The Orange welcome Iowa to the Dome on September 9
Countdown to Kickoff: Iowa Comes Back to Syracuse
8/18/2006 2:11:56 PM | Football
GAME 2: vs. Iowa
Saturday, September 9, 2006-3:30 p.m.
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
| ABOUT IOWA ... |
| Location: Iowa City, Iowa |
| Enrollment: 29,697 |
| Nickname: Hawkeyes |
| Colors: Gold and Black |
| Conference: Big Ten |
| Stadium (Capacity): Kinnick Stadium (70, 585) |
| Athletics Director: TBA |
| Starters Returning/Lost: 16/8 |
| Lettermen Returning/Lost: 45/25 |
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Check It Out ... Football Facelift
An $88 million renovation of Kinnick Stadium was completed this season. The stadium is named after Nile Kinnick, who won the 1939 Heisman Trophy.
Homefield Advantage
Former coach Hayden Fry had the visiting locker room at Kinnick Stadium painted pink. Fry, a psychology major in college, felt that the color would calm his opponents and give his teams an advantage. During the recent renovation, the pink theme was expanded to the sinks, carpet, lockers, showers and urinals.
Head Coach Starting Gate
Former Syracuse head coach Ossie Solem (1937-45) coached at Iowa right before (1932-36).
Lou Holtz was an assistant at Iowa in 1960.
Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Mike Stoops (Arizona) both played defensive back at Iowa and then served as graduate assistant coaches. Bob was a player from 1979-82 and a coach from 1983-84. Mike was a player from 1983-86 and a coach from 1986-87.
Wrestlemania
The Iowa wrestling program has won 20 national championships, including nine consecutive from 1978-86.
Bouncing Hawkeyes
The trampoline was invented by assistant gymnastics coach George Nissen and gymnast Larry Griswold in 1935.
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The Orange opens its 2006 home schedule against a team it hasn't faced in more than 30 years. On September 9, the Iowa Hawkeyes will visit Syracuse for the first time since 1975. The Orange was victorious in the first match-up between the two schools, 10-7. The Hawkeyes won the following year in Iowa City, 41-3, and the teams have not met since. Iowa was projected to finish third in the Big Ten in the preseason media poll and was chosen 17th in the preseason USA TODAY coaches’ poll.
In 15 days, Syracuse will take the field. Visit suathletics.com regularly for 'Countdown to Kickoff' to get an inside look at the 2006 season as the excitement builds. Season and individual game tickets are available via the internet and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (1-888-DOMETIX). To purchase tickets via the internet, click here.
Studying Iowa
Iowa Head Coach
Kirk Ferentz is entering his eighth year at Iowa, where he has compiled a record of 49-36 and led the Hawkeyes to a school-record four-consecutive January bowl game appearances. He has won two Big Ten titles in the past four years. Ferentz has also served as an assistant coach at Iowa and with the Baltimore Ravens and as a head coach with the University of Maine. He played linebacker at Connecticut and was a captain his senior season.
2005 Record
7-5 / 5-3 Big Ten (T-3rd Place)
2006 Hawkeyes
OFFENSE
Senior quarterback Drew Tate (right) returns for his fourth year as the Hawkeye starter. Tate completed 219 passes for 
2,828 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2005. He is fifth on Iowa’s career passing list with 5,669 yards and his 43 touchdown career touchdown passes puts him in a tie for second place. Tate has one of his three favorite targets returning from last year’s team in senior tight end Scott Chandler. Chandler led the team with 47 receptions and caught two touchdown passes. Iowa’s two top wide receivers from 2005 graduated, taking 86 receptions and 14 touchdowns with them. The top returning wide receiver is junior Herb Grigsby, who caught 25 passes and three touchdowns last year. Junior running back Albert Young ranked 17th in the nation in rushing (111.2 yards/game) and 18th in all-purpose yards (146.7/game) in 2005. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Senior placekicker Kyle Schlicher led the Big Ten with an 81% field goal percentage and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award last season. He converted 17 of 21 field goal attempts and 43 of 44 extra point attempts to compile a team-high 94 points. He is currently 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 189 points.
2,828 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2005. He is fifth on Iowa’s career passing list with 5,669 yards and his 43 touchdown career touchdown passes puts him in a tie for second place. Tate has one of his three favorite targets returning from last year’s team in senior tight end Scott Chandler. Chandler led the team with 47 receptions and caught two touchdown passes. Iowa’s two top wide receivers from 2005 graduated, taking 86 receptions and 14 touchdowns with them. The top returning wide receiver is junior Herb Grigsby, who caught 25 passes and three touchdowns last year. Junior running back Albert Young ranked 17th in the nation in rushing (111.2 yards/game) and 18th in all-purpose yards (146.7/game) in 2005. He was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award. Senior placekicker Kyle Schlicher led the Big Ten with an 81% field goal percentage and was a finalist for the Lou Groza Award last season. He converted 17 of 21 field goal attempts and 43 of 44 extra point attempts to compile a team-high 94 points. He is currently 10th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 189 points.DEFENSE
Linebackers Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway, the top-two tacklers in the Big Ten in 2005 with over 150 tackles apiece, have both moved on to the NFL. Senior linebacker Edmond Miles was the team’s third-leading tackler (68) and started every game alongside Hodge and Greenway. Juniors Mike Humpal and Mike Klinkenborg, who combined for 36 tackles in 2005, look to replace the all-Americans. The Hawkeyes return a pair of junior defensive ends to anchor the defensive line. Kenny Iwebema (right) led Iowa with seven sacks last year and has been named to the 
preseason watch lists for the Hendricks (defensive end) and Lott (Impact Defensive Player) Awards. Bryan Mattison totaled 46 tackles, including four sacks. The Hawkeyes lost two four-year defensive backs, but two senior safeties return. Marcus Paschal and Miguel Merrick started 10 and nine games, respectively, in the secondary last season and amassed 121 tackles. A pair of juniors, Charles Godfrey and Adam Shada, will step into the starting line up at cornerback. Shada tied for the team lead with three interceptions a year ago.
preseason watch lists for the Hendricks (defensive end) and Lott (Impact Defensive Player) Awards. Bryan Mattison totaled 46 tackles, including four sacks. The Hawkeyes lost two four-year defensive backs, but two senior safeties return. Marcus Paschal and Miguel Merrick started 10 and nine games, respectively, in the secondary last season and amassed 121 tackles. A pair of juniors, Charles Godfrey and Adam Shada, will step into the starting line up at cornerback. Shada tied for the team lead with three interceptions a year ago. 2005 Review
The Hawkeyes finished 2005 in a tie for third place with Wisconsin, Michigan and Northwestern in a highly-competitive Big Ten that had seven teams with a .500 or better conference record. They began the year 5-2, with one of those losses coming on the road against Ohio State, before falling to Michigan in overtime and Northwestern. The Hawkeyes won the final two games of the regular season before losing to Florida in the Outback Bowl, 31-24. Iowa’s offense and defense both ranked fourth in the conference. The Hawkeye offense averaged 432 total yards, including 234 in the air. Defensively, they held opponents to an average of 20 points and 382 yards per game. Iowa was very successful in the Red Zone, on both sides of the ball. They led the Big Ten in Red Zone offense (93.3%) and defense (71.2%).
| 9/2 | MONTANA |
| 9/9 | at Syracuse |
| 9/16 | IOWA STATE |
| 9/23 | at Illinois |
| 9/30 | OHIO STATE |
| 10/7 | PURDUE |
| 10/14 | at Indiana |
| 10/21 | at Michigan |
| 10/28 | NORTHERN ILLINOIS |
| 11/4 | NORTHWESTERN |
| 11/11 | WISCONSIN |
| 11/18 | at Minnesota |
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MLAX | Postgame Press Conference at North Carolina
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