2024-11-09 08:35:03
PASADENA, Calif. − The external worries are plentiful and understandable for the Iowa football team this week.
The Hawkeyes are traveling multiple time zones west for a Friday night game against an ascending opponent in a stadium that has been the home of great disappointment for the program.
But there is a lot of evidence to dismiss some of those concerns as Iowa gets set to face UCLA. Let’s unpack each of those three things.
More:Iowa vs. UCLA score, live updates, highlights, how to watch Week 11 Hawkeyes football game
Big Ten teams are 7-14 this season when traveling multiple time zones.
That is true. But teams are also adjusting. After a 1-8 start in such games, the record has been 6-6 since.
And UCLA has been an anomaly in this trend. The Bruins have back-to-back wins when traveling multiple time zones – 35-32 at Rutgers, 27-20 at Nebraska. They also have two home losses against teams coming from afar to the Rose Bowl Stadium – 42-13 against Indiana, 21-17 against Minnesota. UCLA is actually 0-3 at home this season, the other loss coming to No. 1 Oregon. So … advantage Iowa?
“Indiana certainly didn’t buy that. They did pretty well out at UCLA. I’m not sure I buy that,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said on his weekly radio show Wednesday. “I’m also not sure I buy the narrative that West Coast teams aren’t physical. Washington had some physical guys several weeks ago (in a 40-16 Iowa win). And I’ll tell you, watching this UCLA group, they’ve got some guys, too. … I think a lot of that stuff gets overhyped.”
In other words, the result of these time-zone-travel games have been more about the quality of the play. And road games typically are more difficult to begin with, which is a bigger part of that 7-14 record.
But what about a short preparation on top of the travel?
Well, Iowa actually has a good history on this. Since the Hawkeyes switched to morning practices following the 2014 season and changed the players’ required day off from Monday to Thursday, they are 10-1 in Friday games. That includes a sterling 7-0 record in Friday road games – 5-0 at Nebraska (2015, ’17, ’19, ’21, ’23), 1-0 at Minnesota (2020) and 1-0 at Maryland (2021).
Where UCLA has the edge: The Bruins are built to stop Iowa’s best strength, which is Kaleb Johnson and the run game. They are No. 11 nationally against the run, allowing 100.4 yards per game. And as good as Brendan Sullivan has been for Iowa, UCLA has a mobile quarterback of its own in Ethan Garbers, who has thrown for nearly 900 yards and rushed for 100-plus in UCLA’s last three games. Offensively, UCLA has been a lot more productive since reshuffling its offensive line in early October. This is a sneaky-good, athletic team.
Prediction: Iowa 24, UCLA 20 … The Hawkeyes are 31-0 when scoring 21-plus points since 2020, and they are averaging 21.7 in the second half alone this season. Sullivan must stay healthy, with only walk-on Jackson Stratton available as a backup. The Hawkeyes will get off to their usual slow start but put the hammer down in the second half and eke out their first Pasadena win in 66 years, which will feel cathartic to Hawkeye fans everywhere.
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.
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