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Iowa football 2023 early opponent preview: Michigan State

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Iowa football 2023 early opponent preview: Michigan State


Spartans look to return to 2021 form after disappointing 2022 season

Michigan State quarterback Noah Kim throws during an NCAA college football scrimmage, Saturday, April 15, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

Editor’s note: This is fifth in a 12-part series previewing Iowa’s 2023 football opponents.

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IOWA CITY — Someone who saw the 2021 Michigan State Spartans might not have recognized the 2022 Spartans.

The last two seasons have brought much different results in East Lansing, Mich.

Mel Tucker led the Spartans to an 11-2 season in 2021 that ended with a Peach Bowl win and top-10 finishes in the Associated Press and College Football Playoff polls.

But 2022 was far less fortunate for Michigan State, which went 3-6 in Big Ten play and 5-7 overall. The Spartans missed a bowl game for just the third time in the last 16 seasons.

The 2022 Spartans had some bright spots, including a road win at then-No. 14 Illinois. But they also suffered losses to Maryland and Indiana.

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The 2023 team Tucker takes to Kinnick Stadium to face Iowa on Sept. 30 will have a different look from the 2022 group that struggled.

Quarterback Payton Thorne and wide receiver Keon Coleman transferred. Coleman was Michigan State’s top receiver last year. MSU’s No. 2 receiver, Jayden Reed, is now in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.

Ace punter Bryce Baringer and cornerback Ameer Speed also were drafted.

Michigan State’s quarterback options for 2023 include junior Noah Kim and redshirt freshman Katin Houser. Kim went 14-of-19 with three touchdowns and no interceptions in four games last year. He had not seen game action before 2022.

Houser played six snaps in 2022, completing 1-of-2 passes for a gain of 2 yards and rushing for 13 yards against Akron.

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Running back Jalen Berger is returning after rushing for 683 yards and averaging 4.6 yards per carry last season.

With Coleman and Reed gone, Tre Mosley is expected to be the Spartans’ top receiver. Mosley had 35 catches for 359 yards and four touchdowns last year.

Cal Haladay, the 2021 Peach Bowl defensive MVP, highlights the list of returning players on the other side of the ball. Haladay was the Big Ten’s leader in tackles per game last season.

Linebacker/defensive end Jacoby Windmon showed promise in his first season with the Spartans in 2022 after transferring from UNLV. He forced an FBS-high six fumbles through eight games.

However, Windmon was suspended for the final four games for his role in the postgame fight between Michigan and Michigan State players in the Michigan Stadium tunnel.

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Iowa vs. Michigan State: 3 things to watch

  • How much traction can Jalen Berger gain against Iowa’s defensive front? Stopping Berger, who averaged 4.6 yards per carry last year, would force Michigan State to rely heavily on an aerial attack that is lacking in experience.
  • Does Iowa win the turnover margin? While not unique to this particular game, it will be a key against a Michigan State team that was 1-4 last year when losing the turnover battle.
  • The return of Terry Roberts to Iowa City. The former Iowa defensive back will be returning to the stadium he called home from 2018-22 after leaving via the transfer portal twice — first to Miami (Fla.) and then to Michigan State.

2023 prognosis

Overlook the Spartans at one’s own risk — Illinois learned that the hard way last year — but this should certainly be a winnable game for the Hawkeyes.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com





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Iowa high school football scores for Week 7

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Iowa high school football scores for Week 7


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(This story was updated to add new information)

It’s Week 7 of the Iowa high school football season. Check out our list of IHSAA scores from Friday night’s action.

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Stream Iowa HS football on the NFHS Network

Scores are listed in alphabetical order by winning team

IHSAA scores from Week 7 of Iowa high school football season

Friday’s games:

  • Ankeny Centennial 45, Des Moines Roosevelt 3
  • Bedford 77, Lamoni 0
  • Benton 38, Grinnell 7
  • Bettendorf 48, Davenport Central 0
  • Cedar Falls 38, Dubuque Senior 0
  • Cedar Rapids Kennedy 45, Dubuque Hempstead 14
  • Cedar Rapids Prairie 56, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 7
  • Cedar Rapids Xavier 35, Oskaloosa 0
  • Central City 64, Lone Tree 8
  • Central Lyon/George-Little Rock 23, Western Christian 7
  • Clarinda 47, Chariton 7
  • Columbus 48, Van Buren County 7
  • Creston 70, Knoxville 0
  • Crestwood 28, New Hampton 27
  • Davenport Assumption 34, Washington 6
  • Decorah 57, Marion 14
  • Dike-New Hartford 42, Aplington-Parkersburg 0
  • Don Bosco 62, Turkey Valley 0
  • Dowling Catholic 49, Urbandale 28
  • Dyersville Beckman 28, Iowa City Regina 15
  • East Mills 50, Exira-EHK 44
  • East Union 64, Murray 36
  • Easton Valley 61, Midland 21
  • Edgewood-Colesburg 84, Calamus-Wheatland 31
  • Emmetsburg 64, Eagle Grove 0
  • Fremont-Mills 40, CAM 28
  • Fort Dodge 55, Storm Lake 26
  • Fort Dodge St. Edmond 43, Colo-Nesco 6
  • Glenwood 20, Dallas Center-Grimes 17
  • Glidden-Ralston 48, Coon Rapids-Bayard 6
  • GMG 52, Meskwaki Settlement 0
  • Greene County 10, Southeast Valley 7
  • Harlan 24, Nevada 21
  • Highland 41, Louisa-Muscatine 6
  • Hinton 19, OABCIG 13
  • Humboldt 21, Algona 20
  • IKM-Manning 13, Southwest Valley 6
  • Iowa City Liberty 28, Ankeny 20
  • Jesup 35, Iowa Falls-Alden 6
  • Johnston 56, Council Bluffs Lincoln 7
  • Lenox 55, Southeast Warren 8
  • Lewis Central 28, Winterset 24
  • Linn-Mar 55, Davenport West 6
  • Logan-Magnolia 14, Council Bluffs St. Albert 10
  • Maquoketa Valley 35, North Linn 16
  • Marshalltown 26, Ames 21
  • Mediapolis 49, Davis County 20
  • MMCRU 41, Westwood 18
  • MOC-Floyd Valley 35, Sioux Center 14
  • Mount Vernon 56, Fort Madison 7
  • North Butler 22, Nashua-Plainfield 0
  • North Fayette Valley won by forfeit over Oelwein
  • North Iowa 46, Harris-Lake Park 40
  • North Polk 22, Indianola 21
  • Okoboji 49, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 21
  • Osage 42, Waukon 6
  • Pekin 57, Wapello 0
  • Pleasant Valley 42, Muscatine 7
  • Remsen St. Mary’s 46, Woodbine 30
  • Riceville 57, Waterloo Christian 0
  • Ridge View 22, West Sioux 7
  • Riverside 41, Earlham 6
  • Roland-Story 28, Des Moines Christian 21
  • Saint Ansgar 53, West Fork 0
  • Sergeant Bluff-Luton 21, Carroll 0
  • Sibley-Ocheyedan 48, HMS 14
  • Sidney 62, Stanton-Essex 20
  • Sigourney-Keota 62, Colfax-Mingo 26
  • South Central Calhoun 41, Panorama 12
  • South Hardin 34, Hudson 21
  • Southeast Polk 31, Waukee 28
  • Spencer 41, Sioux City West 0
  • Spirit Lake 49, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 6
  • Sumner-Fredericksburg 54, Central Springs 12
  • Treynor 36, Shenandoah 6
  • Tri-Center 34, Woodbury Central 8
  • Underwood 41, Missouri Valley 6
  • Van Meter 54, Centerville 0
  • Wapsie Valley 46, BCLUW 0
  • Wayne 30, Central Decatur 6
  • Webster City 42, Charles City 21
  • West Hancock 60, Lake Mills 6
  • West Lyon 50, Sheldon 0
  • Wilton 39, West Branch 20
  • Winfield-Mt. Union 68, Mormon Trail 8

Thursday’s games:

  • Le Mars 44, Fort Dodge 37
  • Pella 42, D.M. Hoover 10
  • S.C North 37, D.M. East 0



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Kirk Ferentz’s Reputation On The Line In Iowa vs Washington

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Kirk Ferentz’s Reputation On The Line In Iowa vs Washington


The Iowa Hawkeyes are coming off of a 35-7 thumping at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and while a loss to Ohio State was expected, it was how Iowa lost that has Hawkeyes fans livid.

Iowa’s offense was absolutely lifeless, Cade McNamara looked lost and head coach Kirk Ferentz did not seem to have any answers.

Not only that, but Ferentz doubled down on McNamara remaining the starter after the game, saying that the quarterback actually showed improvement.

That’s why Ferentz’s reputation may actually be on the line when the Hawkeyes face the Washington Huskies this Saturday.

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Iowa is just 3-2 on the season, as it also lost to the Iowa State Cyclones back in Week 2. A loss to Washington would drop the Hawkeyes to .500, and it would add more fuel to the “fire Ferentz” discussion that has been smoldering.

The Huskies are a new addition to the Big Ten and just beat the Michigan Wolverines, and while Michigan has not been as good as expected, Washington is no joke.

However, make no mistake: Iowa needs to beat these guys.

Here is the thing: barring a catastrophic remainder of the 2024 campaign at Iowa City, the Hawkeyes aren’t canning Ferentz. The man is under contract through 2029 on a hefty salary. It isn’t happening.

But Ferentz’s reputation is a different story.

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The 69-year-old has been at the helm for Iowa since 1999 and is highly respected by the fans, but patience is running thin.

Last year, the Hawkeyes played three ranked opponents and lost by a total score of 92-0. They also just got destroyed by Ohio State. The Iowa fan base is tired with being second-best, and at this point, that is all Ferentz has offered them.

Sure, Iowa does not have the cachet or prestige of schools like Ohio State, Michigan or Alabama. It typically won’t land the very best recruits as a result. But the Hawkeyes’ inability to even put together respectable offenses over the years does reflect poorly on Ferentz, who is the longest-tenured coach in the country.

And Iowa fans are sick of it.

The Hawkeyes absolutely need to beat the Huskies this Saturday. Iowa should be better than Washington, and at some point, the Hawkeyes are going to have to display that they can consistently beat good teams.

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Is all of the Ferentz criticism deserved? No, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of it is completely unfounded.

Ferentz can provide some nice pushback to all of the naysayers with a Week 7 win over Washington. Or, he can give fans more reason to complain with a loss.



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Who the ranked Iowa high school football teams face in Week 7

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Who the ranked Iowa high school football teams face in Week 7


Williamsburg’s Grant Hocker looks to throw for a 2-point conversion against Cedar Rapids Xavier earlier this season. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.

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Here’s who all 71 Iowa high school football teams ranked in this week’s Gazette poll face in Week 7 games Friday night.

Class 3A gets the spotlight this week as its top two teams face top-seven opponents. No. 1 Algona visits No. 7 Humboldt, while second-ranked Williamsburg hosts a Solon team eager to bounce back from last week’s loss to Benton Community that dropped it from the top spot.

There is intrigue in the 8-Player top five as well, where three of the top five teams face fellow unbeaten foes. That includes No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s taking on No. 10 Woodbine and No. 2 Algona Garrigan hosting Ruthven GTRA.

Class 5A

No. 1 West Des Moines Valley (5-1) vs. Waterloo West (5-1)

No. 2 West Des Moines Dowling (5-1) at Urbandale (3-3)

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No. 3 Bettendorf (6-0) at Davenport Central (2-4)

No. 4 Pleasant Valley (5-1) vs. Muscatine (2-4)

No. 5 Ankeny Centennial (4-2) vs. Des Moines Roosevelt (1-5)

No. 6 Linn-Mar (5-1) vs. Davenport West (0-6)

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No. 7 Johnston (4-2) vs. Council Bluffs Lincoln (4-2)

No. 8 Iowa City Liberty (5-1) vs. Ankeny (3-3)

No. 9 Waukee (4-2) at Southeast Polk (3-3)

No. 10 Sioux City East (4-2) vs. Des Moines Lincoln (1-5)

Class 4A

No. 1 Lewis Central (6-0) at Winterset (4-2)

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No. 2 Pella (6-0) at Des Moines Hoover (0-6), Thursday

No. 3 North Polk (6-0) at No. 10 Indianola (4-2)

No. 4 Gilbert (6-0) vs. Bondurant-Farrar (1-5)

No. 5 Decorah (6-0) at Marion (2-4)

No. 6 Adel ADM (5-1) at Ballard (3-3)

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No. 7 Cedar Rapids Xavier (4-2) at Oskaloosa (1-5)

No. 8 North Scott (4-2) at Clear Creek Amana (4-2)

No. 9 Newton (4-2) vs. Carlisle (0-6)

No. 10 Indianola (4-2) vs. No. 3 North Polk (6-0)

No. 10 Western Dubuque (4-2) at Waterloo East (2-4)

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Class 3A

No. 1 Algona (6-0) at No. 7 Humboldt (5-1)

No. 2 Williamsburg (5-1) vs. No. 5 Solon (5-1)

No. 3 Dubuque Wahlert (6-0) at West Delaware (4-2)

No. 4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton (6-0) vs. Carroll (4-2)

No. 5 Mount Vernon (5-1) vs. Fort Madison (0-6)

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No. 5 Solon (5-1) at No. 2 Williamsburg (5-1)

No. 7 Humboldt (5-1) vs. No. 1 Algona (6-0)

No. 8 Sioux City Heelan (4-2) at Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (1-5)

No. 9 Independence (4-2) at Maquoketa (1-5)

No. 10 Nevada (5-1) at Harlan (3-3)

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Class 2A

No. 1 West Lyon (6-0) at Sheldon (2-4)

No. 2 Monroe PCM (6-0) at West Marshall (5-1)

No. 3 Spirit Lake (5-1) at Garner GHV (1-5)

No. 4 Van Meter (5-1) vs. Centerville (4-2)

No. 5 Carroll Kuemper (5-1) vs. Saydel (1-5)

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No. 6 North Fayette Valley (5-1) vs. Oelwein (0-6) — canceled, Oelwein to forfeit

No. 7 Northeast (6-0) at Tipton (2-4)

No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (4-2) vs. No. 10 Western Christian (4-2)

No. 9 Roland-Story (4-2) vs. Des Moines Christian (4-2)

No. 10 Western Christian (4-2) at No. 8 Central Lyon/George-Little Rock (4-2)

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Class 1A

No. 1 Grundy Center (6-0) at Alburnett (4-2)

No. 2 Wilton (6-0) at West Branch (2-4)

No. 3 Dike-New Hartford (5-1) vs. Aplington-Parkersburg (2-4)

No. 4 Emmetsburg (6-0) vs. Eagle Grove (0-6)

No. 5 Iowa City Regina (6-0) at Dyersville Beckman (4-2)

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No. 6 Ida Grove OABCIG (5-1) vs. No. 10 Hinton (5-1)

No. 7 South Hardin (5-1) at Hudson (5-1)

No. 8 Treynor (5-1) vs. Shenandoah (3-3)

No. 9 Sigourney-Keota (5-1) at Colfax-Mingo (1-5)

No. 10 Hinton (5-1) at No. 6 Ida Grove OABCIG (5-1)

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Class A

No. 1 West Hancock (6-0) at Lake Mills (4-2)

No. 2 Guthrie Center ACGC (6-0) vs. Mount Ayr (5-1)

No. 3 Saint Ansgar (5-1) at West Fork (1-5)

No. 4 Lisbon (6-0) vs. Danville (4-2)

No. 5 Earlham (5-1) at Oakland Riverside (4-2)

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No. 6 Tri-Center (5-1) vs. No. 8 Woodbury Central (5-1)

No. 7 Le Mars Gehlen (5-1) at South O’Brien (0-6)

No. 8 Woodbury Central (5-1) at No. 6 Tri-Center (5-1)

No. 9 North Linn (6-0) vs. Maquoketa Valley (5-1)

No. 10 Madrid (4-2) at North Mahaska (3-3)

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8-Player

No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0) vs. No. 10 Woodbine (6-0)

No. 2 Algona Garrigan (6-0) vs. Ruthven GTRA (6-0)

No. 3 Don Bosco (6-0) vs. Turkey Valley (3-3)

No. 4 Audubon (6-0) vs. Collins-Maxwell (4-2)

No. 5 Lenox (6-0) vs. Southeast Warren (6-0)

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No. 6 Iowa Valley (6-0) vs. HLV (1-6)

No. 7 Gladbrook-Reinbeck (5-1) at Clarksville (5-2)

No. 8 Anita CAM (5-1) at Fremont-Mills (5-1)

No. 9 Bedford (5-1) vs. Lamoni (4-2)

No. 10 Woodbine (6-0) at No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (6-0)

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Comments: nathan.ford@thegazette.com





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