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Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara basically threw his offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz under the bus when asked about the team’s poor passing game by the media on Tuesday.
McNamara, who transferred to the University of Iowa from Michigan after losing his starting job with the Wolverines to JJ McCarthy.
Going into Saturday’s game against Penn State, McNamara had a 16−3 record as a starting quarterback in college.
Then the Hawkeyes got steamrolled by the Nittany Lions 31-0 while amassing just 76 total yards – the second-fewest yards in a game in head coach Kirk Ferentz’s more than two decades at Iowa. The only other time Iowa had under 100 yards during that time was in 2017, Brian Ferentz’s first year as the Hawkeyes’ offensive coordinator.
After passing for just 42 yards, giving him a measly 459 passing yards in four games this season, Cade McNamara was asked about the team’s anemic passing game and why the wide receivers weren’t being more involved.
“I mean, I’m just a quarterback,” McNamara told the media on Tuesday. “I’m not calling the plays or doing any of that. That’s not my decision. I’m just going to run the play, and I’m going to throw it to the open guy.”
Looking at you, Brian Ferentz.
Cade McNamara on getting #Iowa’s wide receivers involved after just 14 catches through four games.
“I’m just the quarterback, I’m not calling the plays or doing any of that.” pic.twitter.com/NG3mLKxKUt
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) September 26, 2023
Iowa was expected to have an improved offense this season. Mostly because it couldn’t get much worse after finishing 123rd out of 131 teams in scoring in 2022.
The additions of McNamara and Ohio State transfer, wide receiver Kaleb Brown, were supposed to make the offense better.
For some reason, though, Brown is only averaging a little over 10 snaps per game and has been targeted just twice in four games.
McNamara also claimed during the press conference that it isn’t him that’s lost faith in the Iowa wideouts.
“I mean, I’m extremely confident in them. They know how confident I am (in them), and I know that they’re confident in me. I don’t really care about anything other than me and their relationship and I know how we both feel about one another,” McNamara said.
Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, the son of the head coach, infamously had to take a $50,000 pay cut after last season’s dismal offensive performance.
The Hawkeyes also must average 25 points per game, reach seven wins and a bowl game, or he will be fired.
Iowa is currently averaging 21.2 points per game – 107th of 133 teams. They next take on Michigan State, who is allowing an average of 23.2 points per game so far this season.
Iowa’s remaining schedule includes games against Purdue (32.2 points per game allowed), Wisconsin (19.8), Minnesota (21.0), Northwestern (25.8), Rutgers (15.2), Illinois (27.2), and Nebraska (18.5 points per game allowed) still to come.