Three keys to a Washington football win over No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes
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Jedd Fisch and the Washington Huskies are hoping to stop their losing streak at two games, and will have to do so on a short week against coach Kirk Ferentz and the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes.
Here are three things they need to do to come away with a win at Husky Stadium.
Start fast
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Washington has gotten off to a notoriously slow start in the Fisch era. Although the Huskies scored a touchdown in the first quarter in their loss to the Trojans, they had another slow start, with four three-and-outs sandwiching a 13-yard scoring drive. Against an Iowa offense that's averaging 2.57 yards per carry against Power Four teams, allowing it as few opportunities to get in rhythm as possible, especially with backup quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski expected to start, is vital.
Fix third-down issues
Washington's offense has been the worst in the Big Ten by a wide margin when it comes to converting on third down this season at just 29 percent. That number is significantly worse in conference play, where the Huskies have moved the sticks on just 2-of-22 attempts between their losses to Minnesota and USC, and against an Iowa defense that's tied for No. 9 in the Big Ten, allowing a conversion on 32.39 percent of third downs; moving the sticks and controlling the time of possession is something Fisch's offense has failed at so far this season.
Stay aggressive on defense
Iowa starting quarterback Hank Brown (shoulder) is expected to be a game-time decision Friday against Washington, sources tell me and @DavidEickholt.
Seems more likely than not that backup Jeremy Hecklinski ends up getting the start but a final call isn’t expected until Friday. pic.twitter.com/e9hLNOU0Zy
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 7, 2026
With Hecklinski likely to get the nod and the Hawkeyes' struggles in the run game, combined with Washington's strong defensive line, which is allowing 111.4 yards per game on the ground this season, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters could choose to vary looks and send several different blitzes after the backup quarterback. Iowa has some talented pass catchers in wide receivers Tony Diaz and Reece Vander Zee, along with tight end DJ Vonnahme, but Walters has shown a lot of trust in his secondary, especially now that cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and nickelback Rahshawn Clark have recovered from injuries that limited them against Minnesota.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Three keys to a Washington football win over No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes
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