:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69888814/usa_today_15129890.0.jpg)
The Iowa Hawkeyes continue their hot start to the 2021 season on Saturday as they play host to the Colorado State Rams of the Mountain West Conference. The Hawkeyes enter the matchup set to play their second game in a row in Kinnick Stadium as a top-5 team nationally and just their third such game since 1985.
The Rams are fresh off a 22-6 beatdown of Toledo. That’s the same Toledo team that was oh so close to knocking off then #8 Notre Dame in South Bend. It was the first win of the season for Colorado State, as they started the year 0-2 with losses at home to South Dakota State and Vanderbilt.
Like Kent State a week ago, CSU comes in with an offense capable of moving the ball. While they are averaging only 22 points per game, the Rams are putting up more than 400 yards of offense per week. That’s 100 more than the Iowa offense.
Here’s an early look at this week’s matchup.
Date: Saturday, September 25th
Time: 2:30pm CT
Matchup: Colorado State Rams (1-2, 0-0) at #5 Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0, 1-0)
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
TV: FS1
Preliminary Weather Forecast: mostly sunny with a high of 70, 2% chance of rain
Opening Line: Iowa -22, O/U 45.5
History
The Hawkeyes and Rams have never met prior to this season. When the two meet on Saturday, Iowa will be in search of its 15th straight non-conference win. That’s the second longest active streak in the country, behind only Minnesota’s 21-game streak. The Hawkeyes last lost a non-conference game back in 2017 when they fell in the Outback Bowl 30-3 to Florida.
Iowa is also riding a 9-game winning streak dating back to week three of the 2020 season. The Hawkeyes have not won ten consecutive games since the 2015 season when Iowa went 12-0 in the regular season.
During the winning streak, the Iowa defense is allowing an average of 12.6 points per game, slightly more than the 10 points per game allowed so far this season. The Iowa offense, on the other hand, is scoring an average of 33.9 points per game, up from the 30.3 PPG scored in the 2021 season. The Iowa defense has not allowed an opponent to score 25 or more points in 25 consecutive contests while the Hawkeyes have scored at least 25 points in each of the 9 straight wins. That marks the first time in program history that Iowa has scored at least 25 points in 9 consecutive games.