Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara (12) - Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen via AP
The college football season is here, and it has been a big weekend already. The Iowa Hawkeyes struggled in the 2022 season. After a big transfer portal move, they may have found their offense. The Hawkeyes’ big game ended with a 24-14 win over Utah State. Here is a look at why the Iowa Hawkeyes may have just found their offense.
Iowa Hawkeye’s 2022 Struggles
The Hawkeye’s 2022 season can be defined as mediocre. Is an 8-5 record bad? No, it is definitely not bad. But a 5-4 conference record, while not bad, also is not good. There was a need for some offensive push, and they have found it. The 2022 Hawkeyes quarterback was Spencer Petras, who played in 12 games. His season stats for 2022 were, 157 completions out of 281 attempts for 1,725 yards, according to Sports Reference. He had five passing touchdowns compared to five interceptions.
The Addition of Cade McNamara
In 2022, the Michigan Wolverines held a quarterback battle. In that battle was Cade McNamara who was with the team ever since 2020. McNamara lost the battle, which resulted in him entering the transfer portal. The Hawkeyes picked him up, and it may work out well for Iowa.
Iowa’s Offense vs. Utah State
When a quarterback plays in their first game on a new offense, there is always an adjustment period needed. Did McNamara put up crazy numbers? No, but for his first game, Iowa fans have something exciting to look forward to. Against Utah State, McNamara had 17 completions out of 29 attempts for 191 yards, according to ESPN. He also had two passing touchdowns. This is not anything crazy, but it can lead to Iowa being a competitive team this season.
As for the run game, Kaleb Johnson led the team with 19 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown. As a team, Iowa had 88 rushing yards. If Iowa wants to compete against the other Big Ten teams they will need to work on that, but this can lead them to being the first in the Big Ten West. This is just game one, but the point is that the Iowa Hawkeyes look like they can make explosive plays.
From the first drive, it became clear Iowa may have a solid offense this season. On a second down play, McNamara made a big pass to a wide-open Seth Anderon for a 36-yard touchdown. This play was a tone-setter giving Iowa an early lead.
The next game for the Iowa Hawkeyes will be against Iowa State. This is set to be a close matchup, especially with the added competition of being schools from the same state. Early predictions are leaning in favor of Iowa State, but based on the Hawkeye’s week one game, this matchup will be a fun one to watch.
