Iowa @ Indiana preview
Memorial Stadium "The Rock"
Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2009 ) Indiana 24, Iowa 42
The Iowa Hawkeyes showed last week they can bounce back from a tough loss.
A visit to Indiana on Saturday will show how they fare after a big win.
The Hawkeyes' 37-6 win over Michigan State came a week after a crushing one-point home loss to Wisconsin. The victory re-established the Hawkeyes as a contender for the Big Ten title. Iowa, ranked No. 16 in this week's coaches poll, and Wisconsin trail Michigan State and Ohio State by a half-game for the top spot.
Iowa finishes the season with games against Northwestern, Ohio State and Minnesota.
After two weeks of being on an emotional rollercoaster, the Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-1) must get their feet back on the ground and not be tempted to look past the Hoosiers (4-4, 0-4). Indiana has lost nine consecutive Big Ten games, but if Iowa doesn't take care of business, the glow of the Michigan State win will quickly fade.
Hanging on to the ball has been the key to Iowa's success. The Hawkeyes have committed five turnovers, the lowest total in the league. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has thrown only two interceptions in 197 attempts to go with 19 touchdowns and a 68.5 completion percentage.
Stanzi has been particularly hot lately. He's thrown for three touchdowns in each of the last three games. That could be a big problem for Indiana's leaky defense, which hasn't been able to stop anyone in conference play. The Hoosiers have allowed 35.7 points a game in the Big Ten.
Indiana, in an attempt to become bowl eligible, fattened up its record with non-conference wins over Towson, Western Kentucky, Akron and Arkansas State. It's been a different story in the league, where the Hoosiers' latest loss came last week at home against Northwestern by a 20-17 score.
Unlike its other Big Ten games, Indiana actually had a chance to beat the Wildcats. The game was tied 10-10 at halftime, but the Hoosiers didn't score again until the final minute.
Indiana needs to come up with two wins in its remaining four games to go to a bowl. Given the fact the Hoosiers plays Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue in their last four games, that appears unlikely.
Indiana's last conference win came against Illinois on Nov. 17 of last season, a 27-14 victory.
Quarterback Ben Chappell is having an outstanding season for the Hoosiers. He has completed 66.2 percent of his passes and thrown for 17 touchdowns with six interceptions. Chappell leads the Big Ten in passing yards (2,445), completions (214) and attempts (332).