Jeremy Hecklinski joins elite company after notching a rare feat against Washington

Washington had no answer for Iowa's offensive explosion, something Iowa fans have seen more often this season.

Iowa has put up 40-plus points and 450-plus yards in three of six games so far this season, showing how far the offense has come. The Hawkeyes' offense scored 40 points on 507 total yards in week one, 55 points on 640 total yards in week three, and 41 points on 465 total yards. The Iowa offense has finally woken up, and Friday's offensive outburst was just the latest. The running game finally produced, with Kamari Moulton rushing for 208 yards and two touchdowns, but the bigger surprise was Jeremy Hecklinski.

Hecklinski's three touchdown passes put him in elite company

Hecklinski earned a start with starter Hank Brown sidelined with a shoulder injury, and he took full advantage. After a 2/7 start, Hecklinski completed his final 12 passes, finishing with 202 passing yards and three touchdowns. He proved he can run the offense and joined some elite company in the process.

Iowa's offense has been the butt of jokes for far too long, and as the offense wakes up, more people should notice. Iowa is known for its stellar rushing attack and domination in the trenches, but that hasn't been the case this season. Heading into the Washington game, Iowa had three straight weeks of poor play in the running game, something we rarely see. Iowa's offense found a different gear on Friday, with Hecklinski accomplishing something we almost never see. He threw three touchdown passes in his debut, a rare accomplishment in the Kirk Ferentz era.

He is the first Hawkeye since Nate Stanley in 2017 to throw three or more touchdown passes in his debut, and the fourth Hawkeye under Ferentz to achieve that feat, joining Stanley (2017), Ricky Stanzi (2008), and Jon Beujer (4 in 2000). This is a fun stat, and isn't a barometer of future success, but Hecklinski's solid debut deserves praise. The Iowa offense has been inconsistent despite putting up massive numbers in three of six games, and Hecklinski played in relief and righted the ship. If Iowa had lost this game, their College Football Playoff hopes would have been all but gone, and Hecklinski made sure that didn't happen.

Most programs don't have one good quarterback, let alone two, and it is remarkable what the offense has done with Tim Lester at the helm. Throwing three touchdown passes in any Big Ten game is a great achievement, but doing it in your debut on the road, in a hostile environment, on a short week of preparation is nothing short of spectacular. Iowa's offense looks completely different with Hecklinski under center, and although it was only one game against a struggling opponent, it could reignite a starting quarterback dilemma.

Brown and Hecklinski were deadlocked in the offseason, and while Brown ultimately won the job, Hecklinski had shown flashes of brilliance. He delivered an eye-opening performance on Kids Day that everyone thought guaranteed him the job, and he followed it up with another solid performance against Ohio State in week five. Brown has shown flashes, including a perfect 12/12 game against UNI, but he's been very inconsistent lately. It will be interesting to see how the reps are split going forward, especially after the week seven bye.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow