Iowa’s 40-0 shutout of Northern Illinois on Sept. 5 gave Kirk Ferentz something he doesn’t usually get in a lopsided opener: a clean finish with the backups on the field.
The Hawkeyes’ defense never blinked, even after the reserves checked in. Northern Illinois was held without a first down until the third quarter, and Iowa still closed the game without surrendering a point. Ferentz made it clear that part mattered.
“I’ve teased Phil (Parker) and our defensive staff because I think we’ve set world records on giving up the quickest touchdown ever when our (second-stringers) go in there,” Ferentz said. “You guys who have followed the team know what I’m talking about.”
He pointed back to Iowa’s 2023 opener, when Utah State went 70 yards in three plays against a mostly reserve defense and turned a 24-14 final into something much tighter than the game really was.
But this time, the Hawkeyes avoided that late wobble.
“I might be more pleased about that,” Ferentz said. “I’m curious to see the tape, how that happened, because it never happens.
But, yeah, it was good. It’s a real credit to (them).
Good to see some young guys that haven’t played having fun out there. They were playing hard, too.”
That was the bigger takeaway from a game like this: Iowa had a chance to learn something about the players deeper on the roster, and several of them answered it.
Julian Manson was one of the loudest early statements. In his Iowa debut, the linebacker tied for second on the team with four tackles and added a sack.
The Iowa City West product, ranked as the top player in the state of Iowa’s 2026 high school class by the 247Sports Composite, looked every bit the prospect people around the program have been buzzing about. Manson is the son of former Hawkeye Jason Manson, and during Big Ten Network’s visit to fall camp, Dave Revsine said former longtime assistant Reese Morgan believes Manson is a future star.
Joseph Anderson also used the night to make a real case for more snaps. The third-year defensive lineman had never done much on the stat sheet before this season, entering 2026 with only one tackle in his Iowa career.
Against Northern Illinois, he finished with a team-high 1.5 sacks and repeatedly got into the backfield, including a violent hit near the end of the third quarter. Anderson has been working to add weight to his 6-foot-6 frame, and the performance showed the clearest sign yet of what he might become in an Iowa uniform.
“He’s got a great head on his shoulders," fellow defensive lineman Bryce Hawthorne said of Anderson. "Always has a great attitude.
Always comes to practice ready to work. Has just that extra tick that you don’t see from a lot of people.
I’m glad he did what he did today because it’s just showing everybody what he can do.”
Ty Hudkins made his first Iowa appearance count, too. The defensive back transferred from Purdue in 2025 and didn’t play at all last season, but he showed up against NIU with three tackles and a fumble recovery. Hudkins is part of the backup safety mix with Marcello Vitti and Xavier Styles, a group whose importance would rise if Zach Lutmer or Anthony Hawkins had to miss time, or once Tyler Brown returns from injury.
Jimmy Sullivan’s day was quieter, but it still mattered. The second-year quarterback got his first game reps in an Iowa uniform and finished 2-for-4 for 13 yards while also running once for 15 yards. The numbers were modest, but the fact that Iowa trusted him to run the offense in a blowout says plenty about how far he’s come from year one to year two.
“It's exciting," fellow QB Jeremy Hecklinski said of Sullivan. "We were all super hyped up for him.
When he came to the sidelines after he completed the ball to (Jarriett) Buie, we were all excited for him. We gave him some crap for getting down (on his rush) instead of running someone over.
Other than that, it was awesome to see him in there.”
There were other under-the-radar names worth noting on the defensive front, too. Devan Kennedy and Drew Campbell both drew praise from Ferentz at Big Ten Media Days as third-year linemen ready to take a step, and both flashed against Northern Illinois. Kennedy delivered a powerful hit on quarterback Taron Dickens in the third quarter, while Campbell, the younger brother of former Hawkeye Jack Campbell, was active and finished with half a sack.
Brice Stevenson, a transfer from Holy Cross and part of Iowa’s most recent portal class, also made a clean impact by punching the ball loose for a third-quarter fumble. It was exactly the kind of play a depth lineman can make to change his standing.
Braeden Jackson had a bigger play wiped out by a penalty, but the son of former NFL running back Fred Jackson still showed why Iowa likes him. The Ankeny Centennial product, a walk-on, had what would have been a 42-yard touchdown run taken away, though the burst was there for everyone to see.
And on special teams, Darion Jones flashed immediately. The first-year defensive player, like Manson and Vitti, got his moment in kickoff coverage in the first quarter and came flying in for the tackle.
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