Iowa returns to Kinnick Stadium for final non-conference games
PK Mike Meyer is 6-6 in field goal attempts through two games.
Iowa (1-1) returns home for the first of two straight non-conference home games, hosting Pittsburgh (2-0) Saturday in Kinnick Stadium (70,585). Game time is 11:01 a.m. CT. A limited number of tickets remain. Iowa opened the season with a 34-7 win over Tennessee Tech in Iowa City before dropping a 44-41 triple overtime contest at Iowa State. Pittsburgh is playing its first road game after home wins over Buffalo (35-16) and Maine (35-29).
ESPN2 (HD) will televise the contest to a national cable audience. The game is also available online at ESPN3.com. Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti will call the action.
Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Gary Dolphin handles the play-by-play, with color commentator Ed Podolak and sideline reporter Rob Brooks. The Hawkeye Radio Network includes more than 40 stations throughout the state. The game can also be heard on Sirius channel 112 and XM channel 197.
Sophomore PK Mike Meyer was named national Placekicker of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards for his play in Iowa's 44-41 three-overtime loss at Iowa State. Meyer is also one of three kickers to earn "Stars of the Week" recognition from the Lou Groza Collegiate Place Kicker Award. In addition, sophomore LB Christian Kirksey earned honorable mention as Linebacker of the Week. Meyer made all four field goal attempts, connecting from 42, 20, 50 and 34 yards. The 50-yard kick is a career best and the 34-yard effort came in the third overtime period. Meyer is perfect through two games (6-6 FGs, 7-7 PATs) and leads the team in scoring with 25 points. Kirksey had a career-high 13 tackles at Iowa State, including 11 solo stops. He had two tackles for loss and one QB sack. He also caused and recovered an Iowa State fumble while making a tackle and had one pass break-up. Kirksey leads Iowa with 23 tackles in two games.
The UI Department of Athletics is introducing a new-and-improved "Hawkeye Gameday Live" page each Saturday for Hawkeye fans. The page will feature game information such as notes, rosters, TV and radio information, etc.; live stats and blog, and twitter and facebook feeds. It's the one-stop-shop for the ultimate Hawkeye fan who wants to check stats of their favorite player and participate in the conversation during the football game. Check the front page of hawkeyesports.com each Saturday for access to "Hawkeye Gameday Live".
Four members of the media, who covered University of Iowa athletics over the past 40 years, will be inducted into the Kinnick Stadium Media Wall of Fame on Sept. 16-17, in conjunction with Iowa's home football contest against Pittsburgh. The inductees are Phil Haddy, a member of the UI athletic staff for 41 years and Iowa's sports information director from 1993-2010; Chuck Schoffner, who covered Iowa events for both United Press and the Associated Press (1972-05); Kevin Evans, sportswriter and sports editor at the Waterloo Courier (1965-2006), and John Campbell, current sports director at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids (1979-present). Haddy joined the Iowa athletic staff as assistant sports information director in 1971. He became the third sports information director in school history in 1993. He began a two-year phased retirement in 2010. Haddy joins former Iowa SIDs Eric Wilson (1923-68) and George Wine (1968-93) as members of the Wall of Fame. Schoffner began his career at United Press International (1972-79). He joined the Associated Press as a sportswriter in 1979 and later served as AP Iowa sports editor until his retirement in November, 2005. Schoffner continues to work as a freelance writer, covering women's college basketball, the Drake Relays, NCAA Track and Field Championships, and professional golf and auto racing events. Campbell has been involved in sports broadcasting for 41 years, including the last 32 years at KCRG. He was named sports director at KCRG-TV in June, 1979, following a 10-year stint as a sports reporter for WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wis. Evans began his sports writing career at the Waterloo Courier in 1965, working part-time as a high school senior. He served as the Courier's sports editor for 15 years before his retirement in 2006. During his career, Evans covered Iowa football through five coaching regimes, beginning with Ray Nagel. He covered Hawkeye football on a fulltime basis the last 15 years of his career. The inaugural class of 20 members was recognized in 2006, the first year the Paul W. Brechler Press Box was in use following the Kinnick Stadium renovation. The Wall of Fame, located in the media section of the press box, recognized individuals who have covered Hawkeye football with integrity, accuracy and fairness over a long period of time.
Hawkeye fans join the twitter conversation each game by including #Hawkeyes in your gameday tweets. By including #Hawkeyes in your tweets, in addition to showing your Hawkeye pride you will help the #Hawkeyes trend. Also, if you are not already following @TheIowaHawkeyes and @HawkeyeFootball, visit twitter.com and follow both feeds. Also, Hawkeye fans are encouraged to tweet their photos on gameday to @theiowahawkeyes.
Iowa's Leadership Group for the 2011 season includes four seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and one redshirt freshman. A member of the incoming freshman class will be added this fall. Permanent team captains are named at the conclusion of each season. The Leadership Group includes seniors Broderick Binns , Mike Daniels , Marvin McNutt , Jr. and Tyler Nielsen ; juniors Greg Castillo , James Ferentz , Micah Hyde , Riley Reiff and James Vandenberg ; sophomores Marcus Coker , Casey Kreiter , James Morris and Brett Van Sloten ; and redshirt freshman Brandon Scherff .
Saturday's game will be the fifth meeting between Iowa and Pittsburgh. The Panthers lead the series, 3-1. Pitt won the most recent meeting, 21-20, Sept. 20, 2008, in Pittsburgh. Iowa's lone win in the series came by a 34-17 margin in 1951, in Iowa City. Pitt won the first meeting 20-0 (Oct. 3, 1931) and also won 26-14 (Sept. 26, 1952) in Pittsburgh. Iowa plays at Pittsburgh in 2014 and the Panthers return to Iowa City in 2015.
Kirk Ferentz (pronounced FAIR-rintz, rhymes with parents) is in his 13th season as head football coach at the University of Iowa. His latest contract extension runs through the 2020 season. Ferentz was named the 2009 Dave McClain Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year. He was one of 15 semi-finalists for the 2009 George Munger Award, presented by the Maxwell Football Club to the College Coach of the Year. He was the 2009 AFCA Region Three Coach of the Year and was one of 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual national Coach of the Year. Ferentz was honored as the 2002 Associated Press and Walter Camp National Coach of the Year and was the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year that season, as well. He was named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year in 2002, 2004 and 2009. Ferentz guided Iowa to Big Ten titles in 2002 and 2004. Iowa has made two BCS bowl appearances, including a 24-14 win in the 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl. Iowa has played in six January bowl games and has four January bowl victories (2004 Outback Bowl, 2005 Capital One Bowl, 2009 Outback Bowl and 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl). Iowa has posted an 86-42 (.672) overall mark and a 50-30 (.625) Big Ten record the last 10-plus seasons. Ferentz has guided the Hawkeyes to nine first division finishes, including a second-place finish in 2009. Iowa was bowl eligible in 2010 for the 10th straight season. The Hawkeyes are 6-3 in bowl games under Ferentz. His six bowl wins tie as third most among all-time Big Ten coaches and he has led Iowa to three straight bowl victories. At Iowa, Ferentz holds an overall record of 90-61 (.596) and a 53-43 (.552) mark in Big Ten games. In his 16th season as a college head coach, he holds a career mark of 102-82 (.554). Fifty-eight of Iowa's 151 games under Ferentz have been decided by seven points or less (26-32) and 46 were played against opponents who were ranked in the top 25 at the time (20-26). Ferentz joined the Iowa staff after serving as assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens. He was part of the Baltimore (Cleveland Browns prior to the move) staff for six years. Ferentz was named head coach of the Maine Bears in 1990 and held that position for three years. Ferentz was a member of Hayden Fry's Iowa staff for nine years as offensive line coach (1981-89). He coordinated Iowa's running game during his first coaching stint at Iowa. Iowa appeared in eight bowl games during the time Ferentz was an Iowa assistant. Ferentz was born in Royal Oak, Mich., and attended high school in Pittsburgh, Pa. He earned his bachelor's degree in English Education from Connecticut in 1978, where he was a football captain. Kirk received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut in May, 2009. He was inducted into the Upper St. Clair High School Hall of Fame in September, 2002 and the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in May, 2003.
Now in his 13th season as Iowa's head football coach, Kirk Ferentz ranks sixth in longevity among FBS head coaches. Ferentz is second among Big Ten coaches and nationally ranks behind Penn State's Joe Paterno, Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, Larry Blakeney of Troy, Pat Hill of Fresno State and Mack Brown of Texas.
Todd Graham is 2-0 in his first season as the Pittsburgh head coach. Graham is in his sixth year as a college head coach with a 45-23 career mark. Graham most recently served as the head coach at Tulsa (2007-10), posting a 36-17 record in four years. He was 7-6 in one season (2006) as the head coach at Rice. Graham previously was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Tulsa (2003-05). He was on the staff at West Virginia in 2001 and 2002 under former Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez and served as defensive coordinator at East Central University (Okla.), his alma mater, from 1991-93. He also has extensive coaching experience in the prep ranks in Texas. Tulsa led the nation in total offense in 2007 and 2008 and ranked fifth last season.
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