Spotlight on Iowa State and Iowa Meeting for the 71st Time

Sep 5, 20242 min read

On Sept. 7 at 3:30 p.m. EST, another chapter will be written in the in-state rivalry between the (1-0) Iowa State Cyclones and the (1-0) No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

The two have competed for the Cy-Hawk Trophy since 1977 after a 43-year absence and have met every year since.

Cy-Hawk History

The Hawkeyes are coming off a 40-0 win over the Illinois State Redbirds at Kinnick Stadium this past Saturday, while the Cyclones defeated the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 21-3 at Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is back after serving a one-game suspension due to a recruiting violation.

The Hawkeyes currently lead the all-time series between the two in-state rivals at 47-23. The most recent meeting was last year's 20-13 win for Iowa in Ames, Iowa. Last year, the Hawkeyes led 20-3 heading into the fourth quarter. But Iowa State scored 10 points in the fourth to cut the lead to 10. Iowa State got the ball back with 1:47 left to play at their 31-yard line. But the Cyclones never got a first down and Iowa would go on to win. In the previous 10 meetings, Iowa is 8-2, including a thrilling 44-41 victory in overtime in 2017.

Sixth Time Right for Iowa?

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara threw for 251 yards last Saturday with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 21 of 31 passes.

When the teams met last season, McNamara went 12-for-22 for 123 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. McNamara has never shown consistency throughout his six seasons in college football. However, last week, albeit against an FCS opponent, was among one of his better performances. If he can show that consistency this week, then the Hawkeyes should pull out a win.

Against Illinois State, defensive end Aaron Graves racked up 3 sacks. With how Iowa State struggled to move the ball consistently against North Dakota, Graves could be in for a big game. In last year's win, the Hawkeyes struggled to put pressure on quarterback Rocco Becht and came up empty in the sack category. This year, it will be important for Iowa to get back to Becht consistently.

Jaylin Noel — © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune/USA TODAY NETWORK

Key Cyclones

Iowa’s defense played well against the pass against Illinois State, only giving up 133 yards through the air. For the Cyclones, that will be a point of emphasis on Saturday. And for senior wide receiver Jaylin Noel, it was an exceptional first game against North Dakota. He hauled in 8 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. Noel last year made 8 receptions for 50 yards in the loss. If the Cyclones want to come home with the Cy-Hawk Trophy, then Noel will need to have a big game.

After a big game last week for McNamara, senior defensive back Beau Freyler will need to put together the performance he had last season against Iowa. He racked up 10 total tackles, 1 for a loss and a sack. The Cyclones’ defense only gave up 235 total yards last year.