Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara (12) throws a pass during the Hawkeyes’ Spring Open Practice at Kinnick Stadium on April 22, 2023, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images/TNS)
What’s happened so far in 2023?
The Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) entered the 2023 season under pressure to improve their offensive production.
After finishing last season 130th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in offensive yards and 123rd in points per game, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz became the main subject of Hawkeye fans’ criticism. Through four games in 2023, he doesn’t appear to be off the hot seat yet. Iowa averaged 28.3 points per game in its three out-of-conference games against Utah State, Iowa State and Western Michigan — an improvement from last season’s 17.7 — but its first conference game against Penn State raised serious questions about the Hawkeye offense. Iowa generated 76 total offensive yards and only four first downs in a 31-0 road loss to the Nittany Lions. After the offensive letdown in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania, the Hawkeyes may need to rely on their defense — which finished the 2022 season second in the country in scoring defense — to win games again this season.
Key offensive player
Although he hasn’t taken the Hawkeye offense to the next level yet, if anyone can help solve Iowa’s point scoring issues, it’s Michigan transfer Cade McNamara. Despite losing the starting quarterback job at Michigan to J.J. McCarthy last season, McNamara arrived in Iowa City, Iowa, with an impressive resume. In the 2021 season, McNamara threw for 2,576 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to the Wolverines’ first Big Ten Championship since 2004 and the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, along with their first win against Ohio State since 2011.
McNamara has gotten off to a slow start in 2022, throwing 50.6 percent of his passes for 459 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. However, his track record at Michigan gives him the potential to produce at a high level again.
Key defensive player
Iowa’s key defensive player is another transfer: Nick Jackson. Jackson played four seasons at Virginia, recording over 100 tackles a season for three straight years between 2020 and 2022. The senior linebacker also recorded five sacks last season, which would have placed him second on last year’s Hawkeyes defense, trailing only Jack Campbell’s 5.5 sacks. Jackson became an instant starter on a defense that topped most statistical charts in 2022 and is already performing impressively. In the Hawkeyes’ loss to Penn State, he recorded the team’s second-most tackles with 10, also registering a team-leading 2.5 tackles for loss.
With an already strong foundation from last season, the addition of Jackson could be the X factor that Iowa needs to win in a Big Ten West Division built on defensive prowess.
Weaknesses
Iowa’s obvious weakness is its struggle to score points, but a more specific weakness could be a lack of weapons at McNamara’s disposal. Iowa has only one receiver, sophomore Charleston Southern transfer Seth Anderson, who has recorded more than 500 yards in a season. The Hawkeyes will be forced to call on the experience of sixth-year senior Nico Ragaini, junior Diante Vines and Anderson, who have yet to prove they can perform at the level McNamara did when winning the Big Ten in 2021.
