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Hawkeye football is back and we’re now hours, not days away from Iowa being back inside the friendly confines of Kinnick Stadium!
With the first game of the season here, there are loads of questions facing the Hawkeyes entering the season. First among them will be just what we see out of this offense. We’re entering year two of the Tim Lester era and all the talk has been positive from spring practice through fall camp. That has only ramped up as South Dakota State transfer QB Mark Gronowski has gotten healthy and taken the helm with the first team.
Lester is now setting targets for even further improvement from what we saw a season ago, which was no doubt a big jump from what we had grown to know and hate under former OC Brian Ferentz. Lester is looking for more explosive plays, shots down field and increasing usage of the RPO game as the personnel slowly turns over from BF guys to his own.
While that’s a major positive in the QB room and with the WR corps, there are question marks at running back as Lester and the Hawkeyes look to replace All-American Kaleb Johnson. There are massive shoes to fill and Iowa will look to do so with three or four different backs today. Kamari Moulton, TJ Washington and Jaz Patterson all saw time behind Johnson a season ago, but freshman Nathan McNeil has been the buzz of fall camp and figures to see his number called in week one in a matchup that should see the Hawkeyes up big.
On the other side of the ball, Iowa is replacing 7 of 11 starters from one of the nation’s best defenses. Iowa fans know better than to doubt defensive coordinator Phil Parker, but there are certainly question marks facing an entirely new group of linebackers and a secondary that took a step back last year and has more new faces in 2025.
The Albany Great Danes shouldn’t pose a major threat to Parker’s defense, but anything short of a dominating performance against an FCS opponent will raise more questions than answers as Iowa turns toward a week two showdown with the Iowa State Cyclones.
The Hawkeyes opened as 37.5-point favorites in this one, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That has climbed to 38.5 points while the over/under has remained steady at 50.5, indicating the public thinks Iowa wins by an even wider margin here. The implied final is now Iowa 44.5, Albany 6.
As we countdown to kickoff, here’s everything you need to know about today’s matchup.
Date: Saturday, August 3oth Time: 5:10 pm CT Matchup: Albany Great Danes (0-0, 0-0) at Iowa Hawkeyes (0-0, 0-0) Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA TV: FS1 Updated Weather Forecast: sunny with temps in the mid-70s, winds 5-10mph Updated FanDuel Line: Iowa -38.5, O/U 50.5
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