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Iowa hosts Northern Illinois to begin 2026 football season

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Sep 4, 2026, 11:35 PM

Last updated Sep 4, 2026

Iowa hosts Northern Illinois to begin 2026 football season

Summary

Iowa enters its 28th season under head coach Kirk Ferentz with a non-conference matchup against Northern Illinois on Saturday at 3:15 pm. The game, held at Kinnick Stadium, marks the season opener for both programs. Iowa remains undecided on its starting quarterback, with the coaching staff evaluating both Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown. The Hawkeyes enter the contest with an offense led by nine returning starters familiar with coordinator Tim Lester’s system. Northern Illinois arrives with an interim head coach, Rob Harley, and a three-way competition at quarterback involving Jalon Macon, Taron Dickens, and Brady Davidson. Fans can watch the broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Source Links

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By the Numbers

•Iowa faces Northern Illinois at 3:15 pm on Saturday in Kinnick Stadium.
•Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown remain in contention for the Iowa starting quarterback position.
•Northern Illinois lists three potential starting quarterbacks on its current depth chart.
•The match is available for viewing on the Big Ten Network.

Latest Updates

11:35 PMYahoo Sports — Let the season begin, Hawkeyes open 2026 football season vs Northern Illinois

What they're saying

"
When date flips to September 5 this weekend, it will have been about 246 days, 5,902 hours, 354,180 minutes, or 21,250,800 seconds since the last Iowa Hawkeye football gameday. Though that was not quite enough time to decide the Hawkeye’s quarterback battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown, the expectation to win, a lot, is […]
— Yahoo Sports

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