Iowa football 2024 early opponent preview: Washington

Reigning Pac-12 champions will head to Kinnick on Oct. 12

John Steppe

Jun. 27, 2024 6:15 am, Updated: Jun. 27, 2024 11:35 am

Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, left, talks with head coach Jedd Fisch during the NCAA college football team's spring game Friday, May 3, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Editor’s note: Sixth in a 12-part series previewing each of Iowa’s 2024 regular-season opponents.

IOWA CITY — It is a new era for the Washington Huskies.

New conference. New coach. New quarterback.

Washington’s move from the Pac-12 to Big Ten takes effect this year. Jedd Fisch takes over as head coach after Kalen DeBoer left for the Alabama job.

Will Rogers is the Huskies’ presumed QB1 after starting 40 games in his four seasons at Mississippi State. (He replaces Michael Penix Jr., who was the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.)

Rogers finished his Mississippi State career as the program’s all-time leader with 12,315 passing yards and 94 touchdowns. He was the only SEC quarterback to have 1,000-plus career completions.

Jeremiah Hunter — one of Rogers’ best receiving options — also is a transfer. He came to Washington after four years at California. Hunter had back-to-back seasons with 60-plus receptions in 2022 and 2023. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver’s seven touchdowns in 2023 were more than double what all of Iowa’s wide receivers had combined (three).

On the other side of the ball, defensive end Isaiah Ward and cornerback Ephesians Prysock joined Fisch at Washington via the transfer portal after starting on Arizona’s defense last year. They will look to bolster a defense that ranked eighth in the Pac-12 last year with 5.77 yards allowed per play.

Even with Washington’s portal reinforcements, Fisch will be leading a largely inexperienced group.

Washington has only 40 percent of returning production, as tracked by ESPN’s Bill Connelly in May. That ranks 126th nationally and 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten. (Michigan is the only conference foe with less returning production.)

Iowa vs. Washington: 3 things to watch

Can Iowa’s defensive front keep Will Rogers as uncomfortable in the pocket as possible? When Rogers was under pressure last year, he completed 46.9 percent of passes, according to Pro Football Focus. When was kept clean, he completed 63.5 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns versus two interceptions.
What happens in the first quarter? Fisch’s Arizona team was 6-1 last year when leading at the end of the first quarter. When trailing, it was 4-2.
How effective will Iowa’s rushing attack be? Washington ranked 10th out of 12 teams in the Pac-12 last year with 4.69 yards allowed per rushing attempt. Now with such an inexperienced defense, the opportunity will be there for Iowa’s rushing attack to thrive.