Iowa’s Opener Will Be Anything But Easy

Until recent years, Iowa's first football game of the season has historically been against an opponent that should make for an easy victory. However, an 8-point win last year over UNI, a loss the year before (against Northern Illinois), and a one-point win in 2012 (Northern Illinois) has changed all that. In 2015, another close battle is likely as Iowa opens against a team with a lofty pre-season ranking.

Illinois State needs no introduction in Eastern Iowa. They're a Missouri Valley Conference team that plays great football, just like the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Last year, the Redbirds were 13-2 and lost the FCS Championship game by two points to perennial power North Dakota State, who's now won the title four straight years. In the 2015 pre-season poll, the two teams are ranked just as they ended last season.

Illinois State features Tre Roberson at quarterback, a position he held for the Indiana Hoosiers when they visited Kinnick four years ago. That day marked his first career start and garnered him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors with 16 of 24 passing, and a touchdown. He transferred from Indiana last summer and was selected to the Missouri Valley Conference's first team and was also newcomer of the year. He threw 30 touchdown passes and rushed for more yards than any Illinois State quarterback in history. And... he threw only 10 interceptions.

Illinois State's group of receivers is a young one this season, but Roberson still has first-team All-American Marshaun Coprich behind him in the backfield. Coprich ran for more than 2200 yards and 27 touchdowns a year ago. His lead blocker from last season, Brady Tibbits, also returns. The Iowa defense will likely have their hands full with the Redbirds offense.

On the other side of the ball, Iowa fans are likely to see a very familiar face. Linebacker Reggie Spearman, who played for Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl this past January and left the Iowa program two weeks later. Spearman is listed as the backup Weakside Linebacker on Illinois State's two-deep roster.

Can Iowa's offense light up the scoreboard in 2015 with C.J. Beathard at the controls and LeShun Daniels now carrying the load in the backfield? I certainly hope so and we'll find out in a week.

Tickets are still available for Iowa's 11:01 kickoff next Saturday morning (televised by the Big Ten Network). The Hawks are 13-3 in openers under head coach Kirk Ferentz and have never lost to an FCS opponent in the school's history. Despite only 190 miles separating the two schools and the two having playing football for a combined 254 years, Iowa and Illinois State have never met. That gets remedied a week from today and a good start is, dare I say, crucial to Iowa football and Kirk Ferentz. Great FCS team or not, the naysayers will be louder than the cicadas if Iowa loses and if they were to repeat it a week later in Ames (3:45 kickoff on Fox)... I don't even want to think about it.

[Iowa Sports Information and GoRedbirds.com]