Three keys to an Indiana win over Iowa

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The Indiana football program enters the 2021 season with about as high of expectations as one could imagine for a school that’s spent decades toward the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

The Hoosiers begin the season with a preseason ranking for the first time in over 50 years as they travel to Iowa City to face a Hawkeye squad ranked just below them.

Head coach Tom Allen addressed the media earlier this week to speak on what he expects to see from Iowa this Saturday.

“Defensively, they’re just so sound,” Allen said. “They do such a great job up front with how disciplined they are.”

Iowa comes into the game favored to win by only a field goal. In other words, it’s expected to be a tight game throughout.

The Hoosiers have lost three straight to the Hawkeyes, most recently in 2018 at home by a score of 42-16. Indiana’s most recent victory over Iowa came in 2012 at Memorial Stadium by a score of 24-21. Iowa owns the series record with 45 wins, 28 losses, and 4 ties.

“They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They make you really have to execute at a high level,” Allen said.

Here are three things that need to happen for the Hoosiers to come out on top in their season opener against the Hawkeyes.