Iowa Football vs Northern Illinois: EA Sports College Football 27 Simulation Results

I took to EA Sports to give us a prediction on Iowa versus Northern Illinois in Week 1. The results are both predictable and surprising all in one.

Iowa quarterback Hank Brown (9) stands for a portrait during Hawkeye football media day, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Iowa City. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Video games can't tell us the whole story, but they definitely can make for a fun one. That's the case in my simulation of the Iowa Hawkeyes versus the Northern Illinois Huskies in Week 1.

Iowa won the game, but it didn't come without some surprises in how it got there and who it relied on.

Iowa beats Northern Illinois 40-13

EA Sports College Football 27 must have some insight into the spread of this game. It was just shy of the 31.5 spread that currently favors the Hawkeyes, but Iowa failed to cover. Iowa came out strong, jumping out to a 20-3 lead at half, before coasting to a victory.

The starting defense held the Huskies to a dismal three points before the Huskies found a touchdown and a field goal in the second half to make things a bit better cosmetically.

Iowa's Offensive Stats

The Hawkeyes poured it on offensively in this one. Iowa tallied up 467 total yards, which was split rather evenly between the air and the ground. It was a good mix of runs and passes as well, with Tim Lester dialing up 38 passes to 39 runs.

Passing Stats

Hank Brown: 14-16, 143 yards, 2 touchdowns
Jeremy Hecklinski: 11-22, 131 yards, 1 touchdown

For the sake of splitting reps, Jeremy Hecklinski played the first and third quarters, while Hank Brown got the second and fourth quarters.

Hank Brown had himself a day in this simulation. Missing on just two passes, he stole the show. The best part of the passing attack, though? Neither threw an interception.

Receiving Stats

DJ Vonnahme: 6 receptions, 94 yards, 2 touchdowns
Reece Vander Zee: 5 receptions, 51 yards
Tony Diaz: 4 receptions, 35 yards, 1 touchdown
Evan James: 3 receptions, 31 yards
Addison Ostrenga: 2 receptions, 20 yards

The passing attack went as expected in this one, with DJ Vonnahme picking up right where he left off and having a monster day. Seeing Reece Vander Zee, Tony Diaz, and Evan James get in the mix is a promising thought.

Rushing Stats

Kamari Moulton: 18 carries, 97 yards, 1 touchdown
L.J. Phillips Jr.: 10 carries, 71 yards
Nathan McNeil: 4 carries, 23 yards

As expected, Iowa saw a committee in the backfield led by Kamari Moulton, who came close to the 100-yard mark. L.J. Phillips poured in 71 yards on a healthy yards-per-carry average while Nathan McNeil got in the mix a few times. Xavier Williams is not in the game.

Iowa's Defensive Stats

On the day, the Iowa Hawkeyes' defense did what the Iowa Hawkeyes' defense does. They held another opponent under 300 yards of offense, with the Huskies mustering up just 283 yards of total offense.

Northern Illinois struggled on the ground, rushing 27 times for 101 yards (3.7 yards per carry). Through the air, the Huskies completed just 19 of 36 passes for 182 yards, with one touchdown to one interception.

Defensive Stats

Cam Buffington: 9 tackles, 0.5 sacks
Jayden Montgomery: 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks
Deshaun Lee: 7 tackles
Anthony Hawkins: 7 tackles, 1 INT
Zach Lutmer: 5 tackles
Jaylen Watson: 5 tackles
Iose Epenesa: 3 tackles, 2 sacks

The thing that jumps out immediately is the emergence of Iose Epenesa, getting home to the quarterback twice. Iowa needs defensive line play to show up, and this would be an unbelievable start. Also having a day was Anthony Hawkins, the new safety, reeling in his first interception as a Hawkeye.

Riley Donald's Quick Thoughts

The score of this game wouldn't be overly surprising. If the Hawkeyes can get rolling on the ground, they can run it up against the Huskies in a hurry. The fact that Iowa tallied almost 200 yards only surprises me that I would pick over that number on Saturday.

The Hank Brown showing and the number of times Iowa threw the ball jump off the page. I don't see Iowa throwing the ball 25 times in this game, let alone 38. Turn 15 or so of those passes into runs, and up the rushing total to get a better picture of this one.

Defensively, this feels right in line with expectations for Iowa. The Hawkeyes have strung together great performances against Group of Five and FCS teams in their opening games for quite some time, and I expect it to hold up in this game.

The last thought I will leave you with is how Iowa's kicking game looked. The offense stalled out a few times, but Caden Buhr went 4-for-4 on the day and made all of his extra points. That's about all you can ask from a new kicker.