Iowa

The Pants Predicts: Iowa at Minnesota

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2024

The Hawkeyes got back in the win column a week ago in their non-conference finale, but now things ratchet up a notch with the first road trip of the year and the first Big Ten matchup of 2024. Iowa looks for revenge after losing Floyd of Rosedale in heartbreaking fashion a year ago and start their conference slate in the win column.

Our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook think that’s exactly what happens. DK has the Hawks favored by 2.5 points with an over/under at 35 total points. That’s moved down just slightly as the week has progressed and implies a final score of Iowa 18.75-16.25. Call in 19-16.

Here at The Pants, we’re not far off the folks in the desert. Our consensus is calling for Iowa to emerge on the right side of things in a 19-17. That would put us just barely on the over and just slightly on the Gophers with the points, despite calling for an outright Iowa win.

In terms of the individual predictions, the majority of us are calling for Iowa to win and even cover. There are a couple pessimists in the house, but perhaps the most concerning thing of all is the perma-bear mattcabel not being one of them.

Here’s a look at our individual predictions for Saturday’s matchup.

SirNicholas33

At Tuesday’s press conference, Kirk Ferentz seemed…salty. Last year’s Greatest Return Ever That Wasn’t, Floyd stuck in Siberia and then sleeping with PJ Fleck…Kirk’s gonna have the guys up for this one. You know it, I know it, they know it, everyone knows it. This is going to be a “use all of your timeouts just to piss everyone off on the other sideline” kind of game. Salty Kirk, Petty Kirk…in this game? Yes please. Yes yes yes.

Iowa stays clean in the turnover category and the defense straightens out the secondary breakdowns. Hawks win, and cover.

Prediction: Iowa 27, Minnesota 14

Bartt Pierce

After last year’s Cooper DeJean TD that wasn’t, I thought the Hawks would travel to Kinnick North and kick the stuffing out of the Rowers. After the debacle against Iowa State and losing to some dude named Troy at halftime, I’m not optimistic. Our punt coverage is suspect, our secondary looks gross, and quarterback play is inconsistent. Sigh. Go Hawks?

Prediction: Minnesota 23 – Iowa 10

GingerHawk

This is a critical game for the Hawks if they are to maintain hopes for a special season. They can’t afford another loss ahead of their trip to Columbus on October 5. Last week’s underwhelming victory over Troy left a mixed bag of reactions. The offense wasn’t terrible, I’ll take 462 yards and 38 points any day, and Cade had a solid, while not flashy, day. But the defense giving up big plays for the second straight week and special teams breakdowns are sounding alarm bells.

Last year’s game left a bad taste. This team wants revenge, and gets it. I think Iowa gets back on track and looks better on defense while the offense leans on Kaleb Johnson for another 100+ yard game with a few key plays by McNamara. A late Gopher touchdown makes us sweat a bit, but Iowa recovers an onside kick to bring Floyd home again.

Prediction: Iowa 21, Minnesota 17

Glendale Hawk

When we were reviewing the season in August, I don’t think any of us thought that this game would be make or break for the Hawkeyes, but here we are. Win at Minny and you get the pig and you keep some remnant of a playoff hope alive (an incredibly small one, but it’s non-zero). Lose and you’ll be staring down the barrell of an 8-4/7-5 type season and an empty trophy case (the Bull might hand around, but the trophy’s that matter will be gone).

Hopefully this team will show up with blood in their mouths looking for revenge after last year’s refball debacle and not play the kind of lackadaisical first half they had last week. I think it’s going to be close no matter what, but Iowa’s offense is just a little more developed and starting to gel pretty well (if only Cade would look down the field). It’ll be close, but Floyd is coming home.

Prediction: Iowa 24, Minnesota 20

mattcabel

for the first time this year, I’m legitimately stumped here. I don’t know how good either of these teams are. I’d like to say we go in and trounce them because everyone expects it to be close, but who knows. This team has some areas of major concern and the playbook is out there on how to score points against us. I’m going to give the Hawks the benefit of the doubt for this one because I want Floyd to come home, but if the Hawks lose, I’m not sure what will happen the rest of the season. I think it will be tight, but ultimately the Hawks pull out the dub.

Prediction: Iowa 19, Minnesota 14

MattReisener

Looking at the Xs and Os, there are plenty of reasons to be worried about this game, from Minnesota’s excellent run defense, to Iowa’s surprisingly shaky secondary, to the fact that this is the Hawks’ first road game of the year. However, this pick ultimately came down to five simple words:

It. Wasn’t. A. Fair. Catch.

Call it vengeance or call it karma, but I can’t see a world where Minnesota gets anything less than Iowa’s best shot in this contest. Expect a physical, low-scoring battle in which Iowa’s offense does just enough to book Floyd a one-way trip back to Iowa City.

Prediction: Iowa 17, Minnesota 14

JPinIC

I want to believe that this team is figuring things out. I want to believe the offense is on the verge of really clicking and that the defense is exactly what we thought it would be and that the deep shots early in the year would mean that absolutely does not happen the rest of the way. I want it.

But I just am not there yet. Phil is great but I think there’s a massive hole in the secondary and another one at QB in terms of downfield passing. I expect Fleck and the Gophers to sell out to stop Kaleb Johnson and the run and force Cade McNamara to take those deep shots.

On the other side of the ball, we know Fleck wants to run it over and over, but I would guess we see multiple shots down the field, particularly targeting Hall on double moves. I suspect they land at least one but Parker dials up a turnover on one as well. If Cade McNamara can avoid turning the ball over, I think Iowa emerges on top, but I’ll stick my neck out and say he ultimately underthrows a deep shot that ends up costing Iowa.

Prediction: Minnesota 20, Iowa 17

That’s how we see things playing out on Saturday night in Minneapolis. Let’s see your predictions in the comments below!

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Iowa

Iowa State’s Bill Fennelly names plays after former Cyclone greats and coaches

Published

10 hours ago

March 19, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State’s Bill Fennelly names plays after former Cyclone greats and coaches

AMES — During the third quarter of the Iowa State women’s basketball team’s Jan. 7 game at Cincinnati, coach Bill Fennelly wanted to get his players a good look for a 3-pointer. So as Fennelly gathered his team on the sideline during a break, he called the play Lake Park.

“It’s a misdirection,” Fennelly said.

The play was devised by Fennelly in the 1990s and it’s designed to set up a shot from beyond the arc. It’s named after Tara Gunderson, a former 3-point shooting star for the Cyclones who hails from Lake Park in northwest Iowa.

Just as Fennelly hoped it would, the Cyclones freed up a shooter with the play.

“We got a 3,” Fennelly said.

Lake Park is one of more than 100 plays that Fennelly has on his call sheet. All of them have special names honoring people who have had a huge impact on his life. Coaches, family, friends and current and former players have plays named after them.

The Cyclones will be using those plays when 8-seed Iowa State takes on 9-seed Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 21 in Storrs, Conn.

“I think it’s cool,” said Iowa State point guard Jada Williams. “It kind of helps us remember a little bit more because we’re familiar with all the names that we call.”

Fennelly, in his 49th season of coaching, has been naming plays like that for as long as he can remember. While most coaches use numbers or descriptions to call plays, Fennelly has gone this route, instead choosing names, locations and nicknames.

“I think it resonates with them a little bit better,” Fennelly said.

Some of the plays have a symbolic meaning. Like Lake Park being a 3-point shooting play. The Cyclones also run a 3-point shooting play for Iowa State center Audi Crooks called “Algona,” named after her hometown. They also have a play named after current Cyclones men’s basketball player Milan Momcilovic, a star shooter from beyond the arc.

One of the most unique plays the Cyclones run is named after former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, who is now a star for the San Francisco 49ers. “Purdy” is an inbounds play where all five players line up under the hoop. When the whistle is blown, four players take off down the court like wide receivers. The inbounds passer acts as a quarterback, looking for an open target to pass to.

Former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht also has a play named after him. It’s a deep pass in transition or late in the shot clock or game clock.

Last year, the Cyclones used a play named after former Iowa State star Ashley Joens, the team’s all-time leading scorer.

Former Iowa State men’s basketball coaches Fred Hoiberg and Greg McDermott, who both coached the Cyclones during Fennelly’s tenure, also have plays named after them. Fennelly admits they were the inspiration behind the plays.

“To be honest, most of them are people I stole the play from,” Fennelly said.

Fennelly’s grandchildren also have plays named after them. His 11-year-old grandson, Will, the son of assistant coach and general manager Billy Fennelly, hears it often while he’s sitting in the stands at games. When his grandpa calls the play, Will sometimes thinks he’s trying to get his attention.

“Sometimes I’ll get super confused,” Will Fennelly said. “He’ll scream out my name and I’ll be like, ‘What?’ It’s just cool to have a play named after me.”

Fennelly periodically gets input from his players on naming new plays. Everything is fair game. The Cyclones have a play named “Coconut” after their trip to the Coconut Hoops event in Florida this season. Williams said one of the team’s most popular plays is called “Tessa,” named after Tessa Boccumini, the team’s associate director of sports medicine.

The names help players understand what they’re doing and get a better understanding of Iowa State history. “Lake Park,” for example, gives Fennelly an opportunity to talk about Gunderson and the impact she had on the Cyclones.

Gunderson is now the varsity girls baseball coach at Cretin-Derham Hall, a prestigious high school in St. Paul, Minn. She was surprised to hear Fennelly still uses the same name for that play.

“I’m kind of in disbelief,” Gunderson said. “It was a good play. We got a lot of open looks from it.”

As long as Fennelly keeps coaching, he’ll keep coming up with special names for his plays. He’s always on the lookout for new ideas. The tradition has gotten so popular that when Fennelly adds a play, his team gets excited for what they’ll name it.

One way for a player to leave their mark at the school is to have a play named after them.

“It’s kind of just the legacy of that and being able to run that play is definitely cool,” said Iowa State forward Addy Brown. I’ve just seen what they’ve done here. You hope that one day you leave and you have a play named after you.”

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

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Iowa

Iowa State Wrestling Schedule: 1st Round ISU Matches At NCAA Championships – FloWrestling

Published

22 hours ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State Wrestling Schedule: 1st Round ISU Matches At NCAA Championships – FloWrestling

Iowa State opens the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championships on Thursday, March 19 in Cleveland with a lineup capable of producing points across all 10 weight classes.

The Cyclones enter the tournament as a top-10 team and feature a mix of high seeds and dangerous middle seeds who could make deep runs.

Action begins at noon ET with the preliminary round, where Iowa State will look to advance wrestlers and build momentum early in the team race. With top contenders like No. 1 Yonger Bastida and No. 2 Rocky Elam leading the way, the Cyclones have strong opportunities at the top of the bracket.

Here’s when Iowa State wrestling is in action on Thursday.

Iowa State Wrestling Schedule On NCAA Wrestling Championships Day 1

First-round action begins at noon ET. Take a look at the FloWrestling interactive bracket for times and mat information. The new FloWrestling Next Gen platform allows fans to track each match from anywhere in the world. Fans can get alerts for individual wrestlers and individual matches.

125: (13) Stevo Poulin vs. (20) Diego Sotelo (MICH)
133: (28) Garrett Grice vs. (21) Sean Spidle (NW)
141: (4) Anthony Echemendia vs. (29) Jordan Titus (WVU)
149: (16) Jacob Frost vs. (9) David Evans (UVU)
157: (12) Vinny Zerban vs. (13) Derek Raike (OHIO)
165: (15) Connor Euton vs. (18) Gunner Filipowicz (ARMY)
174: (11) MJ Gaitan vs. (22) Brody Baumann (PUR)
184: (13) Isaac Dean vs. (20) Brian Soldano (OKLA)
197: (2) Rocky Elam vs. (31) Kael Bennie (UVU)
285: (1) Yonger Bastida vs. (17) Vincent Mueller (COL)

NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026 Schedule

Thursday, March 19

12:00 p.m. ET: Session I (First Round) – ESPN2
7:00 p.m. ET: Session II (Second Round, Consolation Matches) – ESPN

Friday, March 20

12:00 p.m. ET: Session III (Quarterfinals, Consolation Matches) – ESPNU
8:00 p.m. ET: Session IV (Semifinals, Consolation Matches) – ESPN2

Saturday, March 21

11:00 a.m. ET: Session V (Medal Matches) – ESPNU
6:30 p.m. ET: Session VI (Finals) – ESPN

How To Watch NCAA Wrestling Championships 2026

The 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU from March 19-21 in Cleveland.
Every match will also be streamed on ESPN+, including concurrent mat coverage.

NCAA Wrestling Championships Seeds 2026

Here are the top eight seeds for each weight class at the NCAA Wrestling Championships. See more here.

125 lbs

(1) Luke Lilledahl, Penn State
(2) Eddie Ventresca, Virginia Tech
(3) Nic Bouzakis, Ohio State
(4) Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh
(5) Troy Spratley, Oklahoma State
(6) Jore Volk, Minnesota
(7) Nico Provo, Stanford
(8) Dean Peterson, Iowa

133 lbs

(1) Jax Forrest, Oklahoma State
(2) Ben Davino, Ohio State
(3) Marcus Blaze, Penn State
(4) Aaron Seidel, Virginia Tech
(5) Kyler Larkin, Arizona State
(6) Drake Ayala, Iowa
(7) Lucas Byrd, Illinois
(8) Markel Baker, Northern Illinois

141 lbs

(1) Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
(2) Sergio Vega, Oklahoma State
(3) Brock Hardy, Nebraska
(4) Anthony Echemendia, Iowa State
(5) Luke Stanich, Lehigh
(6) Vince Cornella, Cornell
(7) Nasir Bailey, Iowa
(8) Vance Vombaur, Minnesota

149 lbs

(1) Shayne Van Ness, Penn State
(2) Jaxon Joy, Cornell
(3) Cross Wasilewski, Penn
(4) Collin Gaj, Virginia Tech
(5) Koy Buesgens, NC State
(6) Caleb Tyus, SIUE
(7) Ethan Stiles, Ohio State
(8) Casey Swiderski, Oklahoma State

157 lbs

(1) PJ Duke, Penn State
(2) Antrell Taylor, Nebraska
(3) Meyer Shapiro, Cornell
(4) Kaleb Larkin, Arizona State
(5) Landon Robideau, Oklahoma State
(6) Jude Swisher, Penn
(7) Kannon Webster, Illinois
(8) Brandon Cannon, Ohio State

165 lbs

(1) Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State
(2) Joey Blaze, Purdue
(3) Mikey Caliendo, Iowa
(4) Nicco Ruiz, Arizona State
(5) LaDarion Lockett, Oklahoma State
(6) LJ Araujo, Nebraska
(7) Max Brignola, Lehigh
(8) Matty Bianchi, Little Rock

174 lbs

(1) Levi Haines, Penn State
(2) Simon Ruiz, Cornell
(3) Christopher Minto, Nebraska
(4) Carson Kharchla, Ohio State
(5) Patrick Kennedy, Iowa
(6) Matty Singleton, NC State
(7) Cam Steed, Missouri
(8) Alex Facundo, Oklahoma State

184 lbs

(1) Rocco Welsh, Penn State
(2) Aeoden Sinclair, Missouri
(3) Max McEnelly, Minnesota
(4) James Conway, Franklin & Marshall
(5) Brock Mantanona, Michigan
(6) Eddie Neitenbach, Wyoming
(7) Angelo Ferrari, Iowa
(8) Silas Allred, Nebraska

197 lbs

(1) Josh Barr, Penn State
(2) Rocky Elam, Iowa State
(3) Stephen Little, Little Rock
(4) Sonny Sasso, Virginia Tech
(5) Joey Novak, Wyoming
(6) Justin Rademacher, Oregon State
(7) Cody Merrill, Oklahoma State
(8) DJ Parker, Oklahoma

285 lbs

(1) Yonger Bastida, Iowa State
(2) Isaac Trumble, NC State
(3) Taye Ghadiali, Michigan
(4) AJ Ferrari, Nebraska
(5) Nick Feldman, Ohio State
(6) Nathan Taylor, Lehigh
(7) Konner Doucet, Oklahoma State
(8) Ben Kueter, Iowa

FloWrestling College Wrestling Team Rankings

Penn State (Points: 164, Prev Rank: 1)
OK State (Points: 95.5, Prev Rank: 3)
Ohio State (Points: 94, Prev Rank: 2)
Nebraska (Points: 76.5, Prev Rank: 5)
Iowa State (Points: 68.5, Prev Rank: 4)
Iowa (Points: 66.5, Prev Rank: 6)
Virginia Tech (Points: 53.5, Prev Rank: 9)
Cornell (Points: 52, Prev Rank: 7)
NC State (Points: 48, Prev Rank: 8)
Arizona State (Points: 41, Prev Rank: 14)

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling has officially merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

Join The State Wrestling Conversation On Social

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Iowa

Fallen Iowa soldiers to be honored with escort route

Published

1 day ago

March 18, 2026

Press Room

Fallen Iowa soldiers to be honored with escort route

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) – A tentative escort route has been set to honor Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien and Sgt. Declan Coady, two Iowa natives killed in an attack in Kuwait on March 1.

KCCI reports, the Final Salute shared the route for this Thursday, starting at the Des Moines International Airport between 1:30 and 2 p.m.

Maj. Jeffrey O’Brien and Sgt. Declan Coady(U.S. Army Reserve Command)

The procession will head northwest along McKinley Avenue to Park Avenue, then west to 63rd Street, and continue north.

The route will split as the remains make their way to their respective destinations.

Iowans are encouraged to line the route to pay their respects.

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