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Winning a football game by 55 points usually results in a lot of players having standout performances, and that was certainly the case during No. 18 Iowa's55-0 triumph over in-state foe Northern Iowa at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. 

One of our game day traditions on HawkeyeRoundtable.com is to list some of the top stars from every Hawkeye football game in 2026, but we do it in a way that makes the few NHL hockey fans in the state of Iowa very happy. 

Every media member at an NHL game will compile a list of the game's three stars – with one being the best player from the game – so we figured we'd do the same thing for Iowa football. 

Check back to our piece after the Hawkeyes' Week 1 win over Northern Illinois to see how we've done this in the past (we forgot to format it this way after the Iowa State win), or just simply continue reading about the three stars from Saturday's game right here. 

Here we go. 

Third Star: RB Nathan McNeil 

McNeil made a positive impression to his coaching staff from almost the moment he first stepped on to the turf. The second-year from Tampa, Florida caught the eyes of the local media with his raw talent in brief appearances during the 2025 season, but Saturday was where McNeil turned that raw talent into a complete football game. He compiled 111 yards and two touchdowns in this one, but the positives go well beyond the box score. 

Compiling over 100 rushing yards in a football game is a great accomplishment for any back, but if you go back and watch McNeil's tape, he wasn't just gliding through open holes from his offensive line – he was creating space with his athleticism. He did plow through plenty of openings, but it's the shiftiness that allowed him to wiggle into the open field and even make plays through the air (his 33-yard reception was a great example of this). 

Second Star: Entire Defense 

Pitching a shutout is very hard to do no matter who the opponent is, so when it does happen, the defense deserves its flowers. Phil Parker is working with one of the youngest defenses he's ever had, but so far so good. This is already the second shutout his group has posted this year (Northern Illinois was the other), the first time the Hawkeyes have done that twice in a year since 2022. 

Cam Buffington again led Iowa with six tackles, but this game was all about seeing production from the young guys, and that's exactly what happened. Jacob Wallace and Rashad Godfrey both tallied the first interceptions of their careers, and though he was sacked just once, UNI quarterback Jaxon Dailey was under constant pressure throughout the game. 

First Star: RB Braeden Jackson 

You've probably noticed by now that Xavier Williams isn't on this list despite leading Iowa with 151 yards on only six carries, but we had to omit someone to maintain the three stars rules (only one player for each player). Listing a sole unit does count for our purpose, but each running back was too good to include just the whole group. 

Williams was left off the list because he produced a similar game last year against Albany and will likely get more carries this year. We're instead giving the nod to Braeden Jackson, who had himself a ridiculous game. 

The second-year walk-on from Ankeny was all over the field in this one, totaling 125 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing). He presents tremendous speed and athleticism in the open field like McNeil, but what makes his day special is because he did it on his 20th birthday and has only registered two games in his college career. 

Like his father, former NFL running back Fred Jackson, Jackson was barely recruited out of high school and thus chose to walk-on at Iowa. It's a small sample size so far, but it's safe to say the Hawkeyes could have another walk-on success story in the making. 

Keep an eye out for Jackson the rest of the season. Tim Lester always likes to utilize every playmaker he possibly can in his offense. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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