Coming off a tough home loss to Ohio State last weekend, Iowa needed to bounce back on the West Coast. In a shocking result, the Hawkeyes raced out to a 27-0 lead and ended up beating Washington 41-24.
Iowa's offense was dialed in from the jump, scoring on five of its seven first-half drives. The defense held things down early before letting up a few scores in the second half. The Hawkeyes had a response to each Huskie touchdown, which let them leave with a massive win.
From a resurgent run game to some defensive concerns, fans learned a lot about the Hawkeyes heading into the bye week. Here are the biggest takeaways from Iowa's big road win over Washington.
Run game finally arrives
Kamari Moulton! What a run! 56 yards ‼️ pic.twitter.com/czejkbGIY1
— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 10, 2026
Heading into this game,
one of the biggest storylines was Iowa's inability to run the ball against power conference opponents. They flipped the script in a major way on Friday night. The Hawkeyes finished the night with 263 rushing yards, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Fourth-year running back Kamari Moulton turned in an amazing performance, rushing for a career-high 208 yards.
This was the kind of performance Iowa had been looking for from its ground attack. The offensive line was moving bodies all game long, and Iowa got whatever it wanted on the ground. This was one of the most impressive run games that a Kirk Ferentz team has ever had.
The quarterback battle is open again
Two-touchdown night for DJ Vonnahme ‼️ pic.twitter.com/btv0pxt9Dl
— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 10, 2026
Two weeks ago, Hank Brown led a 93-yard touchdown drive to beat Michigan at the Big House. It seemed like he had the starting quarterback job locked down. It took just 14 days for that battle to reignite. Brown struggled against Ohio State and picked up a shoulder injury late in the game. He couldn't go on a short week, so Iowa turned to Jeremy Hecklinski. And he delivered big time.
Hecklinski went 14-of-19 for 202 yards and three touchdown passes. He looked calm and collected in the pocket, distributing the ball to open receivers and playing within the system. With the run game dominating, he wasn't asked to win the game all by himself. But he turned in a great performance. Iowa once again has a quarterback battle ahead with the bye week coming up.
The secondary is a little concerning
Iowa's secondary got torched by Michigan and Ohio State entering this game. They played well in the first half, but things quickly changed after halftime. Washington's starting quarterback Demond Williams was injured right before halftime, forcing the Huskies to go to backup Elijah Brown. Despite only attempting three passes all season, Brown lit up Iowa's defense.
He finished the game going 28-of-39 for 251 yards and three touchdowns. Brown made things look easy, dicing up Iowa's secondary with chunk play after chunk play. It's the third week in a row that Phil Parker's unit has looked shaky in the pass game. That needs to be a major focus over the bye week.
Linebackers showed up
This was a stellar game for Iowa's linebackers. Cam Buffington finished with eight total tackles and two sacks. Jayden Montgomery also had eight total tackles and a sack. Even Preston Ries got in on the fun, with four total tackles and three sacks. Parker dialed up the linebacker blitzes at the perfect time, especially in the first half.
The duo of Buffington and Montgomery have played well this season, with this game being a highlight for both of them. The Hawkeyes will need their linebackers to continue this high level of play as the season progresses.
College Football Playoff hopes are alive
MONSTER night for Kamari ‼️ pic.twitter.com/oD7rXE0w6n
— Hawkeyes Wire (@HawkeyesWire) October 10, 2026
There's still a lot of season left, but Iowa is in a fantastic spot at the halfway point. They're 5-1, with impressive road wins over Michigan and Washington. They still have opportunities for marquee wins in the back half of the schedule, with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Nebraska all playing well so far.
Iowa has some questions to answer before these dreams can become a reality. But all everyone talked about entering the season was Iowa's three-game stretch to begin conference play. They went 2-1 in those games. The Hawkeyes have everything in front of them this season.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Takeaways from Iowa football's dominant road win over Washington
