The last time the Washington football team traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, was 60 years ago.
The Huskies (4-2, 2-1), now members of the same conference as Iowa (3-2, 1-1) — the Big Ten — will return to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first time since a loss there in 1964.
The all-time series between the teams stands at 3-3. Iowa won the most recent meeting, in 1995.
“It’s going to be a beautiful day,” said Huskies coach Jedd Fisch, still giddy after his team defeated then-No. 10 Michigan 27-17 Saturday in a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff championship game.
“We’ve got to be ready for loud. We’ve got to be ready for energy. We’ve got to be ready for incredible fan support, and obviously a team that is built on toughness.”
Will Rogers was 21-of-31 passing for 271 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday for the Huskies, who scored the game’s final 13 points to avenge a 34-13 loss to the Wolverines on Jan. 8 in Houston.
Jonah Coleman rushed 18 times for 80 yards last week and scored on a 1-yard dive with 6:22 remaining to put the Huskies ahead for good.
“So proud of the way these guys are coming together,” Fisch said. “A lot of room to grow. Hopefully this week, we play better than we did last week.”
The Hawkeyes didn’t fare as well Saturday against a ranked opponent, losing 35-7 at then-No. 3 Ohio State.
Kaleb Johnson, who ranks second nationally with an average of 154.2 yards rushing per game, was limited to 86 by the Buckeyes. And Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara, a transfer from Michigan, was 14-of-20 passing for 98 yards with three turnovers — two fumbles and an interception.
But longtime Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz, whose 199 Big Ten victories are second only to Ohio State legend Woody Hayes (205), downplayed any notion of a quarterback controversy.
“We evaluate every position week to week,” Ferentz said. “I think Cade’s improving, I really do. It sounds funny with the turnovers (Saturday), I think he seems more comfortable. His timing seems better. … We have to improve as a collective offense.”
The Hawkeyes suffered a blow this week when it was announced that Leshon Williams, the team’s leading rusher last season, and wide receiver Kaleb Brown, a transfer from Ohio State, would sit out the rest of the season and enter the transfer portal.
