While the starting quarterback competition was by no means decided against Northern Illinois, we got to see what Iowa's top three options can do.
Hank Brown earned the starting nod from Kirk Ferentz early Saturday morning, with Ferentz also revealing that both he and Jeremy Hecklinski would play. Ferentz stayed true to his word, with both Brown and Hecklinski getting reps, and even third-string quarterback Jimmy Sullivan got some time late in the game. After putting up 507 total yards against an overmatched NIU defense, we grade all three of Iowa's quarterbacks from week one.
Hank Brown: A
It is hard to truly evaluate the quarterback situation with both Brown and Hecklinski on a "pitch count," but Brown definitely played well during week one. During his first career start with the Hawkeyes, Brown tallied 129 passing yards and a touchdown pass, completing 60 percent of his passes (12/20) against the overmatched NIU defense. Brown didn't cut it loose as much as Hecklinski, but was efficient and showed his poise in the pocket. He averaged only 6.5 yards per pass, but found Diaz, Vonnahme, and Vander Zee on some nice passes and didn't do anything to hurt the offense.
His only touchdown pass went to Diaz on a throw to the back of the end zone, and while it was slightly overthrown, forcing Diaz to jump to make a great catch, it was a solid way to start the season. Even though Brown and Hecklinski have similarities, Brown is the bigger of the two (six-foot-four, 220 pounds), and he prefers to do his damage in the pocket. Brown gets into trouble when he attempts to throw off his back foot or stands straight up, trusting his arm too much. If Brown didn't rotate as much with Hecklinski, his numbers could have been even better, and since we're grading on a curve, Brown gets an A for his first start in a Hawkeyes uniform.
Jeremy Hecklinski: C+
Again, we want to preface this grade by saying it was hard to evaluate the quarterbacks due to the "pitch count" they were on and the shared snaps throughout the first half. Hecklinski was the second quarterback to get a shot leading the offense, and he lived up to his gunslinger mentality. He looked downfield early and often, and made a great throw to Jarriett Buie on the sideline while getting slammed to the ground by an NIU defender. Heckliski is a high-risk, high-reward quarterback, and that remained true last Saturday.
Hecklinski wasn't afraid to put the ball in the air, and his only mistake came on a fourth-and-goal pass to Dayton Howard that he forced into coverage, resulting in an interception. It was Iowa's only turnover of the day, and you could tell Hecklinski was forcing it a little bit to make a better impression. He gets a C+ grade because he flashed some unreal moments in the passing game, but his one interception on a forced throw and low completion percentage (43) knocked his grade down.
Jimmy Sullivan: N/A
We rarely see multiple Iowa quarterbacks play outside of garbage time, but that is exactly what happened against NIU. With Brown and Hecklinski neck and neck all offseason, it made sense to experiment with a two-quarterback system against a weaker opponent so everyone could get a better look at both quarterbacks in meaningful game reps. With Brown and Hecklinski battling for the starting role, Jimmy Sullivan has secured the third-string role, and he played well throughout the offseason.
He showed great poise and a solid connection with some of Iowa's younger receivers, including Brody Schaffer, and got his chance in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach. Sullivan was in the game to run the clock out and didn't get a chance to show off his passing ability, but finished with 13 passing yards, completing 50 percent of his throws (2/4). With Sullivan locked into the third-string spot, we probably won't see him much this season, and he didn't do enough to receive a grade after week one's 40-0 victory.
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