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Game Day

9/24/2014

Iowa (3-1) vs. Purdue (2-2)

When: Saturday, Sept. 27

Where: Ross-Aide Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana

Kickoff: 11 a.m. CDT

Captain Kirk sure knows how to push the Hawkeye Nation buttons. Following a loss to Iowa State, Hawk fans were livid, generating an “all hands off deck, fire Ferentz and his damn staff, too” order heading into Saturday’s contest against unbeaten Pittsburgh. A loss? Well, that would have been the straw that broke the camel’s proverbial back. But it didn’t. Ferentz pulled his listless quarterback Jake Rudock in favor of C.J. Beathard with the Hawks trailing 17-7 in the third quarter. The next thing you know, it’s an Iowa win and championship talk resumes. It’s that easy. Quarterback controversy in tow, the Hawks roll into Purdue this Saturday in a meeting of two middle-of-the-roaders still trying to find their respective identities.

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Iowa State (1-2) vs. Baylor (3-0)

When: Saturday, Sept. 27

Where: Jack Trice Stadium

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CDT

A bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cyclones, whose last step on the field two weeks ago was one in the right direction, a win over Iowa. But that was then. Now, it’s No. 7 Baylor and its No. 1 ranking in offense (59 points per game) and No. 2 defense (9 ppg). Granted, their opponents have been weak, but the Bears are a very impressive club nonetheless. How good? Well, their backup — yes, their backup — quarterback, Seth Russell, is third in the nation in passer efficiency and has thrown for 626 yards and seven TDs. Starter Bryce Petty has 577 yards and six scores. But Iowa State isn’t going to roll over and play dead in front of a national audience. After an embarrassing loss to North Dakota State to open the season, Iowa State’s been slowly regaining its confidence. Whether that’s enough to pull off a huge upset is yet to be seen.

Northern Iowa (1-2) vs. Tennessee Tech (1-2)

When: Saturday, Sept. 27

Where: UNI Dome

Kickoff: 4 p.m. CDT

David Johnson rushed for 173 yards and Sawyer Kollmorgen threw for two touchdowns as Northern Iowa opened up a big lead early and got into the win column with a 49-7 beating of Northern Colorado 49-7 last Saturday. After winning its season-opener, Tennessee Tech is in the midst of a two-game skid that has seen the Golden Eagles put up just 21 points over the last eight quarters. Don’t expect that to change much here. With Johnson off and running once again — he had 80 yards in the first two games — the Panthers pick up where they left off and get to .500.

Nebraska (4-0) vs. Illinois (3-1)

When: Saturday, Sept. 27

Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

Kickoff: 8 p.m.

Nebraska stayed unbeaten with a 41-31 handling of Miami of Florida last week, rushing for 343 yards in the process. Ameer Abdullah ran “like a man possessed,” according to Head Coach Bo Pellini. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong threw for only 113 yards and a couple of scores but also ran for another 96 yards. On the offensive side of the ball, all is well in Husker Nation. This weekend, Illinois gets its shot at stopping the multi-tiered attack. The Fighting Illini have some offensive firepower of their own in sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt, who has already thrown for 1,237 yards and 11 TDs. Running back Josh Ferguson rushed for 190 yards on just 16 carries in last week’s 42-35 win over Texas State. CV

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