Offense: A-

Cade McNamara had a rough outing last weekend against Ohio State, turning the ball over three times and throwing only 98 yards. But he responded with a respectable outing against Washington, tossing two touchdowns and completing eight of his 14 passing attempts. It wasn’t an eye-popping performance by McNamara, but it got the job done thanks to another great showing from running back Kaleb Johnson. 

One of those touchdown passes went to Johnson, but the other one came from an unlikely source – wide receiver Dayton Howard. The redshirt freshman had seen little action prior to Saturday’s game, but made the most of his time on the field, catching one pass for 33 yards and a touchdown. Not only was the touchdown the first of his career, but it also marked his first collegiate reception. Cool moment for him. 

I’m running out of words to describe Kaleb Johnson. That guy is simply sensational. All he does is run for touchdowns while finding new ways to impress the Hawkeye faithful each weekend. On this day, Johnson collected 166 yards and three total touchdowns on 21 carries of work. He currently ranks second in the country in total rushing yards behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty. 

The highlight of the day for me came near the end of the first half. Up 17-10, Kirk Ferentz was content with running the clock out and playing for halftime, but Johnson responded by sprinting 53 yards and nearly scoring. Johnson broke numerous tackles and spun away from several defenders on the run, and plays like that have made him one of the top backs in the country this season. 

Defense: A

Only 16 points allowed — six of those in garbage time — against an Air Raid offense like Washington’s is impressive. The Huskies focus so much on offense that it could’ve been so easy for the Hawkeyes to collapse under an inability to put a full 60 minutes together.

But the rush defense did exactly what it needed to do, preventing the Huskies from moving the ball in any seriously threatening capacity. And cornerbacks TJ Hall and Jermari Harris were stuck like glue to their assignments, especially on a beautifully read interception from the latter that solidified a win.

The only lowlight here was the lackadaisical tackling early on. Both Sebastian Castro and Xavier Nwankpa gambled early in the game in trying to hit low without wrapping, which failed to stifle the ball carriers and led to too many free yards. Beyond that — flawless. 

Special Teams: A+ 

Third-year kicker Drew Stevens struggled during his sophomore campaign in 2023, but he has made up for it in 2024. His only miss of the season came last weekend against Ohio State, and he knocked in all four of his field goal attempts today, including one from 51 yards out. Being a kicker is not an easy task, but Stevens has been clutch for the Hawkeyes so far this season. 

First-year punter Rhys Dakin has had some rocky patches this season (he is just a freshman after all) but he has really shown incredible improvement over the past few weeks. Dakin only punted twice against the Huskies, but both punts were spectacular, averaging nearly 60 yards per punt. I know many Hawkeye fans miss Tory Taylor, but once Dakin gets into his groove, he’s going to be unstoppable. 

I’d be remiss not to mention returned Kaden Wetjen, who had himself a day with 93 kick-return yards and a 37-yard punt return. It won’t be long until the wide receiver winds up in the end zone for a touchdown not waved off because of a penalty. 

Coaching: A 

I’ll admit it’s difficult to knock  Kirk Ferentz after his 200th win at Iowa. The only blemish I can find is the frustrating red zone trip late early in the third quarter when the Hawkeyes went from second down and one yard from the goal line to fourth-and-7 lining up for a field goal. The playcalling – two handoffs to Johnson on the same side of the center – was a bit too predictable. No need to throw the ball obviously, but better run blocking or a clear-cut designed run from Brendan Sullivan would’ve been better.