​Hawkeye quarterback Hank Brown battled all offseason for the starting job. Now, he’s 3-0 and coming off a game where he went 12-12 with two touchdowns.”He’s looked more comfortable with each outing. I think so far so good, really pleased with what he’s done,” said Kirk Ferentz, Iowa’s head coach.Against UNI, a strong run game for Iowa opened the defense up for Brown to operate.”Just figure out what the defense is doing, being able to layer balls in when we need to and put it on them when we need to as well,” Brown said.DJ Vonnahme did not play against UNI, but veteran tight end Addison Ostrenga stepped up in Vonnahme’s absence.”He’s been nothing but a great team member and it’s been really tough for him, had that injury last year. You know I did have that thought before the game today, I said we have DJ out but we got Addison back with us so it gave him a chance maybe to be the primary guy,” Ferentz said”He’s been through a lot and he’s grown just a ton and he’s such a good leader on this team. So seeing just the work and all that he’s put into this game and this team just pay off with that touchdown, I’m super fired up for him,” Brown said.”I’m just trying to go into every practice, every day, looking forward to being able to be out there, play football. Then when I get to play in Kinnick Stadium, I’m a senior, this is, not many opportunities left, just trying to soak it all in and enjoy it all,” Ostrenga said.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF – OurQuadCities.com.