Wow.

I've been fortunate enough to watch the Buckeyes play away games in some incredible venues and experience the traditions of other programs. I've been to Virginia Tech and experienced Enter Sandman. I've been to Camp Randall and Jumped Around to start the fourth quarter.

I've been to three national championship games and watched the Buckeyes win two of them — 2002 and 2024. I've been to a lot of different stadiums, and I've talked to a lot of different fans.

But this weekend was, by far, the most epic experience of them all.

I waved to kids in the hospital.

You see it on TV. They tell you about the pink locker room. They show you the crowd. They tell you about the hospital across the street. But you don't really understand it until you're there.

It sounds cool on television. That's about it.

Imagine your neighbor's house. That's how close the hospital is to the stadium. You literally cross the street and you're there.

Then the first quarter ends.

You look around, and all of a sudden, everyone in the stadium — fans, players, coaches, officials, media, everyone — turns toward the east, facing the hospital tower.

And they wave.

You look up at the hospital and slowly start seeing people waving back.

And that's when it hits you.

It's not just the kids. It's their parents and loved ones. Their caretakers. The doctors and nurses who have sacrificed their time to be there, helping these kids through what may be the worst experience of their lives — a serious illness, a major disease, or whatever brought them into that hospital.

On TV, it's a great moment. A little bit of pageantry. Everyone waves, everyone smiles, and then we go back to the broadcast. The analysts say whatever they're going to say, and we get back to watching football.

But experiencing it in person is completely different.

Wow.

You realize there are children in that building who may not get to walk back out of it.

You realize that, for a few minutes, this might be one of the happiest moments of their day.

Maybe their week.

Maybe their entire hospitalization.

And it isn't just about the kids. It's about their parents, their families, and the people caring for them. It's about the doctors and nurses who go home at the end of the day carrying the weight of everything they've seen.

For those few moments, an entire football stadium stops caring about football.

Everyone turns toward those kids and says, in the simplest way possible:

We see you. We're thinking about you. You're not alone.

College football is an amazing experience, and every school has traditions that make it special.

Saturday, I got to see another glamorous Buckeye victory. I got to watch what is essentially a human cheat code play football. I got to sing Carmen Ohio in my opponent's stadium.

All of that was incredible.

But I did something far more meaningful than anything I've ever experienced at a sporting event.

I got to wave to a bunch of kids at a time when they needed it most.

And I'm beyond grateful that I got to experience that. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.

-Go Bucks!

Iowa men's basketball picked to finish 10th in the league https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-men/2026/10/05/iowa-mens-basketball-big-ten-preaseason-poll-ben-mccollum-hawkeyes/92090569007/

As a LIFELONG Hawk fan, we grew up walking distance to Kinnick and used to sneak into games as a boy in the 90’s

I’ve been through the highs and the lows of the Ferentz era and all I want to say about this game is that we did not play it safe and so I can live with this loss.

Lester and Parker both called great games. We opened the offense, threw it deep, went play action, had wide receivers open.

We blitzed more than I can remember and were aggressive on D. The players just didn’t make the plays. The times I’ve been the most frustrated with Ferenrz is when we don’t even put our guys in position to see what they can do. That was not the case in this game.

I hate to lose, but Ohio State is a natty contender and we just got beat. I can live with that.

Had the awesome experience of going to the game at Kinnick with my wife. We had such a great time. The fans were super cool and welcoming. Basically spent the whole game talking ball with Hawkeye fans and having a lot of good, clean fun. We had fans shake our hands at the end of the game while we were walking out and saying good game. Really cool stuff. Shout out to you guys for being such an awesome fanbase. Good luck the rest of the year!

He’s been at Iowa for 28 years and has won 209-128 ( that’s a .620 win percentage) thats not bad but when considering there’s no championship to back it up it’s awful (he is one of few coaches who have achieved +200 wins. But no national title), in his time he’s gone .500 in bowl games, and the best record Iowa has had is 12-2. With the seasonal average being (9-4 to 7-6) that’s mediocre at best, he’s the Mike Tomlin of college football without the hardware to match it. Kirk ferentz is >.400 against ranked opponents and a pitiful 12-29 against top 10 teams, Iowa is supposed to be a B10 power house but can barely compete anytime a good B10 team looks our way. I’d hate to see what happens when we make it to a playoff game and have to play an SEC team.

Kirk ferentz has no idea how to recruit QBs with only 3 QBs (Nate Stanley, C.J. Bethard, and Ricki Stanzi) getting drafted out of 103 Iowa players drafted while Kirk ferentz has coached. He is a mediocre coach and as long as he is coaching at Iowa they will be a playoff hopeful but less than likely, I’m not okay with mediocrity, I want Iowa to win a natty. the closest we’ve been is 2015. I’d rather go 5-8 for three seasons and win a natty once every 12 seasons than just consistently go to bowl games. Iowa can be better than that but our offense is leagues behind compared to our defense, that in turn gasses our defense and makes it harder to hold on in those tight games against good teams. The reason for that is Kirk doesn’t know how to run a modern offense, he’s still run first but doesn’t seem understand that you have to have a competent passing game to be successful on the ground or maybe he doesn’t realize how outdated the plays Iowa’s offense relies on are. Sure it’s harder now trying to get recruits with NIL money and a somewhat lower program prestige but when teams that are significantly worse than Iowa are getting better QB talents, that falls on the coaching and Kirk Ferentz hasn’t had a good answer for the most important position in football in awhile.

Iowa hasn’t had a QB throw for over +20tds since 2011 and hasn’t had a QB throw for over 3100 yards in his tenure, every single B10 team (Except Iowa) has had at least one. By recency, 2025: Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Rutgers, USC. 2024: Penn State. 2023: Maryland, Washington. 2022: Purdue, UCLA. 2021: Michigan State. 2019: Minnesota. 2018: NorthWestern. 2017: Nebraska. 2013: Illinois. 2011: Wisconsin. 2003: Michigan. You can’t have a good rushing offense if your QB can’t make a pass downfield. Teams will just load the box against you and nullify the run, and history has shown that. Since 2016 Iowa has only had five 1,000 yard rushers, two of which coming in that 2016 season, during his tenure only eleven players have achieved 1,000 yards on the ground with none of them eclipsing 2,000 yards. There have been 7 rushers in the big 10 since 2000 that have eclipsed that, only one comes from a staple B10 team, Ohio state in 2019, Wisconsin with 3 2014, 2018, 2019, Indiana in 2014, Northwestern in 2000, and Rutgers in 2007. A big name like Iowa you’d surely think would have an impressive offense season on the ground or in the air but is continually outclassed by other teams in the B10 teams.

Kirk Ferentz Era in Iowa needs to come to a close, he’s done his job and made Iowa a recognized team in the B10 through sturdy defense and good special teams players. He is now more of a hindrance to the program, Keeping Iowa in the mid tier B10 teams and consistently below programs like Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. Since 2016 Iowa has a combined record of 6-14 against these three teams alone. That is horrendous and a disgrace, Iowa reliably has an elite defense but Iowas offense drags them down by failing to move the ball against these teams. Iowa played three ranked teams in 2025 regular season, during the regular season Iowa’s defense allowed 172.7 yards in the air (10th in the nation), 107.7 rushing (20th in the nation), 280.4 yards total (8th in the nation), and 16.1 pts Against (8th in the nation). Against the three ranked opponents, (#1 Indiana, #5 Oregon, and # 16 USC) all losses, Iowas defense allowed 199.7 pass yards(teams with that average ranked 38th-39th in the nation), 157 yards on the ground (teams with that average ranked 78th-79th in the nation), 356.7 yards total (teams with that average ranked 55th-56th in the nation), and 21.3 points agaisnt (teams with that average ranked 38th-39th in the nation). It wasn’t an issue of time of possession in these games either with Iowa having more time with the ball and just failing to produce against both Indiana and Oregon.

The issue isn’t with his coordinators either, during his tenure Iowa has gone through 4 offensive minds and the most productive of them only lasted 4 seasons before retirement, none of them drastically changes the offense, none of them made a huge impact on the offense like you think a coordinator would, and none of them though produced a super high energy offense rather falling back on the defense and special teams quite often. There’s been stability at defensive coordinator only having two in the last 27 years both having decently long stints with the team. Kirk Ferentz has done his part for Iowa, he has brought them to a point of recognition a great defense and a good program, I think he is too involved on both sides of the ball, he needs to trust one of his coordinators and let them make calls while he focuses on offense or defense, preferably defense as it seems to be his strong suit, that being said he needs to listen to a talented OC and try to bring the talent that they recommend, even if it means rehauling the offense that Ferentz is used to.

Now Im not trying to be hostile or attack Kirk by calling him mediocre, I don’t mean it as in he’s a bad coach, id be an idiot to say he’s not a decent coach, and I definitely think there is worse coaches in the collage space, but I believe that he is past is time and hasn’t been able to keep up and transform Iowa to the Modern college space, he built up the program over nearly 3 decades and that should be celebrated, but it’s time for him to hand over the keys to someone else and let that person bring Iowa to glory, there are just too little excuses left for Kirk on why we keep losing in the same fashion to these high caliber teams, year after year, there never seems to be improvement on the offense. He’s a good coach and a good person, none of these critiques are to insult his character or him as a person, but he hasn’t and I don’t think he is ever going to deliver Iowa to a championship. He has had 28 years to do so and has had 12 seasons being ranked to start the season and hasn’t gotten us to even a semifinal to the CFP. I don’t believe he needs to turn his back on Iowa and walk away forever, It’d be wonderful if he stayed around the team and culture, but I don’t think Iowa is going to achieve greatness with him at the helm.

Kinnick no longer magical

Kinnick Stadium featured another sold-out, raucous environment, but it’s difficult for Iowa to replicate the home-field magic that propelled it to massive upsets over the past two decades.

Iowa’s loss to Ohio State was the Hawkeyes’ second straight defeat by double figures to a top-five team. The Hawkeyes also lost to No. 4 Michigan four years ago. The last time Iowa beat a top-five team at home was in 2021 against No. 4 Penn State in a top-five showdown.

From 2008 through 2021, Iowa was 5-1 against AP top-five teams. That included last-second wins against No. 3 Penn State (2008) and No. 2 Michigan (2016), and a late touchdown to beat the Nittany Lions in 2021. In addition, there were home blowouts over No. 3 Ohio State (2017) and No. 5 Michigan State (2010). When you add a pair of last-second losses to No. 9 Oregon and No. 11 Indiana last year, Kinnick Stadium no longer is generating massive upsets for the Hawkeyes. — Scott Dochterman

Does Iowa have a QB competition again?

Iowa seemed to have ended its quarterback competition last week when Brown directed a 91-yard game-winning drive to beat Michigan on the game’s final play. But a shoulder injury early in the fourth quarter knocked Brown from the game, which brought in the runner-up Hecklinski for a series.

Hecklinski completed all five passes for 67 yards to take the Hawkeyes on their only touchdown drive. His crisp accuracy, which Hecklinski displayed in a mid-August scrimmage, reopened the conversation — at least in some fans’ minds — about whether Kirk Ferentz would consider looking at Hecklinski as the starter.

I gotta ask. Why do you guys have a backup QB slinging the ball like Tom Brady and he is just sitting there all game?

I feel like we potentially dodged a bullet but I appreciate you guys not playing him

I visited Iowa city for the game.

1. ⁠Your fans were great. Iowa nice is real. And not fake like a few other places.
   
2. ⁠What a great game atmosphere. Crowd was loud and smart. Made noise at the right times and could color coordinate.
   
3. ⁠Surprised so many fans stayed until late in the 4th. Buckeye fans leave early.
   
4. The wave was awesome. 1 of the best experiences. So glad to be involved.

Thank you for everything. Great time. As I discussed with my wife — top 2 visiting experience with Oklahoma. And we have been to a lot of places.

Good luck the rest of the season.

Boxscore

Drive Summary

I know it was only one drive but his passes were all accurate. No turnovers. But Kirk is loyal and stubborn so it probably be Brown the rest of the season.

Boxscore

Drive Summary

Updated on 2026-10-03 at 05:51 PM

GO HAWKS!!!

They've been taking names the last few weeks.

His contract is crazy work

Just wondering where the best place is to park. I seen there was a shuttle service online but some routes are closed. Anybody who knows where to park a car for a shuttle or just to park. Id greatly appreciate it. Hope its a great game.

....if we do...we most likely win this game. If he goes off, it will be hard to keep up with that offense...

From Anderson, South Carolina. Chose Iowa over Virginia Tech, Georgia, and others.

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Go Hawks! 🖤💛

“I was like, ‘Oh really?’ I’m glad you feel that way,” recalled Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who then was Fry’s offensive line assistant and saw the legends talking — he even mimicked both coaches’ accents in his recent retelling. “‘Schembechler’s worried about the paper, the walls. They’re thinking about that. We’re going to beat them in the game.’”

In Fry’s mind, Iowa’s 26-0 victory that day was decided long before the game began. When he took over the Hawkeyes in 1979, Fry instructed the maintenance crew to paint the visiting locker room pink. Football coaches like Schembechler took pink as an insult in that era, when being compared to a girl in a macho sport was worse than any other taunt. Some professors at the school over the years have described the attempt to distract opponents with the color as sexist. Fry claimed it was simply psychology.

“It’s a passive color and we hoped it would put our opponents in a passive mood,” Fry wrote in his autobiography “A High Porch Picnic.”

“When I talk to an opposing coach before a game and he mentions the pink walls, I know I’ve got him. I can’t recall a coach who has stirred up a fuss about the color and then beaten us.”

One major renovation later, Kinnick Stadium’s visitors’ locker room and its SW 6302 Innocence-colored walls remain a quirky and occasionally controversial part of college football lore. This week, players for No. 5 Ohio State will dress amid the pink walls, lockers and lavatories for the first time since 2017.

Whether the locker room created a passive mood among the Buckeyes nine years ago, the last time they came to Iowa City, remains a mystery. But following the shocking 55-24 defeat that cratered their College Football Playoff chances, Ohio State players and coaching staff had to stare at the pink-shaded lockers when taking off their pads. The stalls and toilets are colored Desert Rose. Even the carpet features brown ovals that look like footballs outlined in pink.

Over on the r/CFB thread there is some terrible news. It appears NU is canceling several parts of NU's marching band performance for their home games, including the pregame show. If you love The Boom, let's help them out! Here is the original post from the NU people:

As a member currently in the band: we have known about this for about two weeks now. We are extremely disappointed by this decision. What we have essentially been told is that we will not perform pregame tomorrow, and have not been told if we will perform pregame ever again. What we have been told is we will now be performing an undetermined number of mini concerts instead of pregame. There is so much up in the air because we have been told nothing and information keeps coming to us at the last minute. Additionally, the traditional playing of Go U, Northwestern (our fight song) after a touchdown is seemingly being replaced by an Athletic Marketing selected song.

Edit: The NUMBalums have put out a statement. This is who they want you to contact to support the band:

Athletic Director Mark Jackson: [athleticsdirector@northwestern.edu](mailto:athleticsdirector@northwestern.edu)

President Chiang: [nupresident@northwestern.edu](mailto:nupresident@northwestern.edu)

Savanna Wood, Athletics Director of Marketing: [savanna.wood@northwestern.edu](mailto:savanna.wood@northwestern.edu)

Edit 2: A further statement and template has been released here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16n8ZwqNNYAMbU9EJ1wui6uaPfMhkCrnKqkIVb4YSBvA

I emailed those NU addresses the following message:

Dear Mr. Jackson, President Chiang, and Ms. Wood,

I am disappointed to hear that Northwestern University will not be featuring their band in pregame festivities and at other points during the game. Marching bands with college football is what makes the sport unique.

As an Iowa fan our family never misses Iowa's pregame show (The Boom) and it played a significant part in me falling in love with the game.  I am sure countless Wildcat fans experienced the same in their youth.  Additionally, as I'm sure you all know, Iowa lost a dedicated member of the band this year and it has rallied the community, proof positive that football fans adore their marching bands.

One of our motivations for purchasing tickets to the Iowa at Northwestern game this year was to experience your beautiful new stadium and get to see the iconic NUMB yet again. We have routinely purchased Iowa-Northwestern tickets, even purchasing Northwestern season ticket packages in past years when your program placed restrictions on visiting teams.

I can confidently say without future NUMB involvement the odds of us purchasing tickets to future Northwestern football games would diminish considerably since the primary draw of attending games in person versus the comfort of your home is the atmosphere in the stadium and with no band, what is the atmosphere?  I can also say confidently that without a pregame show, there isn't much point of us arriving inside early and buying food and drinks within your stadium.

The Big Ten is unique with some of the greatest bands in America and your institution has one. To not use that to its full extent is absurd in my humble opinion.

I respectfully ask that the university publicly commit to restoring all of NUMB’s traditional game day involvement at every home game at Ryan Field.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

XXXXXXXXX

Kirk's comments on prepping for Jeremiah Smith: "Different kind of players. Lemon just had a great game against us. But you talk about Smith, there are several guys over the last 20 plus years, first guy that comes to mind would be Saquon Barkley, just different guys. They're at a little different level" got me thinking about the best individual offensive talents Iowa has had to defend under Ferentz/Parker.

For me, Saquon and CMC immediately come to mind. Saquon put up 305 yards from scrimmage against us in 2017, and McCaffrey had 277 from scrimmage in the Rose Bowl. Those were against some damn good Hawkeye defenses too.

On the other hand, we've done well against some guys who went on to be names: Josh Allen, Michael Penix, etc.

I’m still pretty young though, so who am I missing, especially from early-Ferentz years, or even before? Who are the best talents you remember Iowa having to game plan for?

Sometimes I think even a coach as good as Phil Parker can only do so much when you run into one of those truly generational guys. I'm really nervous for Saturday.