College Football
Preview
Rutgers at Iowa
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, November 11, 2023
Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa knows a thing or two about peaking at the right time.

The Hawkeyes have won 15 of their past 16 games in the month of November and will look to improve on that impressive record Saturday when they face Rutgers in Big Ten Conference action in Iowa City, Iowa.

After falling 12-10 to Minnesota in its final game of October, Iowa (7-2, 4-2) flipped a switch with the arrival of the new month to beat Northwestern 10-7 last Saturday at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

"If you're in college football, the month of November really defines you," Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. "You find out what's what and who's who, and that's usually how you get remembered. So somehow, some way, you got to find a way in November."

Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano called Iowa's track record in November "astounding," making it that much harder to escape Iowa City with a victory.

"We certainly are going into one of the toughest places to play in America against a team that's leading the Big Ten West," Schiano said. "We've got a big challenge ahead of us."

Rutgers (6-3, 3-3) hits the road looking to bounce back from last weekend's 35-16 loss to Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights outgained the Buckeyes 361-328 but had trouble putting up six points, settling for field goals on three drives in which they worked inside the Ohio State 5-yard line.

It won't be any easier to find the end zone on Saturday, as the Hawkeyes allow the fourth-fewest points per game (13.7) among FBS teams.

Jay Higgins and Cooper DeJean headline Iowa's defense, and both are among the best in the nation at their respective positions.

Higgins was named a semifinalist for the Dick Butkus Award, given to the country's top linebacker. Meanwhile, DeJean is in the running for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is presented to college football's best defensive back.

Rutgers' defense has been stout, too, ranking 20th in the nation in scoring defense (17.9 points allowed per game) and 10th in total defense (282.4 yards allowed per game).

The Scarlet Knights are 0-3 all-time vs. the Hawkeyes.

--Field Level Media

Stats and Records
Team Comparison
  W‑L Strk PF PA Home Away Grass Turf Conf
Rutgers 6-3 L1 26.8 17.9 5-1 1-2 0-0 0-0 3-3
Iowa 7-2 W1 18.4 13.7 4-1 3-1 2-1 0-0 4-2
Last Meeting
Rutgers Iowa
Date Away Home Tot Rus Pas Tot Rus Pas
9/24/22 IOWA 27 RUTG 10 361 61 300 277 129 148
Player Stats
Previous Matchup
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Rutgers E. Simon 57.1 300 1 2
Iowa S. Petras 64.7 148 0 0
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Rutgers S. Brown V 6 34 5.7 0
Iowa L. Williams 11 64 5.8 1
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Rutgers S. Jones 5 71 14.2 0
Iowa S. LaPorta 4 77 19.2 0
Touchdowns Player TD
Rutgers A. Cruickshank 1
Iowa C. DeJean 1
Season
Passing Player COMP % YDS TD INT
Rutgers G. Wimsatt 49.0 1263 8 5
Iowa C. McNamara 51.1 505 4 3
Rushing Player CAR YDS AVG TD
Rutgers K. Monangai 168 903 5.4 7
Iowa L. Williams 110 551 5.0 1
Receiving Player REC YDS AVG TD
Rutgers C. Dremel 28 363 13.0 3
Iowa E. All 21 299 14.2 3
Touchdowns Player TD
Rutgers K. Monangai 7
Iowa E. All 3
Quickchart Matchup
Rutgers Rutgers Off vs  Iowa Iowa Def
Rutgers 331 yards
Iowa 297.8 yards
Rutgers 4.6 yards/rush
Iowa 3.2 yards/rush
Rutgers 6.2 yards/attempt
Iowa 4.8 yards/attempt
Iowa Iowa Off vs  Rutgers Rutgers Def
Iowa 225.3 yards
Rutgers 283.1 yards
Iowa 3.4 yards/rush
Rutgers 3.7 yards/rush
Iowa 4.9 yards/attempt
Rutgers 5.4 yards/attempt