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Iowa's West Coast demons under Kirk Ferentz can now be extinguished, folks. 

The No. 20 Hawkeyes entered Friday's game at Washington without a victory west of Nebraska in almost 40 years, but that drought is over now. 

Iowa simply went in to Husky Stadium and trounced the Huskies in a 41-24 rout that would've been worse had Washington not scored a touchdown on the final play of the game. 

The Hawkeyes now head into their bye week at 5-1. A performance like this usually means there were a lot of key contributors that stepped up, and that was certainly the case for Iowa. We could write a whole novel listing the most notable players, but as is the custom here on HawkeyeRoundtable, we're narrowing the list down to three. 

And it's not just any three-player list, either. Football and hockey are probably the two most physical sports in the United States, so we're bringing the two together by "voting" on our three stars of the game – a long-standing NHL media tradition. 

Here we go. 

Third Star: LB Preston Ries 

While there were some concerns in the secondary (more on that later), Iowa's front seven was fantastic in this game. Defensive coordinator Phil Parker isn't known for blitzing very often, but he must've seen something on Washington's film that made him send more heat on Friday. 

Husky quarterback Demond Williams is known for making plays with his legs, but that didn't happen on this night because of the pressure. One of the men usually barreling toward the quarterback was linebacker Preston Ries. You've maybe heard of the third-year for occasionally making plays on special teams, but you'll know his name after tonight. 

Ries finished with four tackles and a career-high two sacks. The first one came on the opening drive when Parker and Co. executed a late substitution on a third down to confuse UW, but it wasn't just the sacks that stood out. The Monticello, Iowa native continued to make plays on special teams and even saved a potential disastrous turnover by jumping on an Evan James' muffed punt in the first half. 

Will this be the game that allows Ries to play a bigger role in this defense? It sure feels like it. 

Second Star: QB Jeremy Hecklinski 

Even after Jeremy Hecklinski lost the starting job to Hank Brown a few weeks ago, Ferentz has consistently praised the quarterback for his work in practice and said he wouldn't have any problems handing the keys of the offense to Hecklinski if Iowa needed it. 

That moment came on Friday. 

With Brown unable to start due to an AC joint sprain that he suffered against Ohio State, Hecklinski earned his opportunity to start and made the most of it, completing 14 of 19 passing attempts for 202 yards and three touchdowns – the most in a game by any Hawkeye quarterback this year – in his first-ever collegiate start. 

Offensive coordinator Tim Lester used Hecklinski's skills to perfection, as the play-action pass was unstoppable. The anticipation and quick release that so many fans saw at the Kids Day scrimmage was all on display, and you have to wonder if the Hawkeyes could be considering rolling with Hecklinski again when they take on Minnesota in two weeks. 

First Star: Kamari Moulton 

No one deserves the first star more than Moulton. If the three stars voting process existed in college football media, Moulton would've earned a consensus vote in the press box. It was probably a safe bet to predict Iowa's struggling rushing attack to show some improvement on Friday, but it ended up being just as potent as the Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa games. 

And all of it was because of Moulton. The fourth-year back was sensational in this one, tallying a career-high 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns (the fourth time he's had a two-touchdown game in his carerr) on 26 carries of work. Moulton became the first Hawkeye to total over 200 yards in a game since Kaleb Johnson had 206 at Minnesota in 2024, and his 56-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter was easily his best run in the black and gold. 

Having a strong offensive line plowing open holes certainly helped Moulton earn a career night, but he was bulldozing through plenty of Washington defenders, too. It's so easy to see why the coaching staff has so much confidence in Moulton, and his performance is a very good sign for the Hawkeyes moving forward. 

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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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