Hawks Throttle Illinois State In Opener, Cyclones Up Next

I'll be honest. I dozed off during a good chunk of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. It was never really competitive. The Iowa Hawkeyes opened up their 2015 season with a impressive 31-14 win over the Illinois State Redbirds in Iowa City on Saturday (9/5). It was a hot, humid day at Kinnick, and it would've been truly miserable if the Hawks came out and laid an egg. But they didn't. They dominated from the very first series of the game. Who knows? It may end up being short-lived, but for the time being there seems to be some optimism about this bunch heading into their big game in Ames on September 12.

I heard a lot of moaning and groaning heading into this season. "Ferentz fatigue" had seemingly gripped Hawkeye nation. But if you take a look at the 2015 schedule, there's not a whole lot there to be afraid of. Sure, heading up to Madison, Wisconsin the first weekend of October sounds pretty difficult. And the October 17th game at Northwestern looks a little more challenging after seeing the Wildcats knock off a ranked Stanford team in their season opener.

I think these next two games will go a long way in determining the success of the 2015 season. If you can beat Iowa State on the road and follow it up with a victory over Pitt under the lights at Kinnick on September 19th, dare I say it? You might be looking at a 10-win team this year.

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