It has been a long time since the Iowa Hawkeyes looked as dominant as they did against Northern Illinois. Iowa did pitch a 40-0 shutout, but was up 33-0 at halftime, which creates a small downside of only giving us essentially two quarters to glean any sort of analysis from.

Now, is that a real problem? It's certainly less of a problem than struggling against the Huskies and creating some drama or unnecessary stress.

While the Hawkeyes rolled to a Week 1 win, it didn't come without answering some important questions.

Hank Brown stepped into Kinnick Stadium today and didn't blink. Instead, he looked like a true veteran commanding the moment and leading the offense. It was a stark contrast to the times he was called upon last season.

That's not overly surprising, though. Given a full year with Tim Lester, Hank Brown has clearly taken strides in running the offense, showing confidence, and letting the ball go down the field. On the day, he was 12-for-20 for 129 yards and a touchdown, but the offense didn't feel clunky.

This isn't to say Hank Brown won the starting job by any means. It is likely to continue, but the start from Hank Brown gives plenty of reasons to be excited.

Some doubted him. Some were wrong.

It was Northern Illinois. I know. But Iowa didn't even let them breathe. At one point in the third quarter, Iowa's offense had as many first downs as the Northern Illinois Huskies had yards. Iowa had 19 first downs to the Huskies' 19 total yards.

It was an effort at every level for the Hawkeyes. The defensive line performed as a cohesive unit, which was a big question mark entering the game. Jayden Montgomery and Cam Buffington were everywhere. And, of course, the secondary was stuck to wide receivers like glue.

Iowa is no longer a passing game predicated on the tight ends. Yes, DJ Vonnahme and Addison Ostrenga are going to be focal points, as they were today, but this passing attack is deeper than that.

Tony Diaz flashed in his first game as a Hawkeye, which is only going to fuel the hype around him. He wasn't alone, though. Iowa was designing plays to get the ball to Reece Vander Zee and Evan James. Tim Lester finally has his weapons at wide receiver, which opens up a new layer of his offensive scheme.

The day ended with six targets reeling in at least two catches, with Diaz, Vonnahme, Addison Ostrenga, and Jarriett Buie reeling in at least two receptions.

It was good. But it was also bad at times.

Iowa was fantastic on kickoff coverage all night. The unit was flying down the field, and it seemed that every single kickoff return was being smothered by the entire unit.

Alternatively, the field goal game left plenty to be desired. Things started with a missed extra point early in the first quarter and were followed by a missed 53-yard attempt. The latter isn't totally damning, but seeing two go wide right of the uprights can't go unnoticed.

It wouldn't be an Iowa game without the special teams making a game-changing, flashy play, though. That is exactly what happened when Evan James announced his arrival at Iowa with a 77-yard punt return touchdown.