Iowa Hawkeyes vs Western Michigan: Game Thread

This is it - the final non-conference matchup of the 2023 season is upon us. After a 2-0 start and a grand total of 44 points against Utah State and Iowa State, the Hawkeyes are set to take to the Kinnick Stadium turf in search of loads of points. For the sake of Brian Ferentz’s future, they’re going to need them.

Iowa closes out the non-con slate at home against the Western Michigan Broncos. WMU is fresh off a 48-7 shellacking at the hands of the Syracuse Orange and are looking to improve on their 2-1 all-time series lead over the Hawkeyes. The Broncos bring with them a strong rushing attack, which saw them cut through their week one opponent like a hot knife through butter for more than 300 yards on the ground.

But the Iowa defense will be the best Western Michigan has faced thus far in 2023 and the Hawkeyes are looking to enter Big Ten play with some momentum. Vegas expects Iowa to finally get a blowout with with a 28.5-point spread as of this morning with the over/under at 42 total points. Can the Hawkeyes actually walk away with a massive blowout? Are they even capable of scoring more than 28 total points on their own?

We’re about to find out as the Hawkeyes play host to the Broncos in the non-conference finale from Kinnick!

Here’s a quick reminder on the details for today’s matchup:

Date: Saturday, September 16th
Time: 2:30 pm CT
Matchup: Western Michigan Broncos (1-1, 0-0) at Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0, 0-0)
Location: Kinnick Stadium - Iowa City, IA
TV: BTN
Preliminary Weather Forecast: cloudy with temps in the low-70s, 40% chance of rain
DraftKings Sportsbook Line: Iowa -28.5, O/U 42

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

The usual rules apply again today. Play nice in the comments. No personal attacks, no politics, keep the language somewhat in check and please, report any spam bots that show their digital faces.

Go Hawks!