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Indiana braces for 'more difficult challenge' in road clash at Iowa

Browning Headshotby: Zach Browning09/23/25ZachBrowning17
NCAA Football: Indiana State at Indiana
Sep 12, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti watches his team warm up prior to the game against the Indiana State Sycamores at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Curt Cignetti didn’t bother rehashing Indiana’s 63-10 demolition of Illinois when he stepped to the podium Monday afternoon. The Hoosiers’ head coach had already moved on.

His eyes were on Iowa.

“It’s a more difficult challenge than the last one,” Cignetti said. “The sooner our guys realize that, the better.”

The Hoosiers have rocketed up the AP poll following their emphatic win over then–No. 9 Illinois, but Cignetti’s tone made it clear: one victory doesn’t define a season. The next stop is Iowa City, where Indiana has not won since 2007 and where Kinnick Stadium has become notorious for swallowing visiting hopes.

“It’s a tough place to play,” Cignetti said. “They sell out almost every Saturday. It’s loud. So, we’re going to have to play well.”

The venue will be packed again Saturday. Iowa announced months ago that its 69,250-seat stadium had sold out for the matchup, extending a streak of 23 consecutive sellouts dating back to 2022.

For Indiana, the numbers at Kinnick tell a sobering story: four straight losses in Iowa City and a 1-8 mark against the Hawkeyes since 2008. The history looms, but so does the opponent itself.

Kirk Ferentz, now in his 27th season at Iowa, recently surpassed Woody Hayes for the most career wins by a Big Ten coach. His resume — 207-125 overall with 22 bowl appearances — speaks to the stability Indiana must solve.

“They will not beat themselves,” Cignetti said. “[We] will have to beat them.”

The Hawkeyes bring balance and bite. Their 38-28 win over Rutgers last week featured an opportunistic defense — ranked No. 13 nationally at 233.5 yards allowed per game — and a quarterback who gives Indiana a fresh set of problems.

Mark Gronowski, a transfer from South Dakota State, has already shown why Ferentz built the offense around him. The 6-foot-3 dual-threat has thrown for 492 yards with three touchdowns against just one interception while adding 143 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.

“Won a lot of football games, that guy has,” Cignetti said of Gronowski. “He’s a great competitor. He’s a big guy. He’s got good mobility. They’ll run him, design runs … In the pocket he can make the throws. He’s got a strong arm. They built the offense around the quarterback.”

Indiana counters with a defense that throttled Illinois into just two rushing yards last weekend, dominating at the line of scrimmage. Replicating that disruption is the Hoosiers’ best shot to limit Gronowski’s mobility and force Iowa to play from behind the chains.

But the Hawkeyes’ dangers extend beyond the quarterback. Special teams ace Kaden Wetjen has already housed two returns this season — one a 95-yard punt, the other a 100-yard kickoff. He’s the kind of player who can swing momentum in a heartbeat.

Containment and discipline will be critical, because if there’s one constant about Iowa, it’s that the Hawkeyes rarely self-destruct. That makes Indiana’s task clear: eliminate the mistakes that doomed them in loud, hostile settings last season. Cignetti has drilled that message since Sunday.

One signature win down, eight more league games ahead. The Hoosiers’ margin for error shrinks in places like Kinnick Stadium.

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