Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz celebrates with his players after becoming the winningest coach in Big Ten history, passing Woody Hayes, with a win over the Massachusetts Minutemen Sept. 13, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Captures Historic Win Over UMass

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Jennifer Streeter | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Iowa Hawkeyes made plenty of history on Saturday night.

Week 3 of the 2024-25 college football season saw Iowa take down UMass 47-7 in a historic matchup. It was the first ever meeting between the two programs and also saw Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz notch victory No. 206 at Iowa — making history of his own as he now possesses the most wins as a head coach in the Big Ten.

Ferentz surpassed legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, who won 205 games over 28 seasons from 1951 to 1978.

With this latest win over the Minutemen, the Hawkeyes improved to 2-1.

MOST WINS AS A HEAD COACH IN BIG TEN HISTORY

Kirk Ferentz makes history with @HawkeyeFootball ⚫️ pic.twitter.com/GqRrUoOXba
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 14, 2025

Fans React to Kirk Ferentz's Historic Accomplishment

"Congrats on an amazing career, Coach. You've been a tremendous leader for so many kids that have gone through our program," one Iowa fan said on X.

"GOAT," said another.

"Kirk Ferentz finally makes history," another fan posted across social media.

Iowa put up 435 total yards over UMass at Kinnick Stadium against UMass, featuring 234 passing yards and 201 from the ground game. Senior wide receiver Sam Phillips led the way for the Hawkeyes by putting up 75 yards across three receptions.

Wide receiver and returner Kaden Wetjen only added on to the historic night for Iowa. He scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter to give his team a 20-0 lead. This moment appears to have made history, as he is now the first Hawkeye to ever notch a rushing, receiving, punt return and kick return touchdown in program history.

Wetjen previously said the Iowa roster was looking to use the game against UMass as a way for the Hawkeyes to return to the standards they hold themselves to on and off the field.

"We know [football] is an imperfect game and not everything is going to go your way," Wetjen said. "And I think you've seen in the past, we have a pretty good tradition of responding after adversity ... the standards we have in plans ... since January we've been working and know the team that we have. I have no doubt we will respond to adversity."

Wetjen is believed to be the first Hawkeye in program history to record a rushing, receiving, punt return, and kickoff return touchdown in a career. #Hawkeyes https://t.co/85vimnlrMA
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) September 14, 2025

Ferentz's previously mentioned accomplishment surrounding his 206th win comes at an opportune time for Iowa; the Hawkeyes will face Rutgers (3-0) next week in their first Big Ten game of the 2025 season.

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