Hawkeyes and headphones: Iowa's walk to the stadium sets the tone

AMES — The Iowa Hawkeyes will ride a bus from wherever they stay here. They'll park, they'll get out and see about 100 yards from the buses to the locker room at Jack Trice Stadium.

There's a clear path. Of course, it will be engulfed by Iowa State fans. This is where the soundtrack doesn't match the film.

'It's a good distance to walk through their fans, but it's interesting,' Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell said.

Outside of games, think about how many times you see athletes with their headphones on. Sometimes, that's for focus or to get pumped up or to mellow out.

In this instance, it's self-preservation.

'I think people usually have their headphones on pretty loud at that point,' Jewell said. 'Some people might turn them down because they want to hear stuff. That's totally fine. If that motivates them in a good way, they can totally do that. I just turn mine up a little bit.'

Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson is from Corinth, Texas. He understands geography and figured out that Iowa and Iowa State share the word 'Iowa,' so, of course, he knew this was a rivalry and a bitter one at that.

He 'knew' it, but he didn't 'feel' it until that walk two years ago during his redshirt freshman season.

'You actually don't notice (the weight of the rivalry within the state) until you actually go up there and actually play against them and feel the rivalry,' Jackson said. 'My first time up there was my redshirt freshman year, walking down the long sidewalk to get to the locker room. That's kind of where I realized, 'Dang, this is really something.''

Did you hear stuff?

'Yeah, definitely,' Jackson said. 'But I had my headphones on. I tried to tune it out.'

Iowa running back Akrum Wadley ...

'Headphones to the max,' he said.

'Getting off the bus two years ago, I wasn't really part of the game plan, but I was able to experience the atmosphere,' Wadley said. 'Getting off the bus all you see is red and yellow, red and yellow and all kinds of fans. Some of them drunk and everyone doing this and that. I was able to experience it.

'It's really important that you block out the noise.'

Let's focus on the 'this and that.'

This state isn't that big. Iowa players have friends who go to Iowa State and vice versa. This is a week of 'this and that' and 'blah, blah, blah.'

'I do have some (Iowa State friends),' said Iowa kicker Miguel Recinos, a native of Mason City, which he described as about 50-50 Iowa-Iowa State country. 'Of course, they've messaged me and said, 'If you have a big kick, I hope you miss it, blah, blah, blah ...''

Jewell, a Decorah native, has Iowa State friends. There are interchanges. Yes, sometimes even the players can't let it go.

'It depends on how close they are, but I'll probably text them back,' Jewell said.

And you kind of have to feel for Iowa linebacker Ben Niemann here. His dad, Jay, played at Iowa State. His family lived in central Iowa for years.

'It's kind of funny,' Niemann said. 'Growing up and watching games with my dad, I was kind of on the other side. Now, obviously I'm not. I want to beat them.'

Niemann, whose family moved to Sycamore, Ill., has a cousin who goes to Iowa State.

'I have a lot of family who goes to Iowa State, so I'm going to hear some crap from them this week, but it's all in good fun,' Niemann said.

To Niemann's Iowa State cousin, you seem to have Ben's attention.

'I'll probably hear a lot ... I do hear a lot from him,' Niemann said.

This was Tuesday, so already?

'Yeah.'

An example?

'Just they're going to beat us, blah, blah, blah,' Niemann said.

The 'blah, blah, blah' gate swings both ways.

Iowa State redshirt freshman linebacker Carson Lensing is from Fort Atkinson in northeast Iowa and is a South Winneshiek graduate.

'My grandparents have Big Ten Network,' Lensing said. 'That side of the family has more Hawkeye fans. It's about 50-50. They all show support for me. I think they're happy for me.

'I have some friends (who go there); no family right now. They're all friendly at the end of the day, but I get some good text messages from my buds, talking a little smack. I'm not going to say any quotes or anything, but it gets a little dirty sometimes.

'It's all fun and games. I love it. It fuels the fire, you know?'

And you know that parking the bus and walking to the locker room thing? Kinnick Stadium offers the same delightful trek.

'It was insane,' Lensing said. 'It's everything you think college football is and should be (from) opposing fans. I love coming here and playing, but going somewhere else where they hate you is almost just as fun.

'If I remember right, they basically dropped us off right at the entrance of Kinnick. But we got to drive through it all. There were a few fingers that maybe shouldn't have been pointed at us. It's the rivalry. It's all fun and games like I said. But when it comes down to business, you've got to block all that out.

'I have some real good friends of mine that are die-hard Hawkeye fans. I knew what I was getting into when we were there. I know our fans are just as crazy.'

Iowa quarterback Nathan Stanley is from Wisconsin, but his mom, Donita, is from Wellsburg. Weird how it works out sometimes for families.

'I think some of my aunts and uncles grew up as Iowa State fans, but hopefully, that's changed,' he said.

Iowa defensive lineman Matt Nelson is from Cedar Rapids. Yes, that's eastern Iowa, but, believe it or not, people from here are free to go to college at Iowa State.

'I might hear something from my older brother who went to Iowa State,' Nelson said. 'I got him to wear a Hawkeye shirt the past few years, so hopefully his allegiance is with the Hawkeyes.'

Carroll is about 70 miles west of Ames on Highway 30. This should be Cyclone country to the bone, right? Iowa defensive end Sam Brincks claims it's a 50-50 Cy-Hawk town. He backs that up with this ...

'I have a couple friends who go to Ames, but they're Iowa fans,' he said. 'I think it's just proximity to home, but I do definitely take some slack this week.'

Do you give as good as you get?

'I try to,' he said. 'I try to leave it on the field more so.'

Headphones, people. Headphones are at least half of the reason Dr. Dre, the developer of Beats headphones, is a billionaire.

'I have headphones in all of the time,' Iowa wide receiver Matt VandeBerg said. 'I have headphones in when we do our Hawk Walk (into Kinnick on game days) and we get to see our fans.'

Headphones, headphones, headphones.

'I'll definitely have headphones in,' Stanley said. 'Some sort of country music, probably. I think they'll be pretty loud, so no matter how loud I have my music playing, I'll still be able to hear them.'

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