz said. “I think the obvious assumption is that TV is going to kind of tell us what to do, when to do it.”
This will be the first time Iowa and Wisconsin will have met in prime time at Camp Randall Stadium since 2007, a 17-13 Badgers win. Wisconsin won eight out of the last 10 meetings from 2010-2021, but the Hawkeyes have won three in a row since, including a 42-10 demolition last season in Iowa City.
The Badgers used to be a perennial contender in the Big Ten, but have entered a period of disarray after the arrival of head coach Luke Fickell in 2023. Wisconsin saw its 23-year bowl streak come to a close last year, and that drought could extend to a second consecutive season if things don’t turn around in 2025.
Fickell arrived in Madison with the goal of turning the Badgers into an air-raid offensive attack, but he is yet to find the right quarterback to do so. Wisconsin added Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. in the offseason, but he suffered an injury in the season-opener against Miami Ohio on Aug. 28. Edwards Jr. attempted to return against Maryland on Sept. 20, but he aggravated the injury and hasn’t returned since.
San Diego State transfer Danny O’ Neil and Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons have both earned starts, but it has done little good, as the offense has posted a dreadful 18.6 points per game this season and ranks near the bottom of the Big Ten in many offensive categories.
Despite these struggles, Iowa’s defense is prepared for a tough, physical game. Wisconsin’s blowout loss to the Hawkeyes last year has left a poor taste in its mouth, even openly admitting it performs 42 pushups after each practice to remind itself of the 42 points it allowed Iowa to score.
“They’re gonna be ready to go,” fourth-year defensive lineman Aaron Graves said. “So we have to not just match that, but we have to exceed that and play at the level that we know we can play at as well.”
Gronowski injury update
One of the largest question marks looming over this Iowa team is the health of quarterback Mark Gronowski. The senior suffered a lower leg injury early in the fourth quarter against Indiana and didn’t return, forcing backup Hank Brown into the game.
Offensive coordinator Tim Lester was both optimistic and cautious about the injury at his bye week presser last week, but it looks like Gronowski could return this weekend against the Badgers after he was listed as the Hawkeyes’ No. 1 quarterback on Monday’s depth chart.
Ferentz said Gronowski is medically cleared and that the final decision will be made by him and Gronowski himself, and hinted that Gronowski’s practice today was a positive step in the right direction.
“Basically it’s just what he can do and how fast he can progress,” Ferentz said. “And I know he’s doing every bit he can. From that standpoint, the medical staff is doing a great job, working with him and [I’m] pleasantly surprised, quite frankly.”
If Gronowski is unavailable for Saturday’s game, Iowa will hand the keys to Brown or Wake Forest transfer Jeremy Hecklinski. Brown, who started two games for Auburn last season, struggled in relief against Indiana, completing only 5 of 13 passes for 48 yards and a costly interception. On the flip side, Hecklinski has played just two snaps in his college career, both of which came at Wake Forest under offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero, who is now an offensive analyst for the Hawkeyes.
While he acknowledged the differences of catching passes from each quarterback, fourth-year wide receiver Sam Phillips is confident the offense can produce against Wisconsin.
“It’s definitely a big, big game, because it’s on the road and it’s hard to win in the Big Ten,” Phillips said. “They will bring it and we’re going to bring it.”
Game information
Kickoff between the Hawkeyes and Badgers is set for 6:00 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium. The game will be televised on FS1 with Eric Collins and Spencer Tillman on the call.