Iowa took care of Washington with a run game that never slowed and a defense that lived in the backfield, and the Hawkeyes now stand at 5-1 going into a bye week. A Yahoo Sports recap of the game described the win as a laugher against a team that had been favored, and said Iowa's only loss so far came against an elite Ohio State team.
The same column pointed out that Iowa put up 41 points on offense, something the writer said they could not recall the Hawkeyes doing against a quality opponent in recent memory.
Moulton and the offensive line set the tone
Kamari Moulton finished with 208 rushing yards at roughly eight yards a carry, according to Yahoo Sports. The offensive line created strong push, but the recap gave most of the credit to Moulton, who punished tacklers and fought for extra yardage.
His signature moment came late in the first quarter, a 56-yard touchdown in which he broke four attempted tackles. The writer called it the play of the game. It made the score 13-0, after Iowa had settled for two field goals on earlier drives, including a 51-yarder from Cade Buhr on the opening possession.
Hecklinski keeps the quarterback conversation alive
Jeremy Hecklinski completed 14 of 19 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. The column noted that Washington's defense struggled badly and that several of his scoring and big-gain throws went to wide-open targets.
The writer said they did not know whether Hecklinski had earned the starting job, but framed Iowa as lucky to have two quarterbacks who can run the offense competently.
Linebacker pressure overwhelms Washington
Iowa recorded six sacks, and the recap said it felt like there could have been twice that many. Phil Parker called a linebacker blitz on Washington's first possession, which ended in a three-and-out when Cam Buffington sacked the quarterback on third down. The column said that pressure became a theme, with more linebacker rushes than Iowa typically sends.
Buffington, Bryce Hawthorne and Xavier Styles were named the game's top defensive performers, in that order, with Jayden Montgomery getting an honorable mention. Hawthorne was singled out for constant disruption at defensive tackle, and Styles led the team with nine tackles, eight of them solo. Iowa held Washington to negative rushing yards, per the recap, and gave up passing yardage mostly while playing prevent defense in the second half.
Why it matters
The column argued that Iowa controls its playoff destiny at the season's midpoint. It also noted that preseason expectations were for a 2-1 start in the first three Big Ten games, a mark that would have been considered a strong result. Iowa's offense, long a question mark, has now produced a convincing performance against a quality opponent, and the defense and special teams have remained steady. The bye week gives the Hawkeyes a chance to rest before the second half of the schedule.
Reporting sources: sports.yahoo.com, “The Morning After: Savor This”.