RECAP: Iowa football shuts out Northern Illinois in season opener
Year No. 28 under Kirk Ferentz got underway in Iowa City this weekend.
Video above: Looking at QB battle for Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa opened the 2026 season with a resounding win.
Iowa football vs. Northern Illinois: Score updates, highlights, stats and more
Here’s how it unfolded.
Final: Iowa 40, Northern Illinois 0
No trouble for the Hawkeyes today. Iowa wins in a shutout. Backups saw the field for both teams for most of the second half.
Punt battle continues
With both teams mixing in some backups, NIU punts back to the Hawkeyes. Iowa will have it at its own 40 with 11:13 to go.
Hawkeyes punt back to NIU
With 13:00 to play, NIU will take over at its own 15-yard line.
Iowa opens fourth quarter by forcing fumble
It’s Iowa ball after Brice Stevenson punched the ball loose on third down and Ty Hudkins fell on it.
Jimmy Sullivan is in at QB for Iowa.
End of third quarter: Iowa 40, Northern Illinois 0
Iowa will be 1-0 in 15 minutes. The Hawkeyes have controlled this one from start to finish and have an edge of nearly 400 yards of offense.
Evan James returns punt 77 yards for Iowa touchdown
Did Iowa just find its next great returner?
Evan James housed the punt after weaving from right to left, taking it 77 yards to the end zone past multiple diving Huskies.
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It’s 40-0 Iowa after the special teams score. 2:20 remains in the third quarter.
Hecklinski picked off in the end zone
Iowa went for it on fourth-and-goal at the 2, and Hecklinski’s pass to Dayton Howard was picked off. NIU takes over at the 20 after a touchback.
Iowa turns it over on downs after deep shot to Diaz
Both QBs seem to have the same favorite receiver. Tony Diaz has 13 targets so far in his Hawkeye debut, tallying 7 catches, 84 yards and the first-quarter touchdown. But this time, the deep shot to Diaz on fourth-and-5 was too long.
Northern Illinois takes over at its own 37 after the incompletion.
Hawkeyes force quick punt
Hecklinski will be back under center for Iowa’s first drive after the break.
NIU is now at 19 total yards of offense. Yikes.
Too hot for the band
The heat forced a change of plans.
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Halftime here at Kinnick. No band. Halftime performance cancelled due to heat. PA announcer told fans to leave if they feel they need to. “safety comes first. You’re still great fans.” It’s sooo hot on field. @KCCINews pic.twitter.com/S0kUqQcaLN
— Scott Reister (@scottreister) September 5, 2026
Halftime: Iowa 33, Northern Illinois 0
A 34-yard attempt from Buhr splits the uprights to make it 33-0. Iowa took a few shots to the end zone but couldn’t finish the drive.
Iowa scoring drive: 14 plays, 41 yards, 2:17
Iowa forces another punt before halftime
2:19 to go, Hank Brown behind center. Can Iowa score again before halftime?
Caden Buhr hits field goal to extend lead
Buhr is getting plenty of practice today, and the latest kick was perfect. He split the uprights from 45 yards out to make it 30-0 with 3:34 left in the first half.
Iowa scoring drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 2:10
Iowa forces another punt
Iowa takes over just inside its own 45 after a good NIU punt.
Hank Brown is back in at QB.
Hecklinski, Xavier Williams connect for touchdown
Both quarterbacks now have a touchdown today. Hecklinski’s touchdown pass comes on a screen to the running back on the left side. Xavier Williams had nothing but green grass and blockers in front of him after catching the pass.
Iowa leads 27-0 with 7:40 on the clock in the second quarter.
Total yards: 290-16 in favor of Iowa.
Iowa scoring drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 3:20
Hawkeye pass rush gets sack to end drive
NIU had third-and-11, and that’s music to the ears of the Iowa pass rush. Kahmari Brown and Preston Ries were credited with a sack.
A 36-yard punt goes out of bounds at the 46, so Iowa will once again have strong starting field position.
Iowa goes three-and-out
The good starting field position will not result in points. Back-to-back incompletions by Hecklinski led to a punt, and after it sailed into the end zone, NIU will take over at its own 20.
Deshaun Lee intercepts pass
NIU went with a new quarterback, and his first pass is picked off. Taron Dickens threw it deep downfield and it sailed right to Deshaun Lee.
Iowa will have it at the NIU 45 after a good return.
Hecklinski, Diaz can’t connect on long third down
Diaz was open, but Hecklinski’s throw led him to the sideline and went behind him. That led to a Caden Buhr 53-yard field goal attempt, which he pushed wide right.
It’s still 20-0 in favor of Iowa with 13:40 to go in the first half.
End of first quarter: Iowa 20, Northern Illinois 0
Hard to find any complaints about that first quarter.
Time for the wave!
Kamari Moulton breaks another long touchdown
And it’s now 20-0 after another big run from Moulton, this time from 37 yards out. Moulton is up to 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first quarter.
Iowa scoring drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:48
Iowa forces punt
Reece Vander Zee’s fair catch will give Iowa the ball at its 30. NIU’s offense hasn’t had much pop through two drives.
Kamari Moulton breaks long touchdown run
Make it 13-0 Iowa in less than 10 minutes. Kamari Moulton broke a long 50-yard touchdown run, and this time, Buhr’s extra point was good.
Hank Brown’s offense is two-for-two on touchdown drives.
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Iowa defense forces quick punt
Three plays, two yards and one punt for NIU on its opening series. Iowa takes over at its own 34 after a solid punt.
Hawkeye offense starts hot
The Tony Diaz hype is real.
After a methodical drive led by an efficient Hank Brown and a couple of big runs by Kamari Moulton, Brown connected with Diaz from 6 yards out for a touchdown. The PAT missed wide right, so it’s 6-0 Iowa.
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Iowa scoring drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:08
Hank Brown takes the field first
As expected, Iowa will go with Hank Brown under center for its first series.
How to watch and stream Iowa football vs. Northern Illinois
- When: 3:16 p.m. CT, Saturday, Sept. 5
- Where: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
- TV channel: Big Ten Network
- Livestream: Fox Sports Live (TV provider log-in required)
- Online radio: Hawkeye Radio Network
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Tickets for Iowa football vs. Northern Illinois
Hawkeye Athletics announced it has sold out for the team’s first four home games.
You can find tickets on the resale market through SeatGeek. As of Tuesday, two tickets together were going for as low as $34 apiece.
What to know about Northern Illinois football
Iowa’s first opponent is undergoing significant changes at the moment. The Huskies have joined the Mountain West Conference this year after nearly 30 years in the Mid-American Conference, and Rob Harley has taken over as head coach after Thomas Hammock departed for an assistant coaching role with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
To replace Hammock, Northern Illinois promoted defensive coordinator Harley, who is working the 2026 season with an interim tag while the university searches for a full-time answer.
Northern Illinois went 3-9 last season, scoring just 17.1 points per game (No. 129 among 136 FBS teams). It lost 20-9 at Maryland and 38-10 at Mississippi State in its two matchups against Power 4 conference teams.
WATCH: 1-on-1 with Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz
Iowa football vs. Northern Illinois series history
The Hawkeyes own a 9-1 advantage in the series. Iowa won the most recent matchup in 2018, beating the Huskies 33-7 to open the year. Noah Fant, Ivory Kelly-Martin, Toren Young and Peyton Mansell all found the end zone for the Hawkeyes in that game.
Iowa football depth chart: QB battle continues between Hecklinski and Brown
It’s game week, and we still don’t know whether Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown will get the first shot to lead the Hawkeye offense in 2026.
Here’s the latest on Iowa’s depth chart.
Stream KCCI’s ‘Big College Kickoff’ Saturday morning
KCCI’s “Big College Kickoff” is back for a third season, and you can watch it live on Very Local at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday.
Very Local is a streaming channel that offers 24/7 access to KCCI news, weather, original series and more. Download the Very Local App for free on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or smartphone.
2026 Iowa Hawkeyes football schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 5 vs. Northern Illinois (3:15 p.m.; Big Ten Network)
- Saturday, Sept. 12 vs. Iowa State (6:30 p.m.; NBC)
- Saturday, Sept. 19 vs. UNI (3 p.m.; FS1)
- Saturday, Sept. 26 at Michigan (TBA)
- Saturday, Oct. 3 vs. Ohio State (TBA)
- Friday, Oct. 9 at Washington (8 p.m.; FOX or FS1)
- Saturday, Oct. 24 at Minnesota (TBA)
- Saturday, Oct. 31 vs. Wisconsin (TBA)
- Saturday, Nov. 7 at Northwestern (TBA)
- Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Purdue (TBA)
- Saturday, Nov. 21 at Illinois (TBA)
- Friday, Nov. 27 vs. Nebraska (11 a.m.; CBS)
