The Hawkeyes took care of business in week one, but with Northern Illinois fully in the rearview mirror, the squad has fully shifted its focus to Iowa State.
Iowa had everything working against NIU last weekend, but the competition significantly ramps up this weekend in the 73rd overall meeting between the two in-state rivals. Iowa State is in full rebuild mode in Jimmy Rogers' first season in charge, but this is not a game Iowa can overlook. The Cyclones have won the last three matchups, excluding Iowa's vacated 2023 victory, and they would love nothing more than to upset the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in week two. Before the Cyclones come to town, the official week two depth chart was released with some interesting details.
Week 2 \\ Depth Chart \\ Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series vs. Iowa State pic.twitter.com/dVtvoZIEc8
— HawkeyeFBNotes (@HawkeyeFBNotes) September 7, 2026
No. 1: The starting quarterbacks still carry an "OR" designation
While everyone expected the starting quarterback decision to carry into the second week of the season, it is still noteworthy to see an "OR" designation on Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski. That designation suggests Ferentz will use a similar strategy to week one, but it wouldn't be surprising if he rode the hot hand a little more this weekend. Even though Iowa State is rebuilding, you can throw everything out in a rivalry game, and the Hawkeyes can't afford to let Iowa State hang around.
The best strategy would be to play each quarterback in a few series and then ride the hot hand until they cool off. While Ferentz hasn't revealed who the starter will be for the Cy-Hawk rivalry game this Saturday, it wouldn't be surprising if Brown gets the nod once again. Brown had the better game against Northern Illinois, but the game against Iowa State will be the real test. If he performs as well as, or better than, he did in week one, we could see the competition end after next weekend.
Hecklinski is by no means eliminated from contention, but he will need to perform better in front of a raucous crowd in one of the most important games he has played up to this point in his career. He still needs to take deep shots downfield and play aggressively, but if he is overly aggressive, he could easily find his way to the sidelines very quickly.
No. 2: Iowa's backfield depth will be tested without L.J. Phillips Jr.
Iowa dominated on the ground against Northern Illinois thanks to an offensive line that created massive holes up front, but the unit's depth will be tested after an injury update regarding L.J. Phillips Jr.'s status. Phillips Jr. was hurt early against NIU, with multiple players filling in after he remained out. A recent update revealed that Phillips. Jr. suffered a high-ankle sprain and will miss at least the Iowa State game with the injury. A timetable for Phillips Jr.'s return hasn't been released.
Nathan McNeil and Xavier Williams have been listed as Kamari Moulton's primary backups with Phillips Jr. out, and we should see a solid dose of them and Baeden Jackson until he returns. Iowa shouldn't have many issues establishing the run game against the Cyclones this weekend, but having multiple talented backup options is a huge advantage. Moulton will continue receiving the bulk of the carries while he is healthy, but the unit shouldn't see a huge dropoff without Phillips Jr. in the lineup.
No. 3: Evan James is somehow not the primary punt returner
It could easily be a case of Ferentz and new special teams coordinator Chris Polizzi fully vetting all of their returner options. Still, it is surprising that Evan James didn't win the punt returner job outright after last weekend. James was dynamic in the punt return game, finishing with 107 total punt return yards and a touchdown against NIU, but he is listed as the backup returner to Reece Vander Zee. Vander Zee is a capable returner, but he was not as aggressive in fielding punts and was less effective than James last weekend.
It remains to be seen who will return kickoffs going forward, as NIU kicked off only once to begin the game with no return, but Evan James should easily be the punt returner. He showed he should be the guy until proven otherwise, and hopefully, it's just a simple case of trying out all the options before fully committing to one player.
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