No. 18 Iowa routs Northern Iowa 55-0
Team pages: Northern Iowa · Iowa
No. 18 Iowa routed Northern Iowa 55-0. Share this game
We had Iowa favored. It won.
Top comment in the game thread
I’m officially overconfident and primed for disappointment for Michigan.
How it swung
Before kickoff, our ratings gave Iowa a 97% chance, and the closing betting line (Iowa was a 37.5-point favorite) put it above 99%.
Iowa led by 21 after the first quarter and by 42 at the half.
Iowa 55-0 Northern Iowa
Iowa wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.Northern Iowa 0-55 IowaNorthern Iowa lostMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
No single play moved the chance by 20 points.
What fans said, play by play
The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.
- Q1 6:55Brown throws a touchdown pass to Braeden Jackson, energizing Iowa fans
WRs are catching TD and Michigan is losing to UTEP.. im not saying im confident about next week. But I feel "less terrible" about it haha.
r/CFB game threadDamn, I know he was open but that was still a pretty throw from Hank. He won't ever be a star but my confidence is growing that he'll be at least average/competent
r/CFB game thread - Q2 14:55Iowa fans celebrate Wallace's interception of Dailey's pass
Can you please say it would be great for me to win the lottery?
r/CFB game thread - Q2 10:06Quoted at the top of the page.
Obviously pleased with how the Hawks are playing, but it's painful to see UNI look this awful.
r/CFB game thread - Q2 0:46Iowa fans criticize Heck after McNeil scores to make it 42-0
Nice 2 minute drill for Heck.
r/CFB game thread
How to read this chart
Starts from the pregame line (Iowa -37.5), at 99% for Iowa (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. The gray band is r/CFB game-thread activity, its loudest stretches in gold.Watch the plays
The bar and the arrow show Iowa’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.
- Q1, 5:48Brown 24-yd TD pass to JacksonIowa leads 14-0Q1, 5:48 · Iowa 14, Northern Iowa 014-0score after the play14-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q2, 12:59Brown 14-yd TD pass to OstrengaIowa leads 28-0Q2, 12:59 · Iowa 28, Northern Iowa 028-0score after the play28-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q2, 10:06Williams 16-yd TD runIowa leads 35-0Q2, 10:06 · Iowa 35, Northern Iowa 035-0score after the play35-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
- Q3, 4:22Dailey intercepted by Godfrey at the Iowa 27Q3, 4:22 · Iowa 49, Northern Iowa 049-0score after the play49-0score after the play▶Watch from this playCFB ON FOX
Every drive
Iowa scored on 8 of its 13 drives; Northern Iowa on 0 of its 13.
Iowa’s drives are teal, Northern Iowa’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.
“I’m officially overconfident and primed for disappointment for Michigan.”
How fans reacted
Steady
The biggest reaction came in the second quarter.
The jump was steady; the crowd was quiet.
Box score
Iowa 55, Northern Iowa 0
Iowa covered −37.5 by 17.5. The total, 55, went over 48.5.
| Team totals | Northern Iowa | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 155 | 640 |
| Passing | 14 of 33, 102 yds | 18 of 23, 218 yds |
| Rushing | 25 for 53 yds | 41 for 422 yds |
| First downs | 9 | 32 |
| Third down | 3 of 15 | 3 of 8 |
| Fourth down | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 4 for 35 yds | 7 for 83 yds |
| Time of possession | 27:45 | 32:15 |
Northern Iowa leaders
- Passing Jaxon Dailey 11 of 27, 91 yds, 2 INT
- Rushing Caleb Kamara 7 for 21 yds; Ben Gordon 5 for 12 yds
- Receiving Ayden Price 2 for 32 yds; Brady McCullough 1 for 19 yds
Iowa leaders
- Passing Hank Brown 12 of 12, 153 yds, 2 TD
- Rushing Xavier Williams 6 for 151 yds, 3 TD; Braeden Jackson 11 for 125 yds, 1 TD
- Receiving Nathan Mcneil 3 for 37 yds; Evan James 3 for 35 yds
No rain through the game
75° at kickoff · no rain recorded
September game-day temperatures at Kinnick Stadium
Drag along the chart, or step through the game.
Where this weather comes from
Measured at Iowa City airport, 1.4 miles away. Rain is NOAA's radar-and-gauge estimate at the stadium and wind is an airport reading; neither is measured on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet; rain radar from NOAA MRMS, through Iowa State University. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.Before kickoff
Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.
Recent games
Last two games
Northern Iowa · 1-1
Rated 176th in our preseason ratings, 169th now.
1-1 in its last two — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
W 56-14 vs Drake #226 of 668
won by 42 as an 11.5-point favorite
Last two games
Iowa · 2-0
Rated 13th in our preseason ratings, 17th now.
Two straight wins — but still hunting a ranked opponent.
Week by week
Iowa
- Wk 1Wvs Northern Illinois40-0
- Wk 2Wvs Iowa State16-13
Northern Iowa
- Wk 1Lat Eastern Washington24-34
- Wk 2Wvs Drake56-14
Power rating by week
Iowa is rated 14.9 points ahead as of week 2. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
The series
Iowa leads the series 17-0
17 meetings since 1899 · Iowa has won the last 17
- 2018Iowa 38-14
- 2014Iowa 31-23
- 2012Iowa 27-16
- 2009Iowa 17-16
- 2005Iowa 45-21
Each line is Iowa’s chance to win through that meeting. Older meetings have no play by play, so no line.
Line, fans and home field
The betting line, and the fans
Our model and the betting line agree on Iowa’s chances here.
Iowa favored by 37.5 · Total 48.5
How games like this usually go
Iowa by 37.5: the game against the usual path
Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game
The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 411 games since 2025 with a favorite of 21.5 points or more.
The market
The spread moved 3 points toward Northern Iowa.
The total fell 1 point.
Spread: −40.5 → −37.5 · Total: 49.5 → 48.5
Weather at kickoff
Warm and dry. Feels like 76° at kickoff.
Northern Iowa at Iowa · Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 · Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City
- 76°feels like at kickoff
- Dryno rain at kickoff
- 92weather score, Comfortable
- Tiedfor the roughest of the day's 8 kickoff times
At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026.
Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better, for the first 3 hours and 20 minutes of the game. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.
Kickoff times that Saturday
Games in this time zone used 8 kickoff times that day, local time (kickoffs within 30 minutes of each other count as one). This game, ringed, was tied for the roughest of the day's eight kickoff times. At Kinnick Stadium that day, a 6 pm or 6:30 pm kickoff would have scored 100, against 92 at 2:30 pm.
The roughest kickoff time is the lowest of the day's times. It can still be Mixed or Comfortable.
- 11 am: 99, Comfortable
- 11:45 am: 98, Comfortable
- 1 pm: 96, Comfortable
- 2:30 pm: 92, Comfortable (this game)
- 3:30 pm: 92, Comfortable
- 6 pm: 100, Ideal
- 6:30 pm: 100, Ideal
- 7 pm: 90, Comfortable
Weather score at each kickoff time.
Tap a dot to read that kickoff time.
At kickoff, Sept. 19, 2026. Wind is not drawn here; gusts are in each score.
Home field
Iowa is worth +2.6 points (±3.7) more at home than on the road since 2018 — bottom third of FBS, 24th percentile.
75% at home, 65% on the road against FBS opponents (39-13 home, 26-14 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -4.4 at home vs. away over 96 games — inside the ±5.6 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.
The visitors travel about 76 miles to get here.