Saturday was probably the shortest postgame media availability I've listened to in my three and a half years on the Iowa football beat. 

Kirk Ferentz and Co. just didn't have much to say, and why would they? The Hawkeyes (4-1, 1-1) were clearly ready to move on from the disappointing 31-14 loss to Ohio State, and we were out of postgame pressers in roughly 30 minutes. 

Iowa's focus is now on Friday's game at Washington (3-2, 0-2), so here are three of my most burning questions I have about Hawkeye football heading into a crucial trip to the Emerald City. 

Is the quarterback controversy that dominated just about every offseason headline in Iowa City returning again? I don't think so, but Jeremy Hecklinski may get his opportunity to take the reigns of this offense if Hank Brown can't go against Washington on Friday. 

There's no question that Hecklinski was better than Brown against Ohio State, and though many Hawkeye fans are calling for Hecklinski to take over, those claims seem to be foolish at this point because the game was essentially over when Hecklinski entered the game. It was good to see him orchestrate Iowa's only touchdown drive of the ballgame, but it's a little misleading considering it basically came in garbage time. 

But Hecklinski still deserves some credit for instantly leading the offense down the field, and it should give the Hawkeyes some confidence in him moving forward if he in fact has to be the guy in Seattle this week. We'll learn more about Brown's injury at Ferentz's press conference on Tuesday, but here's what he had to say about it after Saturday's contest. 

"I don't think it's anything too major. We'll know more probably about Hank. It's a mild sprain. So, we'll know more probably tomorrow and then as the week goes on," Ferentz said. 

Iowa simply can't run the football this year. Going to the passing game in the second half was a must because of the large deficit, but the Hawkeyes managed just 39 yards against a bad Ohio State run defense on Saturday. 

It's still a long season, but considering the firepower Iowa has in the room, the struggles are very concerning at this point in the year. The offensive line just can't seem to generate much of a push up front, and you can probably attribute some of the fact that the Hawkeyes are still adjusting to this retooled offensive line of new pieces Jack Dotzler, Leighton Jones, and Cael Winter. 

George Barnett will get this group worked out at some point, but Big Ten Network analyst Jake Butt declaring this offensive line to be just as good as the 2025 unit that won the Joe Moore Award (nation's best offensive line) might have been a tad optimistic. 

This week's film review is going to be a deep dive on this run game, so be sure to stay tuned for that. 

Ferentz is notorious for voicing his hatred of playing games on Friday, and this week's trip to Seattle is probably no exception. Traveling across the country to play Washington was already going to be a tough assignment for this young Hawkeye team, but the short week could complicate things. 

Or it could also help Iowa, too. This was one of those games where the Hawkeyes will want to move on quickly, so that's where the benefits of the short week really come into play. We'll find out the answer on Friday, but it's going to be very interesting to see how this Iowa team responds against a desperate Washington team. 

"We're gonna take a look at it [the film] tomorrow, see what we can get better on, and then we're turning the page quick. All eyes on Washington," tight end DJ Vonnahme said. 

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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]