Likes, dislikes from Iowa football's blowout win over Northern Illinois

That’s what comes to mind when describing Iowa football’s 40-0 win over Northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 5, to open the 2026 season. The Hawkeyes built a 33-0 halftime lead and cruised in the second half.

With the win, Iowa improved to 1-0.

A lopsided early-season matchup like this should be taken with a grain of salt, but there was a lot to like about Iowa’s performance against the Huskies.

Let’s dive into some key takeaways.

• Offense: First things first, Iowa’s offense looked good. The Hawkeyes scored touchdowns on each of their first three offensive drives of the game, all of which were steered by Hank Brown at quarterback. Iowa finished with 507 yards of total offense.

• QB play: Iowa’s highly discussed quarterback competition wasn’t settled by kickoff, meaning it continued into game action. Brown, who got the start, looked like the better of the two, but it wasn’t by a wide margin. He went 12-for-20 for 129 yards and one touchdown, while Jeremy Hecklinski finished 7-for-16 for 76 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hecklinski’s lone turnover came on a fourth-down pass that was picked in the end zone. Though it wasn’t perfect, the good news is Iowa’s passing game was more than competent. Both quarterbacks had encouraging moments. It’s not difficult to see why this race has been so close. Plus, both looked mobile, which was one of Mark Gronowski’s strengths. Brown and Hecklinski don’t run exactly like Gronowski, but they showed the ability to use their legs against NIU.

• Kamari Moulton: The running back was one of the stars of the game and a beneficiary of Iowa’s mauling offensive line. Moulton set a new career-high in rushing yards before the end of the first quarter, including touchdown runs of 50 and 37 yards. He finished the game with 11 rushes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

• Tony Diaz: The receiver generated plenty of excitement leading up to the 2026 season after transferring from UTRGV. Diaz made his presence felt early in the game. On Iowa’s opening drive, he caught three passes for 32 yards and scored the Hawkeyes’ first touchdown of the season. Diaz finished the day with seven receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. He also drew multiple penalties on the defense in coverage. It’s too early to draw big conclusions, but Diaz looked like he could be the dynamic receiver Iowa has sorely lacked.

• Iowa’s offensive line: The Hawkeyes offense line dominated in the trenches. With three players making their first career starts — Jack Dotzler, Cael Winter and Leighton Jones — the Hawkeyes’ offensive line picked up right where last season’s Joe Moore Award-winning unit left off. Granted, this was against an overmatched NIU team, but Iowa’s offensive line looked impressive, paving the way for 289 rushing yards while holding NIU to zero sacks. Michael Myslinski and Lucas Allgeyer were among those to get reps in reserve roles.

• Defense: The Hawkeyes were smothering on the defensive side of the ball. NIU finished the game with just 120 total yards and didn’t gain a first down until 4:10 remaining in the third quarter (which came via a penalty). Defensive back Deshaun Lee forced the first turnover of the season, intercepting a pass and returning it into NIU territory. Overall, it was a stellar performance by Iowa’s defense.

• Defensive line: Iowa’s defensive line was the biggest question mark on that side of the ball entering the season. It’s a small sample size, but that unit performed well against NIU. The Hawkeyes only allowed seven rushing yards. Four of Iowa’s six sacks came from defensive linemen. On top of that, Holy Cross transfer Brice Stevenson forced a fumble, which Iowa recovered.

• Evan James: Kaden Wetjen is gone, but Iowa still has electricity on special teams. In the third quarter, Furman transfer Evan James took a punt to the house for a 77-yard touchdown. Reece Vander Zee started the game returning punts, but James took over in the second half and delivered a big play. James and Diaz, Iowa’s marquee transfer portal adds at receiver this offseason, both made plays against NIU.

• Jimmy Sullivan: The second-year quarterback made his Iowa debut. Other than a 15-yard run, Sullivan didn’t do anything particularly notable, but it was good to get him some game action for the first time. This type of game was a prime opportunity to get some other younger guys playing time, as well, such as linebacker Julian Manson.

Offense: First things first, Iowa’s offense looked good. The Hawkeyes scored touchdowns on each of their first three offensive drives of the game, all of which were steered by Hank Brown at quarterback. Iowa finished with 507 yards of total offense.

QB play: Iowa’s highly discussed quarterback competition wasn’t settled by kickoff, meaning it continued into game action. Brown, who got the start, looked like the better of the two, but it wasn’t by a wide margin. He went 12-for-20 for 129 yards and one touchdown, while Jeremy Hecklinski finished 7-for-16 for 76 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hecklinski’s lone turnover came on a fourth-down pass that was picked in the end zone. Though it wasn’t perfect, the good news is Iowa’s passing game was more than competent. Both quarterbacks had encouraging moments. It’s not difficult to see why this race has been so close. Plus, both looked mobile, which was one of Mark Gronowski’s strengths. Brown and Hecklinski don’t run exactly like Gronowski, but they showed the ability to use their legs against NIU.

Kamari Moulton: The running back was one of the stars of the game and a beneficiary of Iowa’s mauling offensive line. Moulton set a new career-high in rushing yards before the end of the first quarter, including touchdown runs of 50 and 37 yards. He finished the game with 11 rushes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

Tony Diaz: The receiver generated plenty of excitement leading up to the 2026 season after transferring from UTRGV. Diaz made his presence felt early in the game. On Iowa’s opening drive, he caught three passes for 32 yards and scored the Hawkeyes’ first touchdown of the season. Diaz finished the day with seven receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. He also drew multiple penalties on the defense in coverage. It’s too early to draw big conclusions, but Diaz looked like he could be the dynamic receiver Iowa has sorely lacked.

Iowa’s offensive line: The Hawkeyes offense line dominated in the trenches. With three players making their first career starts — Jack Dotzler, Cael Winter and Leighton Jones — the Hawkeyes’ offensive line picked up right where last season’s Joe Moore Award-winning unit left off. Granted, this was against an overmatched NIU team, but Iowa’s offensive line looked impressive, paving the way for 289 rushing yards while holding NIU to zero sacks. Michael Myslinski and Lucas Allgeyer were among those to get reps in reserve roles.

Defense: The Hawkeyes were smothering on the defensive side of the ball. NIU finished the game with just 120 total yards and didn’t gain a first down until 4:10 remaining in the third quarter (which came via a penalty). Defensive back Deshaun Lee forced the first turnover of the season, intercepting a pass and returning it into NIU territory. Overall, it was a stellar performance by Iowa’s defense.

Defensive line: Iowa’s defensive line was the biggest question mark on that side of the ball entering the season. It’s a small sample size, but that unit performed well against NIU. The Hawkeyes only allowed seven rushing yards. Four of Iowa’s six sacks came from defensive linemen. On top of that, Holy Cross transfer Brice Stevenson forced a fumble, which Iowa recovered.

Evan James: Kaden Wetjen is gone, but Iowa still has electricity on special teams. In the third quarter, Furman transfer Evan James took a punt to the house for a 77-yard touchdown. Reece Vander Zee started the game returning punts, but James took over in the second half and delivered a big play. James and Diaz, Iowa’s marquee transfer portal adds at receiver this offseason, both made plays against NIU.

Jimmy Sullivan: The second-year quarterback made his Iowa debut. Other than a 15-yard run, Sullivan didn’t do anything particularly notable, but it was good to get him some game action for the first time. This type of game was a prime opportunity to get some other younger guys playing time, as well, such as linebacker Julian Manson.

• Kicking: It was not a disastrous day for Caden Buhr, especially considering it was the first start of his Iowa career. He showed some promising things, but there is also room for improvement. It’s no secret there’s some uncertainty about Iowa’s kicking game following the departure of Drew Stevens, the all-time program leader in field goals made. That became obvious on the very first extra point of the season when Buhr missed the short kick. But credit to Buhr for bouncing back. After the early hiccup, he only missed one kick the remainder of the game — a 53-yarder. Buhr knocked through field goals of 45 and 34 yards. Saturday marked Buhr’s first-ever extra points and field goals at the college level. Iowa can get away with a missed extra point in a blowout like this, but that could be consequential in tighter contests.

• LJ Phillips Jr.: The South Dakota transfer left the game late in the first quarter with an injury and did not return. After rushing for nearly 2,000 yards last season, Phillips was a transfer to rise the depth chart ahead of the 2026 campaign. Hopefully, Phillips’ injury isn’t long-term, considering he could be another weapon for Iowa’s offense.

Kicking: It was not a disastrous day for Caden Buhr, especially considering it was the first start of his Iowa career. He showed some promising things, but there is also room for improvement. It’s no secret there’s some uncertainty about Iowa’s kicking game following the departure of Drew Stevens, the all-time program leader in field goals made. That became obvious on the very first extra point of the season when Buhr missed the short kick. But credit to Buhr for bouncing back. After the early hiccup, he only missed one kick the remainder of the game — a 53-yarder. Buhr knocked through field goals of 45 and 34 yards. Saturday marked Buhr’s first-ever extra points and field goals at the college level. Iowa can get away with a missed extra point in a blowout like this, but that could be consequential in tighter contests.

LJ Phillips Jr.: The South Dakota transfer left the game late in the first quarter with an injury and did not return. After rushing for nearly 2,000 yards last season, Phillips was a transfer to rise the depth chart ahead of the 2026 campaign. Hopefully, Phillips’ injury isn’t long-term, considering he could be another weapon for Iowa’s offense.

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at TTachman@usatodayco.com