Iowa Football is set to battle Penn State in a night game at Kinnick on October 18

The Hawkeyes learned the time for a tough battle against Penn State in October
Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula (9) runs with the ball during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0.
Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula (9) runs with the ball during a White Out football game against Iowa Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions shut out the Hawkeyes, 31-0. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ranked teams don't come into Kinnick Stadium and have an easy time against the Hawkeyes.

When Kinnick Stadium is packed with nearly 80,000 screaming Hawkeye fans and they get behind the team, it is hard for opponents to win, regardless of their ranking.

We saw a glimpse of that in Week Five when Iowa welcomed No. 11 Indiana to Kinnick Stadium for homecoming. Indiana ultimately won the game 20-15, but Iowa did not make it easy on them.

The Hawkeye defense held Indiana to 200 yards, which was under the season average to that point, and 30 points, which was also under their season average, but could not complete the upset.

Before the Hawkeyes hit the road to take on Wisconsin in the annual battle for the Heartland Trophy, Iowa learned the time for the next game against Penn State.

Iowa will host Penn State at 6:00 p.m. Central Time on October 18 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City for their first matchup since 2023.

In that 2023 matchup, the No. 24 Hawkeyes traveled to State College to battle No. 7 Penn State and were heavily overmatched. In a foggy, rain-soaked matchup, Penn State dominated in all facets of the game, defeating the Hawkeyes 31-0.

The Hawkeyes have often been a thorn in the side of the Nittany Lions, dashing their playoff hopes as an unranked team, but Penn State holds a slim lead in the all-time series matchup with a 17-14 record.

Both Iowa (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) and Penn State (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) have stumbled out of the gates, especially after Penn State lost to 0-4 UCLA last weekend.

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