Getty Image / Matthew Holst
The Iowa Hawkeyes offense is hilarious to follow, as offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz is fighting to keep his job. But, it took a huge hit when starting quarterback and Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara is going to miss the rest of the season.
The news broke Monday afternoon.
Iowa QB Cade McNamara will likely miss remainder of season w/leg injury suffered vs. Michigan State, @DavidEickholt reports
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 2, 2023
McNamara was the starting quarterback for Jim Harbaugh’s first win over the Ohio State Buckeyes back in 2021. He led the Michigan Wolverines to a 12-2 season that culminated in a Big Ten title and a college football playoff berth.
He couldn’t hold off then-sophomore JJ McCarthy last year in a quarterback competition in 2022, however. Harbaugh gave both signal callers starts early in the year, and ultimately went with the higher upside player in JJ McCarthy. That decision has worked out, as he’s 18-1 as the starter at Michigan.
Many were stunned when McNamara, who was pretty in demand in the transfer portal, decided to transfer to Iowa for the 2023 season. After all the, the Hawkeye offense has been a laughingstock for quite some time. That reached a fever pitch last year, when they were among they very worst in the nation under offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz.
Most Hawkeye fans wanted him to be fired, but Iowa brought him back, with a contract stipulation that required him to get 25 points per game (defensive and special teams touchdowns included) or else his contract would be voided.
But, he’s not at that mark yet. Iowa is averaging just 22.2 points per game, including a shutout at Penn State where the team had four first downs and 76 total yards of offense.
And, things have just gotten a lot harder for Brian Ferentz to get to 25ppg with this injury news. Granted, it’s not like McNamara, who had an injury all summer and never looked like himself this year, was lighting the world on fire. He was just 46/90 for for 505 yards and 4TD to go along with 3INT.
The injury occurred during the team’s 26-16 win against Michigan State on Saturday. Deacon Hill is the presumed starter for Iowa. The team hosts Purdue this weekend before going on the road to Wisconsin in a huge Big Ten West matchup.