Day After: 3 Observations from Iowa Loss

The Huskies had very little to feel good about following the 41-24 beatdown.

Chris Lawson tries to elude an Iowa tackler in Friday's 41-24 loss. | Dave Sizer photo

On a cold, brisk night before a three-quarters full Husky Stadium, it was an overly disturbing three steps back for a University of Washington football team that seemingly has regressed with each outing this season.

For the opening 25 minutes of Friday night's 41-24 loss to Iowa, the Huskies (3-3 overall, 0-3 Big Ten) played about as poorly at home as any UW team since the 2021 Apple Cup, which was lost 40-13 with freshman Sam Huard getting slapped around by Washington State.

At least Huard made it to the end of that rivalry beatdown, though maybe his career was forever scarred because of it.

This time, UW quarterback Demond Williams Jr. walked out of Husky Stadium in the final minute of the opening half, surrounded by medical staff members, having been sacked four times and left injured apparently in his rib area with the UW trailing 27-3.

While Williams has not played well all season, a complete breakdown of the Husky defense was the most unsettling development in this outing.

Those guys couldn't tackle, cover or get anywhere near a sack of a back-up quarterback making his first college start and having it way too easy.

Three things to consider from the Friday night carnage that almost signaled an end to a season that began with the Huskies ranked 17th nationally.

1. THE 200 CLUB

Iowa's Kamari Moulton came in and rushed 26 times for 208 yards and 2 scores and acted like he does this all the time. He doesn't. In 31 career games, it was just his third outing with 100 yards or more, with his previous best of 183 against the Northern Illinois Huskies.

This marked the first 200-yard rushing output by an opponent at Husky Stadium since Oregon's Travis Dye picked up 211 yards and 2 TDs on 28 carries in the Ducks' 26-16 victory in 2021.

At least no one on the UW coaching staff got fired this time.

Kamari Moulton of Iowa rushed for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Huskies. | Dave Sizer photo

2. MONTLAKE BACK-UP

The Hawkeyes didn't need the services of usual starting quarterback Hank Brown, out with a shoulder strain. Second-stringer Jeremey Hecklinski was more than enough to pick the Huskies apart and advance his career.

The 5-foot-11, 201-pound Georgia native, by completing 14 of 19 passes for 202 yards and 3 scores, was overly efficient and looked like he belonged in the starting lineup for some team eventually on a regular basis.

The last time a back-up had his way with the Huskies like this was Indiana's Tayven Jackson, who replaced Kurtis Rourke in 2024 and completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards and a score in a 31-17 victory over Jedd Fisch's team

3. SUPER SAD SACKS

The worst statistical disparity for this UW football team comes in sacks ad exposes its physicality shortcomings more than anything else. Consider this three-game sample, all from Big Ten games and consecutive losses.

The Huskies have given up 19 sacks on offense to Minnesota, USC and Iowa, and collected just two in those three games on the defensive side.

You're not going to win any games getting pushed around like that.