By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Right now, at this very moment, it feels as if Hank Brown has momentum on his side, and a slight edge over Jeremy Hecklinski in the competition to be Iowa’s starting quarterback.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t say that after Saturday’s 40-0 victory over Northern Illinois, but it just feels that way, and looks that way, too.

Or, at least it did on Saturday as Brown got the start and then would go on to arguably play a little better than Hecklinski played.

Ferentz didn’t say that, but again, it just felt that way and looked that way on the field.

Brown only played in the first half, completing 12-of-20 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown, while Hecklinski completed 7-of-16 passes for 76 yards, one touchdown and one interception over three quarters.

Ferentz made it clear after Saturday’s win that he isn’t ready to pick a starter, not after just one game against an inferior opponent, and with how even the two quarterbacks have been from a performance standpoint.

Ferentz wants to gather more in-game evidence since practice apparently hasn’t been enough for either quarterback to create any separation.

“To me, it’s the only right thing to do,” Kirk Ferentz said after Saturday’s victory. “When it becomes clear-cut, then we’ll start… We’ve done that at most positions, but that’s one thing about football, too, is you’re competing week-in and week-out. You don’t want to go back and forth at every position, I get that. But it’s competition. We all get evaluated on what we’re doing in the moment.

“I think it’s been good for both of them. It’s good for our entire team to be competing. I am pleased both guys got off to a good start.

“You certainly don’t want to do anything that’s detrimental to your team, but I think making a bad decision could be worse for a team than not being sure yet, that type of thing.”

Brown, who transferred from Auburn in 2025, and Hecklinski, who transferred from Wake Forest in 2025, have been battling for the starting position since spring practice, with the momentum shifting back and forth.

Hecklinski had the momentum after the Kids Day practice on Aug. 15 as he clearly outperformed Brown during the two-hour open practice at Kinnick Stadium.

But Kirk Ferentz told the media afterwards not to over-react, and then he also hinted several days later that Brown actually had the upper hand in some of the practices leading up to the Kids Day practice.

Both quarterbacks were hurt by some dropped passes in Saturday’s game.

In fact, Brown’s best throw might have been the one that star tight end DJ Vonnahme dropped in the corner of the north end zone.

Brown showed nice touch and accuracy on what was a difficult throw into a small window.

The throw was so accurate that it almost seemed to catch the usually sure-handed Vonnahme by surprise.

Neither Brown nor Hecklinski did enough to win or lose the job on Saturday.

Brown didn’t throw an interception, while Hecklinski threw one in the end zone that probably caused Kirk Ferentz to write something on his little note card.

Hecklinski has put an emphasis on protecting the football and avoiding turnovers because he has struggled at times with trying to force the issue. The Georgia native plays with confidence and likes to take chances in the passing game.

Brown, on the other hand, seems more conservative and safer in his approach, and that might be what ultimately gives the Nashville, Tennessee native the edge since we’re talking about playing quarterback for Kirk Ferentz.

But this will ultimately come down to what happens on the field, with the next audition/test coming against Iowa State on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, followed by Northern Iowa a week later in Iowa City.

Northern Illinois was so over-matched on Saturday that it’s still hard to know how either quarterback would respond to adversity, or against a better opponent.

Last season, Brown played almost the entire fourth quarter against eventual national champion Indiana after Mark Gronowski was injured, but it didn’t go well for Brown as he only completed 5-of-13 passes for 48 yards and one interception in a 20-15 loss at Kinnick Stadium.

The circumstances against Northern Illinois this past Saturday were completely different for Brown as Iowa was under no threat of losing the game.

Iowa’s running game was also virtually unstoppable, making things much easier for the quarterbacks.

It’ll be interesting to see how Brown and Hecklinski respond when Iowa isn’t controlling the line of scrimmage.

Ferentz could always switch things up and start Hecklinski in the first half against Iowa State, and then start Brown in the second half, that seems unlikely.

It was easy for Ferentz to rotate his two quarterbacks against Northern Illinois because the game never seemed in doubt as Iowa dominated from start to finish.

That might not be the case against a rebuilt Iowa State squad, so what if the score is tied midway through the third quarter?

Would Ferentz still be willing to rotate both quarterbacks?

Or would he stick with the hot hand, assuming there was one?

Those are questions that Ferentz might have to answer as the game develops.

Coaches often rely on a gut feeling when making personnel decisions and that could ultimately be what settles the quarterback competition if what happens on the field isn’t enough evidence.

And while neither Brown nor Hecklinski are dual-threats, they aren’t statues, either.

Brown, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, has shown that he has decent speed and can move the pocket, while the 5-11, 201-pound Hecklinski had a nifty 16-yard run against Northern Illinois in which he almost scored a touchdown.

So from a mobility standpoint, Brown and Hecklinski seem about equal, though how they do it a little different.

Kirk Ferentz doesn’t have to pick a full-time starter anytime soon.

He can let this play out and force opponents to prepare for both quarterbacks.

He can keep both quarterbacks believing that they will ultimately win the job if they just keep performing well.

That hardly sounds like a quarterback controversy.

And though it’s easy to get carried away after a lopsided win, it seems fair to say that Iowa has some nice pieces on offense.

Transfer portal receiver Tony Diaz was as good as advertised in Saturday’s win, finishing with seven catches for 84 yards and one touchdown, while fourth-year running back Kamari Moulton probably could’ve set the UI single-game rushing record if Kirk Ferentz would have allowed it.

Moulton rushed for a career high 183 yards on just 11 carries, turning massive holes into massive gains.

The offense certainly did its part as did the defense by pitching a shutout with eight new starters.

There was a missed extra point, and a missed field goal on special teams.

But receiver Evan James, another addition from the portal, also returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, showing good speed and vision.

So for the most part, and while rotating two quarterbacks who both did their part, Iowa made a vastly inferior opponent look vastly inferior on a hot and miserable day.

That’s a positive first step.