On Iowa Sports

The start of the boys’ high school wrestling competition this week means the wrestling season is firing on all cylinders. The Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and hall of fame coach Dick Briggs takes a look ahead at the upcoming events for Iowa, Iowa State and UNI. They also discuss girls’ wrestling teams off to a good start and previews the beginning of the boys’ season.

Listen to The Final Score podcast with The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas to relive the big moments and assess the big picture after another walk-off win for Iowa football over Nebraska.

Lincoln Journal Star sports columnist Amie Just joins The Gazette's John Steppe on the Hawk Off The Press podcast this week to help us break down Friday night’s regular-season finale between Nebraska and Iowa. The Huskers have clinched bowl eligibility, but how do they match up against Iowa’s run-oriented offense?

If you follow college wrestling, you know Jason Bryant. He joins the Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Famer Dick Briggs this week after filling in as the public-address announcer for Saturday’s Iowa vs. Iowa State wrestling dual. Jason talks about his experience at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, announcing events all over the world and his history with the sport of wrestling. Plus, takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ win over the Cyclones, UNI wrestling at the UNI-Dome and more college wrestling news from the week.

Mark Ironside joins the Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs ahead of Saturday night’s Cy-Hawk men’s wrestling dual between Iowa and Iowa State. The two-time NCAA champion and 1998 Hodge Trophy winner discusses his role as the Hawkeyes’ radio analyst, hunting with Iowa wrestlers and coaches (including who among that group is the worst shot) and his expectations for Saturday’s dual. Also this week, a look at the NWCA All-Star Classic results and more wrestling news from the week.

At 6-4, this has become a forgettable season for an Iowa football team that entered the fall with expectations to contend for a College Football Playoff spot. The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas talk through where it went wrong on this episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast. Plus, the Iowa men’s basketball team has more talent and potential than people think, but where are the fans?

The Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and hall of fame coach Dick Briggs is back for the 2024-25 wrestling season. Joining us on the season’s first episode is UW-La Crosse Coach Dave Malecek. Malacek talks about his coaching influences in Iowa, how he’s been successful in La Crosse and the movies his wrestlers are required to watch. Then, it’s on to some early-season analysis of Iowa, Iowa State and UNI.

John Steppe and Mike Hlas break down Iowa's 40-14 win over Northwestern, the quarterback change to Brendan Sullivan and what it means for the rest of the season on this episode of The Final Score.

Iowa soccer head coach Dave DiIanni joins The Gazette's John Steppe to discuss another successful season for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is ranked 11th in the country with a 13-1-3 record heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale at Minnesota. Among the discussion topics: • Iowa’s keys to success this season • Freshman Berit Parten’s immediate goal-scoring impact • Sitting in third place while not scheduled to face the Big Ten’s top two teams, USC and UCLA • Iowa’s NCAA tournament outlook, including the possibility of hosting multiple rounds • Support from AD Beth Goetz, a former soccer coach herself who once coached against DiIanni

Matt Wenzel of MLive joins The Gazette’s John Steppe on the Hawk Off The Press podcast this week to give Iowa football fans a Michigan State scouting report ahead of Saturday night’s game in East Lansing. The Spartans are coming off a bye week but have lost three straight games under first-year coach Jonathan Smith.

The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas break down Iowa's 40-16 win over Washington on The Final Score, including another special Kaleb Johnson performance and why this was Hawkeyes' most complete performance of the season. Plus, the implications this win has for the rest of the season as the midway point arrives.

Andy Yamashita of The Seattle Times joins The Gazette’s John Steppe on the Hawk Off The Press podcast this week to preview Saturday’s Big Ten football game between Washington and Iowa. The Huskies are coming off an appearance in last season’s national championship game, but this is a new team with a new coach and a new conference. Andy tells us what to expect from this version of Washington.

Doug Lesmerises of the Kings of the North podcast joins The Gazette's John Steppe on this week’s Hawk Off the Press podcast with a message for Heisman Trophy oddsmakers: Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson should be in the discussion at this point in the season. Plus, how has Tim Lester changed the Hawkeyes’ offense? And does Iowa have a chance to beat Ohio State on Oct. 5?

It’s a late-night (well, more like early-morning) edition of The Final Score after Kaleb Johnson trampled Minnesota in a 31-14 Iowa victory. Tune in for postgame thoughts from The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas.

Iowa and Minnesota battle for the Floyd of Rosedale trophy in their Big Ten opener Saturday night in Minneapolis. Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press joins The Gazette's John Steppe on the Hawk Off The Press podcast to help preview the game — beyond just punt returns.

The nonconference portion of Iowa’s schedule wrapped up with a 38-21 win over Troy, a game more unusual than the score indicates. John Steppe break it down and look ahead to the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten potential on this episode of The Final Score podcast.

How did Iowa lose a 13-point halftime lead? How did Iowa State rally from a scoreless first half? And what does the Cyclones’ 20-19 win tell us about the rest of the season? The Gazette's John Steppe and Mike Hlas break down the Cy-Hawk game on this episode of The Final Score podcast.

It's Cy-Hawk week, so The Gazette's Iowa and Iowa State writers are teaming up on the Hawk Off The Press podcast to break down Saturday's game. Hear analysis and predictions from John Steppe and Rob Gray.

A “here we go again” first half turned into a second half full of promising signs for the Iowa offense. John Steppe and Mike Hlas break down the Hawkeyes’ 40-0, season-opening win over Illinois State on The Final Score podcast.

This episode of the Hawk Off The Press podcast features John Steppe’s analysis of the news that Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz and receivers coach Jon Budmayr have been suspended one game for a recruiting violation, plus Thursday’s press conference featuring Ferentz and Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz.