After a week when nothing went right against Ohio State, Iowa nearly had everything go right in week six against Washington.
The Hawkeyes were fired up on both sides of the ball, and if Washington hadn't made a late field goal, it would have been an even bigger laugher at halftime. The defense smothered the Huskies' offense, knocking starter Demond Williams out of the game late in the second quarter, while the offense also finally woke up. Iowa's running game finally woke up, which allowed the offense to expand the playbook, and Jeremy Hecklinski and the offense took advantage. Hecklinski made a lot of eye-opening plays, but the one he didn't make is getting the most attention.
Hecklinski's hilarious hard count shows how much fun he was having out there
During the disappointing loss to Ohio State last weekend, starting quarterback Hank Brown was injured, forcing Hecklinski into the game. Hecklinski made the most of his opportunity, completing all five passes for 67 yards and proving he can run the offense. Brown's injury was worse than we thought after he admitted he has a sprained AC joint, keeping him sidelined for the Seattle road trip. After the loss to Ohio State, Kirk Ferentz expressed confidence in Hecklinski and gave him the start in Brown's stead.
Hecklinski played extremely well and led the offense in a 41-point explosion against Washington, but one of the win's most talked-about moments was his interesting hard count.
Jeremy Hecklinski had to make sure his teammates heard him 😂 pic.twitter.com/RdvTHpZQk9
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 10, 2026
Hecklinski is known as a funny guy who plays loose and free on the field, but no one expected this viral moment. Before ultimately deciding to punt, Ferentz sent the offense out to try and draw the Washington defense offsides. Iowa was extremely close to a first down, and drawing an offsides penalty would have given them five yards and a first down. Hecklinski screamed at the top of his lungs to try to draw them offsides, screaming "F****** JUMP" as loud as he could. He later claims he did that so his teammates could hear him, but the moment has gone viral.
While it was easily the funniest moment from the win, it proves that Hecklinski is who they say he is. He could have let the starting quarterback decision affect him, but he's a team-first guy who's only focused on winning. He admitted it's been hard to wait his turn, but every time he's gotten into the game, good things have happened. Hecklinski played extremely well against the Huskies, and although most headlines have focused on the Hank Brown vs. Jeremy Hecklinski narrative, we should appreciate that Iowa has two solid quarterbacks who can run the offense.
Regardless of who starts, we must appreciate having two good quarterbacks
A commonly used cliché is that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none, but Iowa is proving that wrong. The starting quarterback competition was tight all offseason and lingered into the first few weeks of the regular season. Brown and Hecklinski split reps during weeks one and three, with Brown playing the entire game in week two and ultimately winning the job. After Brown was injured in the loss to Ohio State, Hecklinski proved he could have won the starting job, performing well with Brown sidelined.
Hecklinski finished the Washington game with 202 passing yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Iowa quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in their debut since Nate Stanley in 2017. That further proves that Iowa has two good quarterbacks who can run the offense, something most programs don't have. The narrative has consistently been Hank Brown vs. Jeremy Hecklinski, not Hank Brown and Jeremy Hecklinski, which pulls focus away from the main goal. Iowa is winning, and it doesn't matter who plays well; it is all about the wins.
People will question whether Hecklinski is the guy moving forward, especially after his performance and what Robert Griffin III and others have said about Iowa's offense. On Fox's broadcast of Iowa's game against Washington, RGIII said Hecklinski should start moving forward, not because Brown is bad, but because he opens the playbook with his abilities. CBS Sports anchor Chris Hassel also said he is riding with Hecklinski, who will lead the Hawkeyes to the College Football Playoff.
Those are valid points, but don't give Brown the credit he deserves. He's played well, and shouldn't be pushed aside so easily. While Hecklinski has a compelling argument to be the guy going forward, we need to stop and appreciate Iowa going 5-1 with two different starters,
Add us as a preferred source on Google