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Iowa Hawkeyes at Washington Huskies

Oct 9, 20268:00 PM CTSeattle, WA
By JR·2 min read
#20 Iowa(4-1)
Washington(3-2)
8:00 PM

TLDR: Iowa's defense has put up 2 shutouts and kept most of its opponents out of the end zone. Washington has dropped 2 straight Big Ten games by a combined 7 points, and Friday night at Husky Stadium is where one of these teams gets its October back on track.

Week 6 · FRI OCT 9, 8:00 PM CT
#20 Iowa
(4-1)
LWWWW
Washington
(3-2)
LLWWW
Kickoff53°

No. 14 Iowa (4-1) heads to Seattle after a 31-14 loss to Ohio State that included a midgame quarterback change, to face a Washington team (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) that has lost its last 2 by a combined 7 points. The game likely turns on Iowa's defense against Demond Williams Jr. and a Washington backfield thinned by injuries to Limar and Carr, plus whoever Iowa starts at quarterback. The board treats it as a coin flip in a low-scoring setting.

Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Defense has allowed 19 or fewer in 4 of 5
  • Won a 1-point road game at Michigan
  • Hecklinski went 5-for-5 when he came in vs Ohio State
  • Brown pulled for struggling against Ohio State
  • Offense held to 14 by Ohio State
  • West Coast trip on a 6-day turnaround
Washington Huskies
  • Williams threw for 373 and 4 TDs vs Eastern Washington
  • Lost to Minnesota and USC by a combined 7
  • Home at Husky Stadium on a Friday night
  • RBs Limar and Carr both out after surgery
  • Safety Christian lost for the season (Achilles)
  • Williams threw 2 INTs in the Minnesota loss

The quarterbacks are the story of this matchup, and Iowa's room is the bigger question. Hank Brown struggled against Ohio State, and the Hawkeyes went to Jeremy Hecklinski, who went 5-for-5 for 67 yards on the drive that ended in Braeden Jackson's 2-yard touchdown run. Whether that was a spark or an audition, Iowa hasn't said who starts in Seattle, so treat Brown as the starter only until Kirk Ferentz's staff says otherwise. Washington knows who it has: Demond Williams Jr., who threw for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns against Eastern Washington but also threw 2 interceptions in the Minnesota loss.

Washington's injury list is concentrated in a few places. Running backs Jonah Limar and Quaron Carr have both been out since early September after surgery, and safety C. Christian is now done for the year with an Achilles injury, reported the day of the USC game. That leaves Williams carrying more of the offense than Jedd Fisch probably wants. Fisch is also calling plays himself after Jimmie Dougherty left in February, and the Huskies have no offensive coordinator. This board is about as even as a board gets, with each side priced near a coin flip.

Iowa's résumé is easy to read. The Hawkeyes beat Northern Illinois 40-0 and Northern Iowa 55-0, got past Iowa State by 3 and won at Michigan 20-19. Against No. 5 Ohio State they got overmatched, and Jeremiah Smith set records in the Buckeyes' 31-14 win at Kinnick. Iowa's defense kept that game close for a half, trailing 17-6 only after a touchdown with 18 seconds left before the break, but the offense couldn't keep pace.

#20 Iowa Hawkeyes
(4-1)
10/03Lvs#5 Ohio State14-31
09/26W@Michigan20-19
09/19WvsNorthern Iowa55-0
09/12WvsIowa State16-13
09/05WvsNorthern Illinois40-0
Washington Huskies
(3-2)
10/03L@#19 USC21-25
09/27LvsMinnesota24-27
09/19WvsEastern Washington48-16
09/12WvsUtah State16-14
09/06WvsWashington State24-10

Washington's season has been a run of narrow results. The Huskies beat Utah State 16-14 on field goals, lost 27-24 at home to Minnesota and then lost 25-21 to No. 18 USC at the Coliseum. They're 0-2 in Big Ten play, and both of those games went to the final stretch. A team that keeps losing by a score is either close to breaking through or keeps finding ways to come up short, and a Friday night home game against a ranked opponent is a good test of which one this is.

The forecast in Seattle calls for 61 degrees with drizzle and light wind. That suits an Iowa team that wants to shorten the game, and it doesn't help a Washington offense that has been leaning on Williams' arm. Iowa also has to travel 2 time zones west on a 6-day turnaround after playing Ohio State. If Iowa's quarterback situation settles this week, the Hawkeyes' defense gives them a good chance. If it doesn't, Husky Stadium on a Friday night is a tough place to figure it out.

Iowa Hawkeyes at Washington Huskies — Iowa Takes Its Defense West for a Friday Night in Seattle | Polymarket Odds · Barstool Bush