Iowa didn’t just survive a tricky road trip to Seattle. The No. 20 Hawkeyes walked into Husky Stadium, played through the rain and the noise, and came out with a 41-24 win over Washington that felt like a statement from start to finish.
For a team coming off its first loss of the season to Ohio State, the response was sharp and immediate. The crowd split between black and gold and purple tried to make itself heard, but Iowa had plenty of its own support in the building and leaned into it. The result was the Hawkeyes’ first West Coast conference win since Big Ten realignment.
The biggest storyline was under center. Jeremy Hecklinski made his first collegiate start after Hank Brown went down with a sprained AC joint against Ohio State. Brown was cleared and took part in warm-ups, but the job belonged to the third-year quarterback, and he handled it with poise.
Hecklinski finished 14-for-19 for 202 yards and three touchdowns, but Iowa’s offense got rolling before his passing game fully took over. Kamari Moulton set the tone early, ripping off a 56-yard run for Iowa’s first touchdown of the day and helping spark a first half that belonged to the Hawkeyes. Moulton also had already given Iowa a boost on the ground, and kicker Caden Buhr added two field goals, including a career-long 51-yarder and a 27-yarder.
Then Hecklinski started stacking plays. He connected with tight end DJ Vonnahme twice in the second quarter for Vonnahme’s first multi-touchdown game.
Later, in the third quarter, he hit Reece Vander Zee alone for an 8-yard score. That touchdown made Hecklinski the first quarterback since Nate Stanley in 2017 to throw three touchdowns in his debut under Kirk Ferentz.
Iowa’s defense did its part early, too. The Hawkeyes sacked Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. four times in the first half. Williams exited in the second quarter with an injury, and Elijah Brown took over for the Huskies.
Brown gave Washington a little more efficiency, even with Iowa already well in control. He finished 28-for-39 for 251 yards and three touchdowns, and Washington trimmed the margin to within two scores late in the third quarter.
Iowa still got solid work from the defense, with Xavier Styles making his debut and piling up nine tackles. Jayden Montgomery added eight, Cam Buffington matched that with eight of his own and two tackles for loss, and Jacob Wallace finished with six.
Moulton put the game away in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown of the day. With the extra point, Iowa reached its highest scoring total in a conference road game since the 51-14 win at Maryland in 2021.
It was also a milestone day for Moulton. He piled up 208 yards on 26 carries, a new career high, and became the first Hawkeye to rush for 200 yards since Kaleb Johnson had 206 at Minnesota in 2024.
Now Iowa heads into its bye week with a quarterback decision looming. After Hecklinski’s performance, Kirk Ferentz and his staff have a real choice to make for the second half of the season.
The schedule doesn’t ease up, either. Iowa plays two of its next three on the road, starting with a trip to Minnesota on Oct. 24 for the battle for Floyd of Rosedale.
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