Penn State lost its fourth straight game on Saturday.

As the Nittany Lions fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes 25-24, there was plenty to take in from the stadium and the surrounding area of Iowa City.

Our staff made the 12+ hour trip to take in everything the University of Iowa had to offer.

Where Is Everybody?

We were so excited to explore Iowa City on Saturday and were expecting to see some crazy tailgates and downtown bustle before the night game. To our surprise, downtown Iowa City and the University of Iowa campus were pretty mellow, even at 10 a.m. ish. As we made our way back to the stadium, even frat row was quiet.

We came to find out that the tailgate lots didn’t even open until noon, which is surprising given the magnitude of this game for the Iowa fanbase. Once tailgates began to open, we saw more of a crowd appear, but it took a while.

Iowa Hospitality Is Elite

I want to preface this section with a special shoutout to the Stella restaurant, the guy we met at lunch, Bill of HawksToGo, and Shaun.

Finding Stella after walking three miles around Iowa City was amazing. We had some great food before meeting a friendly dad who pointed us in the direction of the HawksToGo party.

Bill’s setup was fantastic with a few cars and trailers tucked into a small gravel lot behind a house. He was more than welcoming of some non-Iowa fans and had us give him our game predictions (we were all wrong, of course). We ventured into his trailer, where we got to sign our names and, of course, give a shoutout to the blog.

After Bill’s, we headed off the road and found Shaun of Iowa City. He welcomed us into his tailgate and had a great conversation about Iowa and Penn State football. We discussed the travel between the schools as he had come to State College for the 2009 meeting.

Overall, we couldn’t have asked for better hospitality and friendliness in “enemy” territory.

It Was A True Away Game Atmosphere

Penn State fans were drowned out by Iowa’s stripe out. Interestingly enough, Penn State fans were scattered throughout the stadium and didn’t have a specific section. We thought this was deliberate as it would be harder to hear the Penn State crowd if they were all scattered rather than all together.

The press box was essentially soundproof, so we couldn’t get as much of a sense of the atmosphere, but from what we did hear, Kinnick was electric on Saturday.

Kinnick Sidelines Are Tight

Kinnick sidelines are no joke.

There was essentially no room to maneuver past the benches without going in front. The fans could basically sit in on player meetings, as they were close enough to almost touch players’ shoulder pads.

Additionally, the Iowa student section goes all the way to the field. Only a rope kept those in the section from running onto the field, which was a different look from what Beaver Stadium’s student section provides.

The Hawkeye Wave Is One Of The Best Traditions In College Football

This was such a cool tradition to experience in person.

The University of Iowa Children’s Hospital sits right next to Kinnick Stadium. After the end of the first quarter, everyone in the stadium, including the players and referees, turns and waves at the kids who, in turn, wave back. Because this particular game was at night, the stadium was filled with the glow of thousands of phone flashlights that waved towards the hospital.

The moment was touching and resonated with me as one of the better traditions I’ve ever witnessed at a college football game.