Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon says the Cyclones need to fix their run defense as they get ready to visit Colorado. The Cyclones gave up 260 yards of rushing in a 38-30 loss at Cincinnati and the Buffaloes are averaging nearly 144 yards on the ground.

Bacon says the Cyclones are focused on bouncing back from their first loss

Bacon says the Colorado offense strives for balance.

Bacon says the Cyclones need a better start in Boulder.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders expects to be on the sideline Saturday when the Buffaloes host 22nd ranked Iowa State. Sanders underwent surgery on Tuesday to deal with blood clots. Colorado is 2-4 while the Cyclones enter with a record of 5-1.

Sanders says the Buffs have not been able to sustain fast starts.

Sanders feels his team still has potential.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the USA Today Network Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten team, it was announced Wednesday.

The Liberty, Missouri, native has also been named a preseason fourth team All-American and an All-Big Ten selection by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and a preseason All-Big Ten selection in a media vote by the league office.

Stirtz, who is in his first season as a Hawkeye, was an All-American by three outlets during the 2024-25 season at Drake.  He was also tabbed as the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year.

He led the MVC in scoring (19.2), steals (2.21) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86), while ranking second in assists (5.7).  He also led the NCAA in minutes played, averaging 39:22 per game.

Stirtz is joined on the USA Today Network preseason first team by Purdue’s Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and UCLA’s Donovan Dent.

Iowa was picked to finish ninth in the USA Today Network’s preseason poll under first-year head coach Ben McCollum. Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, UCLA and Michigan State were the top five teams in the poll.

The Hawkeyes open the 2025-26 season Nov. 4, hosting Robert Morris at 7:30 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Season tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

Hawkeye Ten Conference 

Denison-Schleswig – 3 vs Shenandoah – 2

Red Oak – 3 vs Lewis Central – 0

St. Albert – 3 vs Glenwood – 2

Glenwood – 3 vs Harlan – 1

St. Albert – 3 vs Harlan – 0

Corner Conference 

Bedford – 3 vs Griswold – 1

East Mills – 3 vs Stanton – 0

Sidney – 3 vs Fremont-Mills – 2

Western Iowa Conference 

Riverside – 3 vs IKM-Manning – 0

Logan-Magnolia – 3 vs Audubon – 2

Treynor – 3 vs Tri-Center – 0

Underwood – 3 vs Missouri Valley – 1

Rolling Valley Conference 

Exira-EHK – 3 vs CAM – 0

Woodbine – 3 vs Ar-We-Va – 0

Coon Rapids-Bayard – 3 vs Boyer Valley – 0

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Central Decatur – 3 vs East Union – 2

Mount Ayr – 3 vs Wayne – 0

West Central Activities Conference 

ACGC – 3 vs Ogden – 0

Des Moines Christian – 3 vs Earlham 2

Pleasantville – 3 vs Madrid 0

Van Meter – 3 vs Woodward-Granger 0

Non-Conference 

Creston – 3 vs Southwest Valley – 1

Griswold – 2 vs Heartland Christian – 0

It’s been historical for the Riverside Bulldogs as they have begun their season 26-0 and are ranked seventh in Class 2A in the latest IGHSAU volleyball rankings. The Bulldogs have only dropped three sets all year and Head Coach Brooke Flathers says the winning has been a team effort top to bottom.

The Bulldogs have been to the state tournament two of the last three seasons and are searching for another trip this season. Flathers says it’s a win the day everyday mentality.

Riverside doesn’t have one key leader statistically as three players have over 100 kills on the season in Juniors Sydney Somers, and Lilli Reed along with Senior Bentley Rone. Setters Sophomore Ashley Kelley and Rone have been the root of the offensive success.

Moving forward, this will be the last week of regular season volleyball followed by the conference tournament and postseason play. Flathers says this is a point in the season her and her team really enjoy.

Riverside hosts Treynor Thursday night in Oakland and you can catch the match on KJAN with coverage beginning at 7:20 PM.

Iowa safety Koen Entringer says he is getting used to night games as they get ready to visit Wisconsin under the lights. It will be Iowa’s fourth night game of the season and they opened Big Ten play with a Friday night game at Rutgers.

Iowa is 3-2 and looking to build momentum coming off a bye week.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says quarterback Mark Gronowski has returned to practice and is likely to play on Saturday night when the Hawkeyes visit Wisconsin. Gronowski suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter of a September 27th 20-15 loss to Indiana. Backup Hank Brown finished the game against the Hoosiers. He and Wake Forest transfer Jeremy Hecklinski are getting reps in practice.

Ferentz says Gronowski was medically cleared to resume practice and a decision on his status for the game will be made at the end of the week.

Ferentz says a big part of the decision will be based on how confident Gronowski is that he can be effective.

Ferentz says running back Jazz Patterson and starting middle linebacker Jaden Harrell will miss the Wisconsin game due to injury. Sophomore receiver Reece Vander Zee could see his first action of the season. Vander Zee suffered a foot injury in preseason camp.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell says Deion Sanders has done an impressive job of rebuilding the Colorado program. In his third season at the helm, the NFL Hall-of-Famer has the Buffs sitting at 2-4 after coming up short of an upset bid at TCU. The 22nd ranked Cyclones collide with Colorado in Boulder on Saturday.

Campbell on what Sanders has been able to accomplish since taking over a program that finished 1-11 in 2022.

Campbell hopes kicker Kyle Konrardy will be available following the upcoming bye week. Konrardy has been sidelined since getting injured in a September 13th win at Arkansas State.

Campbell is confident the Cyclones will be able to fix the issues that plagued them in a 38-30 loss at Cincinnati.

Quarterback Rocco Becht has returned to the practice field. He spent some time in the medical ten on Saturday after sustaining a vicious hit in the opening half.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Hawkeye fans following the University of Iowa football team to Madison, Wisconsin, as the Hawkeyes take on Wisconsin, are encouraged to attend the Hawkeye Huddle prior to kickoff on Saturday.

Fans are invited to join the I-Club and Office of Alumni Engagement from 3-5 p.m. at the Discovery Building, 330 N Orchard St, in Madison.

The Hawkeye Huddle will feature our Hawkeye DJ, Iowa Spirit Squads, door prizes, snacks, and cash refreshments.

New this year — registration is now required for all Hawkeye Huddles. Fans planning to join us on Saturday can register in advance here. Unregistered fans will be put on a wait list.

The Iowa Hawkeyes will face the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.

For more details on the Hawkeye Huddles and the I-Club, visit jointheiclub.com or find the I-Club (@jointheiclub) on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa, in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference, announced start times and television information for select women’s basketball games for the 2025-26 season.

The Hawkeyes will be featured in four contests nationally – vs. UConn (Dec. 20/FOX), at Maryland (Jan. 22/NBC), at UCLA (Feb. 1/FOX), and at Nebraska (Feb. 16/FOX). Iowa’s matchup with Michigan on Feb. 22 will broadcast on FOX or FS1 with a tip-off time that is still to be determined.

In all, the Hawkeyes have been selected to appear on television network or Peacock 19 times during the regular season. The remaining contests will be available via B1G+ or ESPN+ (subscription required).

SCHEDULE NOTES

• The Hawkeyes will play back-to-back road games at USC (1/29) and UCLA (2/1); at Nebraska (2/16) and Purdue (2/19) twice during the regular season.
• Iowa will play on New Year’s Day against Nebraska in Iowa City. It is the team’s first home game on New Year’s Day since 2006.
• Seven of Iowa’s 18 conference games will be played on Sundays.
• The conference schedule is set to conclude on Sunday, March 1 with 12 teams in action.
• Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will host the 33rd Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, scheduled for March 4-8.

Fans are invited to attend “Hawkeye Hoops from Downtown presented by HyVee” on Friday, Oct. 17, at the outdoor basketball court behind Burge Residence Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m. (CT). Attendees will have the opportunity to get their first look at the 2025-26 Hawkeye men’s and women’s basketball teams. It is the unofficial tipoff to the upcoming season.

Iowa welcomes five newcomers in total, three true freshmen (Addie Deal, Layla Hays and Journey Houston) and two sophomore transfers (Emely Rodriguez and Chit-Chat Wright). The Hawkeyes boast nine underclassmen which is the most since the 2012-13 season.

Last season, the Hawkeyes earned two wins in the Big Ten Tournament and beat Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa also secured its ninth straight 20-win season, the second-longest streak in program history. In her first year as head coach Jan Jensen added to the milestone by recording the second-most wins by a first-year head coach in program history.