Saying Iowa underperformed against Minnesota is an understatement, and the squad doesn't have much time to bounce back.
After dropping a winnable road game to Minnesota, Iowa fell to No. 26 in the rankings, raising the stakes for the battle for the Heartland Trophy against No. 25 Wisconsin this weekend. The biggest concern was the offense, especially at quarterback, and Kirk Ferentz further muddied the waters with a recent announcement.
Kirk Ferentz named Hank Brown as the starter for week nine
Jeremy Hecklinski earned his second straight start against Minnesota after a stellar week six against Washington, but it didn't go well. Hecklinski and the offense couldn't get anything going, including a red-zone interception in the second quarter. Ferentz made a questionable call, pulling Hecklinski with about four minutes left in the second quarter and subbing Hank Brown in for the rest of the game. Brown didn't perform much better, throwing two interceptions, but led the only touchdown-producing drive.
After both quarterbacks performed poorly, the week-nine starter was in doubt. It was truly anyone's guess, and Ferentz silenced the questions early.
QB Hank Brown will get the start for Iowa vs. Wisconsin, per Kirk Ferentz.
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) October 27, 2026
After suffering a shoulder injury against Ohio State, Brown rested in week six against Washington before being benched for Hecklinski against Minnesota. After much confusion, Brown earned another start against Wisconsin. Although Ferentz named Brown the starter, he didn't sound tremendously sold on it. He wouldn't name Brown the starter for no reason, but he announced the decision by saying Brown will start and they will "see how it goes." That doesn't completely remove Hecklinski from the equation, and it will be interesting to see whether Brown has the same leash.
Hecklinski has had a much shorter leash to this point and hasn't gotten as much time to prove he is the guy. Ferentz has been bouncing back and forth between the two players all season, hiding behind the guise of having two good quarterbacks who can run the offense. Ferentz has consistently said both Brown and Hecklinski can run the offense, making the decision a lot harder. We have seen both quarterbacks at different points this season, and although we knew the decision would last into the season, no one expected it to last this long.
The indecision has hurt not only Brown and Hecklinski but also the offense, and they must find a solution before it's too late. Another performance like last week won't cut it, and if the Hawkeyes want to keep their College Playoff hopes alive, it starts against Wisconsin. The Badgers' defense has been strong against the run, ranking No. 16 overall, presenting a unique opportunity for the offense. If the running game can't get going, Brown must find ways to use the pass to set up the run, which has been a problem.
Brown is the guy for now, and hopefully he learned from his mistakes against Minnesota and plays well against Wisconsin.
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