The Iowa Offense Actually Completed Forward Passes And Scored 40 Points

The Iowa Hawkeyes' offense has been a recurring punchline in recent years, the epitome of Big Ten football.

Their "exploits" in 2023 reached a new low; the Hawkeyes were shut out in their final two games of the season, 26-0 in the Big Ten Championship game by the Michigan Wolverines. And then a humiliating 35-0 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

They scored just 10 points against Northwestern, 15 against Wisconsin, were shutout by Penn State, and had 15-13 and 13-10 victories. But with new offensive coordinator Tim Lester and a commitment to improve by Kirk Ferentz, hopes were high that 2024 would be a different story for the Iowa offense.

Through the first half of their season opener against Illinois State, it didn't look promising. The Hawkeyes scored just six points and frequently looked inept. 

But the second half was a different, much more encouraging story for the Iowa offense.

Iowa City, Iowa - Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara (12) throws a 31 yard touchdown pass as Illinois State Redbirds defensive lineman Steven Curtis (8) pursues during the third quarter at Kinnick Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024. Photo: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa Hawkeyes Show Progress Through First Game

Cade McNamara actually threw several completed forward passes, three of which went for touchdowns in the third quarter alone.

Iowa scored four touchdowns in five possessions to start the second half and pull away from Illinois State. The Hawkeyes scored 34 points in the second half, which would have been their second-highest full game total in any game in 2023. In fact, they only scored more than 26 points in a full game one time in 2023.

They averaged 6.9 yards per play, which had been previously assumed to be illegal in the state of Iowa until 2024.

This is the point where it's important to highlight that Iowa was playing Illinois State. Obviously, there are much tougher games coming for the Hawkeyes, including traveling to Columbus to play Ohio State on October 5. But at the very least, it's a hint that Iowa might not be as completely inept on the offensive side of the ball this season. The rest of the Big Ten should watch out for the conference's new high-flying juggernaut.