By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Even when he couldn’t help his team on the field earlier this season, Iowa offensive lineman Kyler Schott remained a valuable asset.

The fifth-year senior missed fifth-ranked Iowa’s first two games of the season due to a right foot injury sustained on his family farm during fall camp.

Though the 6-foot-2, 294-pound Schott couldn’t practice, he took on a different role.

“My role when I was out was coaching younger guys and getting my foot better at the same time,” Schott said. “So that’s the role I took, whatever my teammates needed I helped them out with.”

Schott returned to the lineup last Saturday for Iowa’s 30-7 win over Kent State and played a handful of snaps as a reserve guard as Iowa rushed for a season-high 206 yards.

Schott was listed as the starting right guard before his injury, but sophomore Indianapolis native Justin Britt has started the first three games in Schott’s absence.

“It felt great just getting back out there, being with my friends, my teammates and be able to play some football again,” Schott said.

Schott’s presence on and off the field has been crucial for an offensive line lacking in the experience department.

Four of Iowa’s starting offensive linemen – Britt, tackles Nick DeJong and Mason Richman, and guard Cody Ince – are all sophomores or younger.

Backup guard Tyler Elsbury is a redshirt freshman and backup tackle Connor Colby is a true freshman and both have played significant snaps.

“He’s a great leader,” junior quarterback Spencer Petras said. “He’s a guy that has played a lot of football for us. We have a lot of youth on our offensive line, so when you get a guy like Shooter back it helps tremendously just as a good example that he sets and the way he can lead by example. Then also just getting on guys if he needs to and pushing guys along, so it’s been a great asset.”

Injury Report: Head coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday that redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett will miss some time with an undisclosed injury. The 6-goot-3, 261-pound Hurkett was helped off the field in the fourth quarter of Iowa’s win over Kent State.

Hurkett, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, played in Iowa’s first three games this season and had four total tackles.

Series History: Saturday will be the first ever meeting between Iowa and Colorado State. The Hawkeyes are 9-1-1 all-time against the Mountain West Conference. Colorado State head coach Steve Addazio was the head coach at Boston College when the Hawkeyes defeated Boston College 27-20 in the 2017 Pinstripe Bowl.

Non-Con Success: Iowa has won 14 straight non-conference games, including 11 regular season and three bowl wins. The streak is second in the country behind Minnesota, which has won 21 straight non-conference games. Iowa’s last non-conference loss was against Florida in the 2017 Outback Bowl.

Scoring Defense (Literally): The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 10 points per game. Senior defensive back Riley Moss leads the country with two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Junior linebacker Jack Campbell returned a fumble for a touchdown against Iowa State and the Hawkeye defense forced a safety against Kent State.

Against the Ranked: Colorado State has not beaten a ranked team since 2002  when it beat No. 7 Colorado 19-14. The Rams are 0-22 against ranked teams since. Since 2013, the Rams have had two matchups against AP top-10 teams, both were losses to Alabama. Colorado State is 2-13 all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top 10.