Michigan State and Iowa will battle on homecoming at Spartan Stadium this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with game airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
MSU, which is coming off of its bye week, will face an Iowa team that just defeated Washington by a final score of 40-16 in Kinnick Stadium a week ago. Overall, the Hawkeyes leads the series 25-22-2. Iowa has won the last two meetings by a combined score of 75-23.
Let's take a closer look at Iowa in this week's "Get to Know the Opponent" column.
Head Coach
Kirk Ferentz has been at the helm in Iowa City for two-plus decades, as he is now in his 26th season as the Iowa head coach. He also spent several seasons as the offensive line coach for the Hawkeyes from 1981 through 1989.
Ferentz has compiled a record of 200-121 at Iowa, winning 62.3% of his games. He is 9-8 all-time against Michigan State. He also spent three seasons as the head coach of Maine, where he went 12-21 from 1990 through 1992. Ferentz's overall coaching record currently stands at 212-142.
He has won the Big Ten titles two times in his career, 2002 and 2004.
Over the past few seasons, the Iowa Hawkeye offense has been under major scrutiny across college football and especially in Iowa City. Iowa parted ways with Ferentz's son, Brian Ferentz, and went after former Western Michigan head coach Tim Lester to be the current offensive coordinator for the 2024 season. The move has paid dividends for the Hawkeyes. Iowa has scored 30-plus points in four of the six games this season and has an extremely strong running game. More on that below.
Offensive players to watch
The pride and joy of the 2024 Iowa offense is without a doubt its running game. The bulk of the Hawkeyes' yards on the ground come from star running back Kaleb Johnson. He has gained 937 rushing yards, which ranks first in the Big Ten and second nationally, and he has scored 12 touchdowns.
Johnson has displayed great patience, vision and the ability to be a one-cut runner in the Iowa wide zone offensive scheme. In order for the Spartans to win on Saturday night, they will definitely have to find a way to limit Johnson and the Hawkeye rushing attack. It sounds simple, but that is much easier said than done.
The Spartans will also face off against a familiar face in quarterback Cade McNamara, who transferred from Michigan to Iowa ahead of the 2024 campaign last year.
McNamara’s lone start against the Spartans came in 2021, where he went 28-for-44 passing for 383 yards and two touchdowns, but a costly game-ending interception in the hands of MSU cornerback Charles Brantley propelled the Spartans to a 37-33 victory over McNamara and the Wolverines.
McNamara suffered a non-contact, season-ending knee injury against the Spartans last year. This year, he has played in all six games, while throwing for 794 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. He is only averaging 132.3 passing yard per game, however.
Iowa's leading receivers this year are Jacob Gill (16 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown), tight end Luke Lachey (19 catches for 156 yards) and Reece Vander Zee (11 catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns).
Defensive players to watch
The Iowa defense has been stout per usual in their 2024 campaign, only allowing 17.7 points per game. However, the unit has perhaps taken a slight step back, ranking ninth in the Big Ten in total defense with 316 yards allowed per game, 13th in passing yards allowed per game at 219.7 and eighth in rushing yards allowed per game at 96.3 yards. However, the Hawkeyes have forced 11 turnovers this season, which ranks toward the top of the conference.
Leading the Hawkeye defense is potential first-round draft pick and cornerback Sebastian Castro. In 2024, Castro ahs recorded 28 tackles an interception, a pass break-up and a forced fumble. Castro allows legendary defensive coordinator (and MSU alumnus) Phil Parker freedom within his coverages opposite of Castro, because Castro often takes away his matchup.
Others in the secondary have benefited from Castro, including Jermari Harris who leads the team in interceptions with three, including a pick-six, and pass pass break-ups with five.
Linebacker Jay Higgins leads the team in tackles with 62 and tackles for loss with five. Meanwhile, defensive lineman Aaron Graves leads the Hawkeyes in sacks with five.
The Hawkeyes are a stout team up front as well, allowing under 100 rushing yards per game. However, as mentioned, the passing defense is giving up nearly 220 yards per game through the air, which could be an area where the Spartans look to capitalize on during Saturday's game.
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