Iowa vs. Penn State finalized as night game at Kinnick Stadium

Turn on the lights, buckle in for a long day of tailgating outside Kinnick Stadium — because Iowa’s Oct. 12 showdown against Penn State is going to be at night.

The 14th-ranked Hawkeyes and 11th-ranked Nittany Lions will square off at 6:30 on that Saturday night, with the game televised on either ABC, Fox Sports 1 or the Big Ten Network. 

This will mark the third time in four years that Iowa-Penn State is waged from start-to-finish under the lights, including the electric 2017 matchup at Kinnick that came down to the final play. And remember, this is the alternate-jersey game for the Hawkeyes in which they'll be wearing all-gold uniforms. It's also a black-and-gold spirit game, giving Kinnick Stadium that iconic striped look under the lights.

Iowa (4-0 after a 48-3 drubbing of Middle Tennessee State) faces No. 18 Michigan (3-1) at 11 a.m. this Saturday in Ann Arbor, while Penn State (4-0 after a 59-0 shellacking of Maryland) plays host to Purdue (1-3) in State College.

Penn State has won five in a row against the Hawkeyes, including a 2012 night-game win in Kinnick.

Alaric Jackson returns to Iowa depth chart

The third-year starting left tackle was listed in a backup role Monday, but that's notable nonetheless. The Hawkeyes typically don't list injured players on the depth chart on game weeks, so this is a continued sign that Jackson (who sprained a knee in the first quarter of Week 1 against Miami of Ohio) will return for Iowa's game at Michigan.

Kirk Ferentz said Saturday that Jackson's conditioning wasn't where he needed it, but that he would be monitored this week in practice. Even if Jackson isn't playing every snap, the future NFL draft pick's availability for the game is a positive.

Free safety Kaevon Merriweather (foot), also out since Week 1, also returned to the depth chart as a backup to Jack Koerner. Ferentz will meet the media at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday.