‘I Had a Chip on My Shoulder,’ ‘Seeing Things at a Different Level’ — Kamari Moulton Runs for 208 Yards as Iowa Beats Washington in Seattle

Kamari Moulton ran for a career-high 208 yards and Jeremy Hecklinski threw three touchdown passes in his first career start as No. 20 Iowa beat Washington 41-24 on a rainy Friday night in Seattle.

Hecklinski, a third-year player who transferred from Wake Forest, finished 14 of 19 for 202 yards without an interception. He started in place of quarterback Hank Brown, who sprained the AC joint in his throwing shoulder in last Saturday’s 31-14 loss to Ohio State.

The Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) led 27-3 at halftime, outgained the Huskies 465-317 and held them to minus-3 rushing yards.

Kamari Moulton and the Iowa Defense Shine Against Washington

Moulton got going early, with 97 yards on eight carries in the first quarter. His 56-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds left in the quarter made it 13-0, and he added a 3-yard score early in the fourth.

The big night came a week after Ohio State held Moulton to 27 yards on 11 carries, and two weeks after Iowa ran for 58 yards in a win at Michigan. “I definitely felt like I had a chip on my shoulder this game,” Moulton said.

He said he had something to prove and knew that he, the team and the offensive line are very capable. On Pro Football Network’s board, Moulton’s PFN Impact grade of 79.9 through Week 5 ranks tied for 85th of 369 graded and qualified FBS running backs.

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Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Moulton, a fourth-year back, has improved the way players who do things right tend to each year. “I think he’s running as decisively and strong and just seeing things at a different level than he has.”

Jon Wilner put Iowa’s combined score against Washington in 2024 and 2026 at “Hawkeyes 81, Huskies 40” in a post on X, setting Moulton’s line beside Kaleb Johnson’s 21 carries for 166 yards and two touchdowns in the 2024 meeting.

Johnson was also the last Hawkeye to top 200 rushing yards before Moulton, with 206 against Minnesota in 2024.

On defense, linebackers Cam Buffington and Preston Ries had two sacks apiece as Iowa piled up six, and the minus-3 rushing yards were the second fewest allowed under Ferentz.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. left with an injury late in the first half, and backup Elijah Brown threw three second-half touchdown passes as the Huskies fell to 3-3.

Jeremy Hecklinski Throws Three Touchdowns in Starting Debut

Hecklinski opened 2 for 7, then completed his last 12 passes. He found tight end DJ Vonnahme for touchdowns of 20 and 24 yards in the second quarter and hit Reece Vander Zee from 8 yards out in the third.

He became the fourth Iowa quarterback of the Ferentz era with at least three touchdown passes in his starting debut, joining Jon Beutjer, Ricky Stanzi and Nate Stanley. Hecklinski said offensive coordinator Tim Lester always says shooters shoot, and that he went out planning to shoot his shot every time he could.

After the game, Keith Murphy, an Iowa Sports Radio Host, wrote in a post on X that “Jeremy Hecklinski played like a QB1.”

Hank Brown started Iowa’s first five games and was named the starter after three of them. He threw a final-play touchdown pass to Vander Zee to win 20-19 at Michigan and has thrown for 832 yards with five touchdowns and one interception this season.

Brown’s PFN Impact grade of 73.5 through Week 5 ranks 92nd of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks, and Hecklinski’s PFN Impact grade of 63.2 through Week 5 ranks 153rd of 165.

Chad Leistikow, a Des Moines Register columnist, wrote that it would be hard to imagine Iowa not going with the hot hand in Hecklinski at Minnesota, even if Brown is fully recovered.

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Hecklinski said the quarterback battle has had its ups and downs, which he called just how college football is. “I just want the Hawks to win.”

Looking Ahead in Week 8 to Minnesota

Iowa has a bye next week before its Week 8 game at Minnesota on Oct. 24, after winning at Michigan and Washington with different starting quarterbacks.

Another fan gave both quarterbacks credit in a post on X. “Say what you will about who should be QB1. We are 5-1 going into bye week with the help of Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown.”

PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives the 5-1 Hawkeyes a 6.1% chance to make the playoff, a 4.3% chance to reach the Big Ten title game and a 0.8% chance to win the conference.

PFN’s meter gives Iowa a 47.7% chance to win at Minnesota, and by its numbers a win would raise the Hawkeyes’ playoff chance to 11.6% while a loss would drop it to 1.1%.

Ferentz said after the game that Brown was cleared to play Friday but that using him would not have been smart, and that Iowa has two quarterbacks playing well. “It’s really close.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.