I would like to apologize to the state of Iowa and Ricky Stanzi for this pick.

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2 2 - The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, October 20, 2017 ON THE LINE Matchups Courtney Baumann Adam Hensley Pete Ruden Gage Miskimen Mary Kate Herion Jason Brummond PREGAME EDITOR (16-13) SPORTS EDITOR (19-10) Asst. SPORTS EDITOR (22-7) CREATIVE DIRECTOR (2-3) DITV SPORTS DIRECTOR (20-9) FORMER MAGID EMPLOYEE (20-9) Fan Picks Iowa at Northwestern iowa Iowa s gonna give those nerds another L. Also please let me into your grad Iowa Bold prediction: Wadley doubles his 204-yard, 4 touchdown performace against the Wildcats from IOWA They re out here looking for revenge all Summer Sixteen. northwestern I would like to apologize to the state of Iowa and Ricky Stanzi for this pick. Iowa I love Coach Fitz so this is very hard for me. iowa Akrum returns to the scene of the crime. Iowa (75%) Let s get some revenge for last year, eh? No. 19 Michigan at No. 2 Penn State Penn state Trace McSore-loser-ly isn t going to let Michigan win this one. Penn state Wait, they haven t already given the Heisman to Saquon Barkley yet? Penn state Talk to me when Jim Harbaugh hurdles a guy like Saquon Barkley. penn state This should be a good game. This will become a great game as Jim Harbaugh gets angrier. Michigan I wish Jim Harbaugh was my dad. (Sorry, Dad.) Penn State Will McSorely punt, pass, or kick the ball to midfield after the game? penn state (92%) James is a more formal version of Jim. Fancier name wins this week. No. 11 USC at No. 13 Notre Dame usc I need to start putting more Wisconsin games in this thing. USC 98% chance the Trojans don t break. Notre dame My friend knows Brandon Wimbush. Also, you re welcome, Mary Kate. USC I like rooting against Notre Dame, but I love rooting against Mary Kate. Notre dame I watch and quote Rudy every night before I go to bed. Notre dame I d rather get kicked in the teeth than cheer for one of these teams. draw (50%) Picking a side is boring, let s be indecisive instead. No. 20 UCF at Navy ucf Navy hasn t faced anyone good this year. I m also sending it, Pete. Navy Midshipmen FOR THE WIN. UCF UCF is undefeated, so I m going to send it. Navy USA > UCF. NAVY If any team deserves to win every game they play (besides when they play ND) it s these guys. ucf Coach Scott Frost is the scout-team QB this week. Your move, Kirk. ucf (67%) Knightro is a LIT mascot name. Just saying. Oregon at UCLA oregon I need a green and gold team to win this week because God knows the Packers won t with Brett Hundley. UCLA Under-performing Pac-12 after dark? Count me in. Remember when... File Photo/The Daily Iowan Iowa teammates celebrate Akrum Wadley s touchdown during the Iowa-Northwestern game on Oct. 17, UCLA I wonder if Josh Rosen is playing school yet. UCLA If Nike has Oregon under its wings, do you think UCLA could get the hook up with Big Baller Brand? ENTER THE UCLA Since USC is going to lose to Notre Dame, I will pick one team from California to win this weekend. For the most extensive weekly Iowa football preview show in the state and photo slide shows after the game go to daily-iowan.com On The Line Contest Go to daily-iowan.com/ontheline and place your college football predictions. web extras Publisher: Jason Brummond Editor-in-Chief: Grace Pateras Managing Editor: Katelyn Weisbrod Creative Director: Gage Miskimen Pregame Editor: Courtney Baumann Sports Editors: Adam Hensley, Asst. Pete Ruden STAFF GOT Design Editor: David Calderon Photo Editors: Ben Smith, Lily Smith TV Sports Director: Mary Kate Herion Copy Chief: Beau Elliot Web Editor: Tony Phan Business Manager: Debra Plath UCLA Bruins are ready for basketball season. And ready to ucla (58%) UCLA s colors are prettier. Classified Ads/Circulation Manager: Juli Krause Production Manager: Heidi Owen Advertising Manager: Renee Manders Advertising Sales: Bev Mrstik Pregame Design by Courtney Baumann QUESTIONS FOR THE PREGAME STAFF OR A STORY IDEA FOR A FUTURE ISSUE? US AT DAILY-IOWAN@UIOWAL.EDU

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4 4 - The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, October 20, 2017 by the numbers: NORTHWESTERN BY COURTNEY BAUMANN courtney-baumann@uiowa.edu Iowa and Northwestern have had a fun history over the past decade or so. Since 2006, the Hawkeyes have gone 5-6 against the Wildcats. In the most recent matchup, Northwestern edged Iowa at the Hawkeyes Homecoming last season, putting up 38 points on 362 yards. However, the last time Iowa traveled to Ryan Field, 2015, the Hawkeyes put a beatdown on then-no. 20 Northwestern. While Iowa s lineup has changed pretty drastically on both offense and defense, Northwestern is more or less the same 16 of 22 starters on both sides of the ball are upperclassmen. That being said, the Hawkeyes should have a good idea of what is coming for them when they head to Evanston. Here s a look at Northwestern, by the numbers Offense per game With the Wildcats putting up large numbers on offense, and the Hawkeyes allowing large numbers on defense, that could be a recipe for disaster for Iowa. While Northwestern is averaging yards on the ground and on the air, Iowa is edging in on giving up almost 400 yards per game. Running back Justin Jackson has more than half of the Wildcats rushing yards, putting together 510 so far this season and averaging 4.7 yards a carry. This is pretty much on par with the Hawkeyes, which are allowing 4.5 yards per carry through their first six games. Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson has shown what he can do as well, racking up 1,496 yards on 137 completions. The junior has completed percent of his passes while throwing 8 touchdowns. 14 Turnovers Though Northwestern has moved the ball efficiently, the team has also had some trouble holding on to the ball. The Wildcats are averaging more than 2 turnovers a game, most of which have come at the hands of Thorson, who has thrown 9 interceptions. This puts him near the top of the Big Ten for most picks thrown only Nebraska s Tanner Lee has thrown more, with 10. The Wildcats have also had trouble when it comes to recovering the ball Northwestern has lost the ball all five times that it has fumbled, and it hasn t had much luck recovering opposing team s fumbles, either. Though the team has forced 10, a Northwestern player has only picked up the ball four times Red zone touchdowns While the Wildcats are making it into the red zone four times a game, they are only converting that proximity into touchdowns 75 percent of the time. This is something Iowa can use the Hawkeyes bend, don t break defense has had success many times this season when opposing teams make it within 20 yards of the end zone. Of the 18 times Iowa opponents have been close to the end zone, they have only crossed the goal line eight times. That means the File Photo/The Daily Iowan Hawkeyes have held opponents more than half of the time to fieldgoal attempts, and of those 10 field-goal attempts, just seven have Northwestern running back Justin Jackson spins away from an Iowa defender during the Iowa vs. Northwestern game at Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 1, The Hawkeyes fell to the Wildcats, been made..

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6 6 - The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, October 20, 2017 COVER STORY Steady hand, even keel Hawkeye quarterback Nate Stanley has matured beyond his number of snaps. BY PETE RUDEN peter-ruden@uiowa.edu When it comes down to it, Nate Stanley was about as close as one can get to being the perfect quarterback for the Hawkeye football program. He s not a person who likes to talk about himself. Instead, he leads by example and lets his play do the talking and do the walking. He s not arrogant about his abilities, even though he has most often played with guys who are older than him and has performed just as well. A big, skilled athlete, Stanley developed by playing on the eighth-grade basketball team when he was in fifth, as well as starting on three highschool varsity teams as an underclassman. But even after all of his success throughout his life, Stanley had a tall task in front of him heading into the 2017 football season. The sophomore from Menomonie, Wisconsin, had to grow into his role as Iowa s new starting quarterback to lead an inexperienced offense through the always-tough Big Ten. Engulfed in a position battle all through spring and fall camps, Stanley played his game and impressed fans and media alike by thoroughly outplaying upperclassman Tyler Wiegers in open practices. On Aug. 28, just five days before Iowa s opener against Wyoming, it was official. Stanley would lead the Hawkeye offense as a true sophomore. Both Tyler and Nate have really competed well, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said a day after the announcement was made. They re both firstclass guys. And again, we said it a week ago, we had confidence in both. We still do. They re both really good players. It was a close call. Felt like we needed to make a decision and start moving forward with the football team. At Menomonie High, Stanley was an athlete unlike any other. As a freshman, he was the punter and kicker on the football team, then became the starting varsity quarterback as a sophomore. He also started on the basketball team in his first year, where he was the team s No. 2 scorer. He added baseball as well, starting as a pitcher his freshman year. After being rated a three-star football recruit by 247, Stanley committed to play for Iowa late in He was sold on the hard work Ferentz preached, and even though homestate team Wisconsin pursued him, he stayed true to his word and signed to play for the Hawkeyes. Still, he didn t brag about all of his success. Instead of having a big ego, he put his head down and put the work in. He s a very humble young man, he s a great Christian young man. That s just the way he was raised by his father, Stanley s high-school football Ben Smith/The Daily Iowan coach Joe LaBuda said. He wasn t after the hoopla or the big-time recruitiowa quarterback Nate Stanley throws a pass during the game between Iowa and Penn State at Kinnick Stadium on Sept. 23. ing. He felt very comfortable with Coach Ferentz.

7 The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, October 20, STEADY HAND, EVEN KEEL He knew their program was about hard work and about doing things right. He knew that Coach Ferentz was a big character guy, so I think that had a lot to do with his decision. That s the kind of kid he is. He s not going to let people outwork him. That mentality helped Stanley compete through camp and eventually win the starting job. Since then, he has shown what he can do, ranking second in the Big Ten with 15 passing touchdowns before Iowa s bye week in just his first six games as a starter. He was also thrown into something of a spotlight on the national level; he was tied for No. 8 in the country in touchdown passes while only throwing 2 interceptions. A big reason for that was his coming-out party against in-state rival Iowa State. In his first Cy-Hawk game as a starter, Stanley went 27-of-41 while throwing for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, not everything has been a success for the sophomore. After starting the season 3-0, Iowa nearly upset No. 4 Penn State but lost on a last-second touchdown. The next week against Michigan State, the strong offense fans saw against Iowa State didn t seem to make the trip to East Lansing. On an individual level, fumbles have been a problem for Stanley, too. He lost the ball twice against Wyoming, which could have been chalked up to his inexperience starting under center. He had a bad fumble against the Spartans as well. When Iowa was threatening in Michigan State territory, Stanley attempted to throw the ball but lost it behind his back. The Spartans recovered, effectively ending the Hawkeyes chance to score and turn the game around. It s a small sample size, but Stanley has already learned about the ups and downs of the college game. Obviously, you try to build and take positive steps every week, he said. I think being able to have some success and then adversity makes you realize that you can t get complacent. I think just being able to realize that you have to take everybody seriously, and take every rep that you take in practice seriously, is obviously a big thing not just for me but for everybody to be able to grow and build throughout the whole year. Stanley has experienced those pains, but just like Iowa after losing to Michigan State, he has bounced back to help his team. Since earning the starting job, Stanley has made a lot of strides not just in his play on the field, but in his leadership as well. His presence is felt more in the huddle, he s been more comfortable making checks at the line of scrimmage, and he has helped Iowa s new-look offense flow together. You can just tell in the way things run a lot smoother, tight end Noah Fant said. In the Wyoming game, things were a little stop and go, and our offense was sputtering a little bit. As the games have gone on, it s been a lot more smoother and a lot more smooth-flowing. What has impressed his teammates is Stanley s composure, which enables him to lead no matter the circumstances. While his success has helped the team win, the bumps he has taken have helped him grow into a solid Big Ten quarterback, which, in turn, ultimately helps the team. It s a part of his role. In his first year as a starter, Stanley has been pegged as a leader, and even though he s a quiet guy, he s done a good job of remaining even-keeled in each game. Whether he throws an incomplete pass or an interception, he will likely bounce back, and that s something his teammates on offense have appreciated. He carries himself just like a veteran. He s really mature, center James Daniels said. Even if he has a bad play, he doesn t hang his head or do any of that. He just focuses on the next play, and if he has a good play, he does the same thing, so I really appreciate that. Joseph Cress/The Daily Iowan Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley looks to pass while getting a block by Akrum Wadley on Oct. 7. David Harmantas/The Daily Iowan Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley calls a play in the huddle against Illinois on Oct. 7.

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10 10 - The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, October 20, 2017 one on one Daily Iowan Sports Editor Adam Hensley caught up with quarterback Nate Stanley, a sophomore from Menomonie, Wisconsin. Daily Iowan: What s your favorite genre of music? Nate Stanley: Country music. DI: Who s your favorite artist? Stanley: I wouldn t say I really have a favorite artist when I listen to country, I listen to Pandora, so whatever comes on. If I had to choose one, it would probably be Darius Rucker. DI: Favorite fast food place? Stanley: I haven t eaten fast food in a long time Culver s. DI: Who s your funniest teammate? Stanley: Brandon Bishop. He s always cracking jokes. He s not afraid even in tense situations to crack jokes DI: What s your dream job outside of football? Stanley: I would really like to be a physical therapist someday. DI: Is there a certain player you model your game after? Stanley: I think you try to take things away from anybody who has been successful. Obviously, you try to take things away from a guy such as Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. DI: When you guys are in practice, who in the secondary is the hardest to go up against? Stanley: I d say Josh Jackson. He s super athletic. He s a great player and always poses problems for guys when he s matched up with them because he s physical, he s fast, he s long, [and] he s a tough guy to win against. DI: If you could play for any NFL team, which team would it be and why? Stanley: : I ve always been a Bears fan growing up. I think it would be cool to play for the team you always rooted for as a kid. DI: If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Stanley: I d say somewhere in the Midwest. I like the seasons that the Midwest has, all the recreational opportunities. Hunting and fishing as a kid, [I d] like to continue that as I get older. DI: Who s your biggest role model? Stanley: I d say my parents. Both of them, from [when I was] really little, they instilled in me a hard work ethic in sports and school. My dad has been one of my coaches from grade school all the way through high school. He was a teacher of mine, so having him from both aspects of school and sports really taught me that you have to work hard in everything you do. [It s] the same with my mom. She would put in long hours at her job and still be at our games on weeknights. On the weekends, she d drive five hours for a tournament. The work ethic and commitment they showed, I think it s something I ve tried to model my life after. with nate stanley

11 The Daily Iowan - PREGAME - Iowa City, Iowa - Friday, October 20, AROUND THE BIG TEN power rankings It s almost that wonderful time of the year when football and basketball are going on at the same time. What a time to be alive. PETE RUDEN peter-ruden@uiowa.edu 1) Penn State (6-0): Remember when Penn State s future looked like death? That s quite the throwback. 2) Wisconsin (6-0): Here is your weekly reminder that Jonathan Taylor is a freshman, and he is going to be really good for a long time. 3) Ohio State (6-1): Ohio State s closest Big Ten game was a 28-point win at Indiana in the opener. The Buckeyes are a pretty good team. 4) Michigan State (5-1): Did anyone think Michigan State would ever be ranked higher than Michigan at any point this season? I m going to go ahead and say no, no, they didn t. 5) Michigan (5-1): After taking the proverbial L against their Michigan counterparts,the Wolverines needed overtime to beat Indiana. Maybe I m speaking too soon, but things might be on the decline in Ann Arbor. 6) Iowa (4-2): Iowa is the only other team above.500, so I guess this makes sense. 7) Northwestern (3-3): A 16-point win over Maryland helps the Wildcats from falling further down the rankings. They have winnable games the rest of the season, so maybe they ll end up rising. 8) Purdue (3-2): All three of the Boilermakers losses were to teams in the top 20 at the time, and two of those teams were in the top 10. Purdue might be on the come-up. 9) Maryland (3-3): All of Maryland s quarterbacks have basically died at one point or another this season. I ll give the Terrapins a break. 10) Indiana (3-3): No Big Ten wins, but the Hoosiers almost took down Michigan in overtime, and their other two losses are to Big Ten blue bloods Ohio State and Penn State, which were both in the top five at the time. 11) Minnesota (3-3): The Gophers have been hit with threestraight losses, but at least they ve played some teams that are somewhat good. Looking at you, Nebraska. 12) Nebraska (3-4): I was going to put Nebraska higher, but the team lost to Northern Illinois, and its only Big Ten wins are against Rutgers and Illinois. 13) Rutgers (2-4): Fun fact: Rutgers actually has a conference win against Illinois. 14) Illinois (2-4): I would assume Lovie Smith is still salty that the Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Go Colts. Offensive Impact Name: J.T Barrett, Ohio State Position: Quarterback Year: Senior Barrett matched his career-high last week, accounting for 7 touchdowns, with 5 coming through the air. With numbers like that, it s easier to see how he has thrown 21 touchdowns on the season, with only 1 pick. Not to mention the conference-leading 1,838 yards on the year. He s been playing out of his mind. defensive Impact Name: Leon Jacobs, Wisconsin Position: Linebacker Year: Senior Jacobs picked up Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors last week after racking up a career-high 9 tackles in Wisconsin s 17-9 win over Purdue. He also recorded the second interception of his career, which ended up clinching the game; the Badgers went on to run out the clock. GAME TO WATCH no. 19 Michigan at no. 2 penn state When: 6:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Beaver Stadium, State College, Penn. Watch: ABC

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