Iowa football has its QB: Takeaways vs. NIU

Iowa started its 2026 campaign in style on Saturday afternoon.

In front of a sold-out Kinnick Stadium, the Hawkeyes completely dominated Northern Illinois on their way to a 40-0 victory. Kirk Ferentz's team took care of business in all three phases of the game to help Iowa open the season with a win. Despite the caliber of the opponent, there was still a lot to like and learn from this game.

The Hawkeyes may have found a winner in the highly contested starting quarterback battle. Phil Parker's defense showed out. And Iowa's return game seems to be in a really good spot. Here's the complete list of takeaways from Iowa's stomping of the Huskies on Saturday.

Both quarterbacks showed promise (and room for growth)

All eyes were on the Iowa quarterbacks on Saturday. And both guys showed off some good stuff. Hank Brown went 12-of-20 for 129 yards and a touchdown. He didn't play a snap in the second half. The 6-foot-4 signal caller had zip on his passes and made great reads. He has a great arm, which led to a few overthrows and missed opportunities. Outside of those, this was an excellent season debut for Brown.

Jeremy Hecklinski finished the game going 7-of-16 for 76 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He displayed a good rapport with the tight ends and Reece Vander Zee. Like Brown, he missed a few golden opportunities. He also threw a pick in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal. It was far from perfect, but Hecklinski still showed some promise.

Hank Brown should start next week

Even though Hecklinski did some good things on Saturday, it should be Brown who gets the start and the majority of the snaps against Iowa State. The Auburn transfer looked cool, calm, and collected in the pocket. The offense seemed to flow more smoothly when he was in the game. In a rivalry game, it's not a great idea to be mixing in different quarterbacks every series. Brown earned the right to be the full-time starter next week and going forward.

Tony Diaz is special

If Saturday was any indication of things to come, Tony Diaz will be the best wide receiver to come through this program in the last decade. The third-year was excellent against the Huskies, hauling in seven receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. He was open all afternoon and could've easily had an additional 100 yards and two scores if he was given some more accurate passes. Diaz looked different than any other receiver Iowa's had recently. This was an impressive debut.

The run game should be dominant

The Hawkeyes ran all over Northern Illinois in this game, finishing the afternoon with 289 total rushing yards on 7.6 yards a carry. Kamari Moulton had 11 carries for 182 yards and two touchdowns, doing most of his damage in the first quarter. Outside of Moulton, there weren't any real standouts in the backfield, but everyone did their job. The ground attack and Moulton should be dominant this season.

Injuries are concerning

The Hawkeyes saw three major contributors depart Saturday's game early with an injury. Running back L.J. Phillips Jr. hobbled off the field in the first quarter after an awkward tackle. He didn't return. Offensive linemen Cael Winter and Kade Pieper also left the game with injuries and didn't return. While the score of the game could've influenced those decisions, it's still something to be concerned about. Iowa relies on its running game too much for all three guys to miss any time.

Defense looks exciting

Iowa's defense was nothing short of utterly dominant in this game. They held the Huskies to 120 yards of total offense, most of which came in fourth-quarter garbage time. They forced two turnovers, got home for six sacks, and held NIU to a paltry 3-15 on third down. There was some concern the defense might take a step back after losing so much talent from last year. Those concerns should be put on the back burner after their performance on Saturday.

Iowa has found its next great return specialist

After experimenting with Reece Vander Zee as the punt returner, Iowa made a change. And may have found gold in the process. The Hawkeyes put transfer receiver Evan James back to return punts. He rewarded their faith by piling up 108 yards on just three return attempts. The majority of those yards came on an electric 77-yard punt return touchdown in the third quarter. James channeled his inner Kaden Wetjen to elude defenders and take it to the house. He looks primed to be a playmaker on special teams this season.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football has its QB: Takeaways vs. NIU