Friday night under the lights gives Iowa exactly the kind of stage it needs right now, because the Hawkeyes can’t afford another slip against Washington if they want to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
This is the sort of game that can swing a season one way or the other. A loss can snowball.
A response can steady everything. With a bye week waiting after this one, Iowa should have no trouble getting its biggest names locked in.
The biggest question is who takes the snaps. Hank Brown is dealing with a sprained AC joint and said it’s still unclear whether he’ll be ready. If he can’t go, Jeremy Hecklinski steps in.
Either way, Tony Diaz has to be a focal point. He gets separation, he can shake loose after the catch, and he has strong hands.
With Brown limited or Hecklinski taking over, Diaz is the first read in Iowa’s passing game. This is his chance to help carry the offense with tough grabs and yards after the catch.
L.J. Phillips Jr. is another player Iowa needs to show up in a big way. A high-ankle sprain kept him out for a stretch, but he looks ready to give the run game the spark it has been missing.
Against Ohio State, Phillips carried the ball four times for 16 yards, and that small sample suggested he was starting to find some rhythm with an offensive line he praised this week.
"Those guys are blocking their tails off, and as a running back, you have got to run hard and create your own holes sometimes. "They're doing everything they can.
They're up against really good players. The hardest position is being an offensive lineman, so we have to make their job easy.
Shame on me if I can't get them extra yards because I'm running soft," Phillips said.
"Shame on me if I can't get them extra yards because I'm running soft."
Iowa’s ground game managed just 45 yards against Ohio State, and Phillips said he’s taking responsibility for making more out of what the line gives him.
Then there’s Cam Buffington, whose role feels a little like the Iowa State game. Washington may not run the ball as effectively as Iowa State did, or at least Iowa hopes not, but Demond Williams Jr. is going to create plays. Buffington’s lateral quickness will be tested throughout the night.
Washington has speed at receiver, and Williams can add another layer with his legs. For Iowa, the key is cutting down the explosive stuff - quarterback runs, quick throws that turn into long gains, and catch-and-run plays underneath. If the Hawkeyes are going to control this one, Buffington has to be part of the answer.
In Other News...
Pat McAfee Just Gave Hawkeye Fans A Reason To Smile
A day after one of the more visible voices in college football put the spotlight on Iowa City, Hawkeye fans had something else to feel good about. During a live show on October 5, Pat McAfee said he would be donating $1 million to the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Childrens Hospital, a sizable increase from his original pledge and another reminder of how the programs charity connection reaches well beyond the scoreboard.
The gesture also drew support from an unexpected corner, with Ohio State coach Ryan Day writing a letter to the children at the hospital ahead of the Iowa-Ohio State game. Kirk Ferentz later publicly thanked McAfee for the donation at a press conference, a nod to how much the hospital means to the Iowa community and how even a football weekend can become part of a much bigger story. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Heads Into Dangerous Friday Test With One Big Concern
Iowa is trying to regroup quickly after a significant loss to Ohio State, and the timing does the Hawkeyes no favors. A Friday night trip to the West Coast to face Washington leaves little room to reset, especially with the emotional and physical wear of a heavyweight Big Ten matchup still fresh.
Hank Browns status adds another layer of uncertainty after he reportedly sustained an AC joint sprain, with Jeremy Hecklinski a possible next man up. Even so, Iowa has a track record of answering back after losses to top-five teams, and the Hawkeyes have generally handled Friday games well, which at least gives them a familiar kind of confidence entering a tricky test. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Washington Trip Suddenly Hinges On One Huge Offensive Question
Iowa heads to Washington this week still trying to steady itself after the loss to Ohio State, and the trip already feels like a referendum on how much the offense can absorb before it breaks. The matchup comes with the usual Big Ten backdrop of injury updates, weather watch and a little series history, but the most important storyline remains simple for the Hawkeyes: how they handle the quarterback situation will shape everything else around the game plan.
Washington presents a different kind of test, one where availability could matter just as much as scheme. With both teams sorting through injury concerns and the elements expected to be part of the conversation, Iowa needs clarity on the most important spot on the field before kickoff if it wants this game to be about more than surviving the trip. [Read more 🡒]