Indiana's HC Breaks Down Iowa's Gameplan

There's nothing quite like playing at Kinnick Stadium. Indiana may be the No. 11-ranked team in the nation, but they're in for a treat when they play the Iowa Hawkeyes in Week 5. Iowa is finally beginning to put everything together as the Hoosiers come into town as their biggest test of the season.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz knows this team could very easily be 4-0, but things got away from them at Iowa State. The No. 16 team took down the Hawkeyes, 16-13, in a loss that may have motivated them more than he ever could've imagined. Now, this 3-1 (1-0) Iowa squad prepares to do battle with 4-0 (1-0) Indiana.

Indiana hit the jackpot when they asked Curt Cignetti to be their head coach. He's coming off a College Football Playoff appearance, and just set the world on fire with the Hoosiers 63-10 win over No. 9 Illinois. That win propelled Indiana from No. 19 to No. 11 as Illinois nearly fell out of the AP Top 25 entirely.

Cignetti made sure Illinois caught a stray after the Hoosiers ran through them in Week 4. His diss of the Fighting Illini allowed for Iowa to be highlighted as Cignetti made it very clear he isn't taking this team for granted.

Indiana HC Curt Cignett — Sep 20, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after a play during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

"Got a lot of respect for Coach Ferentz, everything he’s accomplished throughout his career as a head coach and as an assistant, too,” Cignetti said. "One thing I’m going to say about Iowa, and you guys all know this that have been in the Big Ten a while, is, I mean, they’ve been running basically the same defense for a long time. Now, there’s tweaks, and they’ve always played great defense and they’ve got great special teams."

Wide receiver Kaden Wetjen has emerged as one of the top players on this Hawkeyes team. He just took home his second straight Big 10 Special Teams Player of the Week award after returning the opening kickoff for 100+ yards.

Cignetti continued, "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.”

The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 81-14 at home this season. That total comes in just a pair of games against Albany and UMass. Indiana is one of three AP Top 25 teams the Hawkeyes get to play at Kinnick Stadium in 2025.

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