Number 144

Number 144 Kirk Ferentz becomes the winningest coach in Hawkeye Football history with a 33-7 victory over Northern Illinois University

Kirk Ferentz became Iowa's all-time winningest coach with 144 wins, surpassing his legendary predecessor Hayden Fry.

It took until the 3rd quarter for the Hawkeyes to gain some momentum, but once they did, it was too much for the Huskies of Northern Illinois to overcome. With a stout offensive line unphased by NIU standout defensive lineman Sutton Smith, the three-headed rushing monster of Ivory Kelly-Martin, Mekhi Sargent, and Toren Young pounded the Huskies defense into submission. Iowa defeated Northern Illinois 33-7 in newly renovated Kinnick Stadium. The trio of running backs, including some mop up duties by freshman Henry Geil, rushed 48 times for 209 yards.

The passing game left much to be desired due to several dropped balls, many of which came in the first half. However, TE Noah Fant, guilty of dropping a long Nate Stanley pass in stride early in the 1st quarter, caught a touchdown pass in the 3rd quarter on a 4th and 2 that sparked the Hawkeye onslaught.

Hawkeye Preseason All-American TE Noah Fant catches a 4th and 2 pass from Nate Stanley in front of the gold-clad Hawkeye faithful and the newly painted water.

The defense held it's own against Northern Illinois led by the pass rush from the defensive line. The Hawkeye linebacking corps showed that it's very much a work in progress, especially in the middle. Kristian Welch led with 11 tackles and Nick Niemann was very effective, stopping a Huskies drive with a 4th down tackle for loss. Amani Hooker was solid in the defensive backfield and registered his first interception of the season as NIU was driving toward a score.

LB Kristian Welch registers one of his eleven tackles

Amani Hooker intercepts a Marcus Childers pass, his first of the new season.

The game marked the first since the University of Iowa undertook a two-year renovation project of historic Kinnick Stadium's north end zone.

Pregame Festivities

Former Hawkeyes and current NFL players Josh Jackson and Desmond King return to support their former team mates

Former Hawkeye and Bears player James Daniels makes a return to Kinnick

Hawkeye Honorary Captain Julian Vandervelde and Kid Captain Gwen White get the crowd fired up

The first Swarm of 2018

Game Action

Ivory Kelly-Martin scores on a 2-yard run to put the Hawkeyes ahead 17-0

Hawkeyes DE AJ Epenesa came hard with the full tomahawk chop registering the strip sack in the 3rd quarter.

Chauncey Golston picks up the loose ball and rumbles until tackled setting up another scoring drive for the Hawkeyes

RB Toren Young bulls his way forward for a 6 yard touchdown score. Young, a sophomore, finished the day with 84 yards on 8 carries.

Other Notables

The tradition of "The Wave," continues with everyone waving to the patients of the Stead Family Children's Hospital.

Several members of the 1983 Hayden Fry coaching tree were honored during the game. Dan McCarney, Bill Brashier, Don Patterson, Carl Jackson, Bernie Wyatt, Dell Miller, and Bill Dervish were in attendance.

More Action

The Hawkeyes scored a safety midway through the 4th quarter, led by Amani Hooker off the edge.

Iowa's final scoring play was by back-up QB Peyton Mansell who scored on a 1-yard sneak. However, the score was setup on his throw to TE Nate Weiting for a 30-yard catch and run.

Mekhi Sargent nearly made it into the end zone before Mansell's sneak.

So, with that, Kirk Ferentz notches his 144th victory as the Hawkeyes' head coach. He ranks behind only Amos Alonzo Stagg, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and Joe Paterno amongst Big Ten coaches in all-time wins. Paterno's 162 wins is certainly in sight.

Iowa is 1-0 on the new season. Up next, they host Iowa State at Kinnick and is set to kick off at 4 pm CT. Iowa State is 0-0 after having their opener canceled due to weather delays.

For more coverage of the game including stories, more photos, and post game interviews, please visit us at HawkeyeReport.com

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All photos and story (c) @Webcentrick for HawkeyeReport.com

Number 144 Kirk Ferentz becomes the winningest coach in Hawkeye Football history with a 33-7 victory over Northern Illinois University

The game marked the first since the University of Iowa undertook a two-year renovation project of historic Kinnick Stadium's north end zone.

The tradition of "The Wave," continues with everyone waving to the patients of the Stead Family Children's Hospital.

So, with that, Kirk Ferentz notches his 144th victory as the Hawkeyes' head coach. He ranks behind only Amos Alonzo Stagg, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and Joe Paterno amongst Big Ten coaches in all-time wins. Paterno's 162 wins is certainly in sight.

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