Iowa faces first road game, ISU returns home

The 12th ranked Iowa Hawkeyes close out pre-conference action with a difficult test as they visit Arizona State. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says first and foremost it’s the first road game which presents some new circumstances, and he says it’ll be a tough environment. The Hawkeyes beat Arizona State 21-2 last season and the Sun Devils will be out for revenge. Ferentz says his guys have a heartbeat too and so he says he thinks both teams will be motivated. Ferentz says the Hawkeyes need to limit mistakes and that means eliminating the personal foul penalties on defense. He says they can’t give up easy yardage, and that’s what penalties are. He says if they’re going to try and get somewhere special, that’s what they’re gonna have to do.The Iowa State Cyclones close out non-conference play at home against Northern Illinois. The Huskies were one of the nation’s biggest surprises a year ago when they beat Maryland, Alabama and the Cyclones enroute to a 10-2 record. ISU coach Dan McCarney says many of those same players are back and they blend in some newcomers. McCarney says the Cyclones will need to be ready to play, he says they won last year and they play with a lot of confidence. McCarney is eager to see how the Cyclones bounce back from the loss to Iowa. He says you find out more about your players every time you play and he says they’ve had a win and now a loss and they’ll find out how they react.