No. 20 Iowa is back in action in just two days, and it's probably safe to say Friday's game against Washington in Seattle is an important one. 

A win at Husky Stadium would be a major one for the Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1) as they look to finish strong before their bye week, while the Huskies (3-2, 0-2) are desperate for any kind of victory after stumbling out of the gate. 

There's a lot of key aspects in football, but few things are more important than the numbers. Here are some numbers you need to know before this Friday night clash. 

No. 1: That's the number Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. wears, and though his 2026 season has been a disappointment in the win column so far, the star signal-caller is still doing whatever he can to spark the Huskies offense. Williams is second in the Big Ten (13th in the nation) with 303.6 total yards per game, and he also surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards against Utah State in Week. Williams is the third quarterback in UW history to achieve 1,000 rushing yards in a career, joining Jake Locker and Marques Tuiasosopo. 

4: The Hawkeyes have won four of their last five Friday night contests - 2020 at Minnesota, 2021 at Maryland, 2024 at home against Nebraska, and 2025 at Rutgers. The lone loss in this span did come on the West Coast, though - a 20-17 defeat to UCLA two years ago. 

5: Iowa continues to succeed in the return game even after losing Kaden Wetjen to graduation. The Hawkeyes are one of just five teams in the FBS to record a kick and punt return touchdown this season. Wide receiver Evan James tallied the punt return touchdown in the season opener against Northern Illinois, while walk-on running back Braeden Jackson secured an electric 99-yard kick return touchdown in the win over Michigan. 

12.6: Iowa's defense continues to get the job done under Phil Parker, allowing just 12.6 points per game. The Hawkeyes have the third-best scoring defense in the Big Ten and rank No. 7 in total defense. 

16: Despite entering the year with lofty expectations, the Huskies have struggled to move the football in 2026. Washington boasts just the 16th-best scoring offense in the Big Ten at 26 points per game. 

18.4: While the Huskies have been ridiculed by fans for their struggling offense, most of the offensive shortcomings have been overcome by a talented defense. Washington may have lost to Washington State and Utah State had it not been for a defense that has held opponents to 18.4 points per game (ninth-best total defense in the Big Ten). 

23: Fourth-year defensive back Zach Lutmer wasn't completely healthy at the beginning of the season, but he appears to be in great shape now. The star safety has tallied 23 tackles over the last two games - a career-high 12 tackles at Michigan and 11 against Ohio State last weekend. 

29: Iowa has posted 29 points per game this year. That ranks only one spot ahead of Washington on the Big Ten leaderboard for total offense, but the Hawkeyes are on pace to shatter their per-game passing numbers from a season ago (210 YPG in 2026 vs. 146 YPG in 2025). 

10-1: Washington is always tough to beat at Husky Stadium, but even more so when it's playing non-Saturday home games. The Huskies are 10-1 on non-Saturday home contests since 2010, a stretch that includes four victories over ranked opponents. The lone loss in the span came in 2021, when Washington was playing out a dismal 4-8 season with an interim coach. 

19-9: Winning on the road in the Big Ten isn't easy, but Iowa is 19-9 in road games since the 2020 season. 

No. 93: Iowa will have no problem playing the field position battle on Friday if it needs to, but Washington won't mind that because it has a punter more than capable of flipping the field. Fourth-year punter Hunter Green (he wears No. 93) has been a fantastic transfer portal addition for Jedd Fisch, and his average of 47.7 yards per punt currently is the best in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. 

1963: As we've mentioned here before, Friday will mark Iowa's first visit to Husky Stadium since 1963, when it secured an upset 17-7 victory over the Huskies. The two programs have met five times since then, including the 1982 and 1991 Rose Bowl Games. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]