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IOWA CITY – The red-hot Iowa football team returns home to host Purdue Saturday evening.
Kickoff between the 15th-ranked (College Football Playoff) Hawkeyes and Purdue is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on NBC.
Iowa (7-2 overall, 4-2 in Big Ten Conference) picked up its second straight win last weekend with a 24-10 decision over Northwestern. Since a three-point loss at Minnesota, the Hawkeyes have topped both Wisconsin and the Wildcats by a combined 44 points.
With games against Illinois and Nebraska left, Iowa is in position to vie for a spot in the College Football Playoff. But head coach Kirk Ferentz isn't doing that just yet.
"It's all week-to-week," Ferentz said. "If you look beyond what's in front of you, you're really going to miss an opportunity. At least chances are you will.
"You can't skip steps. You just can't do it. There are no guarantees even if you're 100 percent locked in. That's just what we all need to understand. When I say, 'we,' I'm talking about people in this building."
Hank Brown has returned to the role of starter under center, throwing for over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. LJ Phillips, Jr. is coming off a career-high 128 rushing yards vs. Northwestern, as he now has 243 rushing yards.
For Purdue (3-6, 2-4), they have dropped three straight since back-to-back wins over Illinois and Minnesota. Ryan Browne has thrown for 2,260 yards and 11 touchdowns, Fame Ijeboi has 620 rushing yards and 10 TDs, and Asaad Waseem leads with 43 receptions for 709 yards.
"Offensively, I have been very impressed with them," Ferentz said. "They have several 400-plus-yard games, almost 500 yards. It starts with the quarterback. He's a really good player. They executed well. They're a dangerous team.
"Defensively, they made a change with the coordinator spot but they're playing hard there. Bottom line is, it's week-to-week in the Big Ten, and we need to be at our best and be ready."