Since Washington's first conference matchup with Iowa two years ago, Jedd Fisch has made a concerted effort to turn his team into a true, traditional Big Ten program.
In the Huskies' 40-16 loss in Iowa City in 2024, the Hawkeyes rushed for 220 yards and two touchdowns on then-defensive coordinator Steve Belichick's unit, the first time the program had given up 200-plus on the ground in Fisch's inaugural season.
Offensively, UW struggled to hold up in the second half with just one touchdown in five possessions after entering the break down 20-10. The offensive line got pushed around, allowing three sacks in the second half on then-starting quarterback Will Rogers, who also threw an interception at the Iowa 23-yard line on the Huskies' first third-quarter
possession.
"It's just a game that you're going to have to grind it out," Fisch said during his weekly Monday press conference ahead of Friday's 6:00 p.m. matchup with the Hawkeyes.
Over the past 18 games since Ryan Walters has taken over as UW's defensive coordinator, his unit hasn't allowed a 200-yard rushing game, something coach Kirk Ferentz and Iowa's offense have already done twice this season against Northern Illinois (289 yards) and Northern Iowa (422 yards).
Washington opens as a 2.5-point favorite against Iowa (via FanDuel)
— Lars Hanson (@LarsHanson) October 4, 2026
However, against Michigan and Ohio State to open conference play, the Hawkeyes' offense has managed just 97 yards on the ground with a touchdown. UW, which gave up seven 100-yard rushing games in 2025, has given up at least 100 yards rushing in four of the first five games this season, with Utah State being the lone exception.
Despite allowing just three rushing touchdowns this season, Fisch knows controlling the line of scrimmage and field position are the essential two elements when facing a Ferentz-coached team.
"I’m very curious to see what does a game look for us against Iowa," he said. "I feel like playing Minnesota has a lot of similarities to playing Iowa. I think we saw that again last week with the Minnesota-Michigan game. Now, ours in our first year was not. We couldn’t stop their run game at all. So we’re looking forward to seeing where we are at this point."
UW has recent experience in closely contested games, having lost 27-24 to the Golden Gophers at home two weeks ago and 25-21 this past Saturday to USC on the road, something that should prepare the team for a four-quarter fight Friday night at Husky Stadium.
With a 3-2 overall record but no conference victories, and the Hawkeyes already with a significant Big Ten win under their belt two weeks ago against the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, it won't be an easy task for Fisch and Co. to notch a third win on Friday night since he's been at UW.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Jedd Fisch Wants to See How Washington Has Grown Since 2024 Iowa Loss
