Northern Iowa @ Iowa preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2012 ) Northern Iowa 16, Iowa 27

Iowa begins its 16th season under head coach Kirk Ferentz on Saturday when it hosts in-state foe Northern Iowa, an opponent the Hawkeyes are not taking lightly. Iowa, which is coming off a loss in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, has won 15 straight meetings but the last two encounters have been tight, with the Hawkeyes surviving 17-16 in 2009 and posting a 27-16 triumph in 2012. In addition, Iowa suffered a loss to Northern Illinois in the 2013 season opener before rallying to win its next four.

"They don't seem to mind where they go or who they play, they go play well," Ferentz said of the Panthers on Tuesday at his weekly news conference. "If we're surprised by that, which we were in 2009 for whatever reason, we'd better change our attitude." Iowa returns its leading passer (Jake Rudock), rusher (Mark Weisman) and wide receiver (Kevonte Martin-Manley) for the first time since 2010. Northern Iowa returns 18 starters from a squad that opened 2013 with a 28-20 victory at Iowa State and opens this season ranked 15th in the FCS Coaches Poll.

TV: 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Iowa -16.5

ABOUT NORTHERN IOWA (2013: 7-5): The Panthers are led offensively by senior running back David Johnson, who rushed for 1,286 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago. Johnson, who had 144 total yards and a score against Iowa in 2012, can also be a threat in the passing game, hauling in 38 catches and scoring four times through the air last year. Johnson ran for 199 yards and added 41 receiving yards in the upset of the Cyclones last season.

ABOUT IOWA (2013: 8-5): Injuries already took a toll on the Hawkeyes before the season began, as junior defensive lineman Darian Cooper had knee surgery Monday and will miss the entire season. Also, sophomore wide receiver Riley McCarron will miss some time with a shoulder issue, stealing one weapon from Rudock, who threw for 2,383 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Led by Weisman, who had three touchdowns and 113 yards in the defeat of Northern Iowa in 2012, the Hawkeyes return each of their top six rushers to a team that ranked sixth in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game last year.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Northern Iowa's lone win in 15 all-time meetings was an 11-5 triumph in 1898.

2. Rudock was 18-for-37 for just 228 yards in his final two games last season.

3. The Hawkeyes had won 12 straight season openers before the loss to Northern Illinois last Aug. 31.

PREDICTION: Iowa 31, Northern Iowa 16