Cade McNamara came to play in Week 7 against the Washington Huskies.

The Iowa Hawkeyes came into this week badly needing a win after getting blown out by Ohio State last week. The team has gotten off to a good start, taking a 20-10 lead into halftime.

Near the end of the 2nd quarter, McNamara did something he hadn’t done in 3 years. The QB delivered his first passing TD against a power conference team since 2021 when he found Kaleb Johnson for a 17-yard score.

The last time McNamara threw a TD against a power conference team was in December 2021 against, coincidentally, Iowa. McNamara was the starting QB for Michigan at the time in a B1G Championship Game win for the Wolverines.

To be fair to McNamara, the QB only played 3 games in 2022 and 5 games in 2023 due to injury. Although, the QB had already played 3 power conference teams this season without throwing a TD.

Against Iowa State, McNamara threw for just 99 yards with 2 interceptions. Against Minnesota, McNamara had 62 yards with 0 TDs or INTs. Finally, against Ohio State, the veteran QB threw for 98 yards with 1 INT.

At the half against the Huskies, McNamara has 42 yards with 1 TD. The Hawkeyes have traditionally relied on a strong ground game and defense, and that continues to be the case in 2024.

Kaleb Johnson has had an outstanding game, with 109 rushing yards, 22 receiving yards, and 2 TDs. It will be interesting to see if the Hawkeyes can close this game out and get another conference win.