Show notes
Brion looks at this week's opponent Illinois and the games played from 1899 through 1936. There have been 78 games played between the two teams, and Iowa is 37-39-2 all-time (49%). Two more wins by Iowa will tie the series.
This matchup has been fairly competitive throughout the years. Illinois won 12 straight games from 1942 thru 1967, but it included a gap between 1952 to 1967 when they didn't play. From 1990-92, Iowa won 3 straight, then from 1993-95, Illinois won 3 straight, then Iowa won 3 straight from 1996-1998.
Hayden Fry was 10-8 (56%), including the final 3 matchups (1996-1998). Kirk Ferentz is 13-4 (76%), winning 8 straight until last year's 6-9 loss in 2022.
A few interesting stories to listen for. An Iowa coach killed a rabbit to try and end a curse, Iowa fans came to Iowa Field to hear a telegram update on a big road game at Champaign, one game was so popular that ticket prices jumped from $3 to $10, and there were some really bad lopsided games early in the series by both teams.
Player profiles this week are Nick Bell, former NFL running back, who was a key part of the 1990 Rose Bowl, and had a monster game against Illinois in 1990, and Bret Bielema, former Iowa walk-on and team captain during that same time, who is now the head coach at Illinois.
Links from the podcast:
- Illinois Football Games vs Iowa: https://hawkeyerecap.com/home.asp?sport=Football&opp=Illinois
- Nick Bell Player Profile: https://hawkeyerecap.com/player.asp?id=244
- Bret Bielema Player Profile: https://hawkeyerecap.com/player.asp?id=261
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