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Kirk Ferentz defends decision to stick with Cade McNamara as Iowa’s QB1
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Kirk Ferentz can never quite avoid questions about his starting quarterback. That’s the situation yet again this season, but it’s understandable considering the track record for Iowa’s offense.
In Week 8, the Hawkeyes fell flat in every phase of the game as Michigan State looked like the better team throughout a 32-20 win for the Spartans. A particularly flat area for Iowa came in the form of QB Cade McNamara, but Ferentz indicated at his weekly press conference there is no change coming.
While Ferentz acknowledged Brendan Sullivan is also doing a good job in practice, he also said gameday competition is a part of the overall equation. That’s a bit of a mixed answer without getting to Sullivan’s in-game performance, but Ferentz also said there’s never a “100% answer” to the equation.
“I think they’re both doing a great job in practice, and gameday competition factors in there really severely, the guys who are playing. Obviously, you have concrete examples, and then guys that aren’t out there, you’re projecting a little bit,” said Ferentz. “That’s a part of the deal, so there’s never a 100% answer typically.”
As for the results, Ferentz called on McNamara to play better, but the head coach also said everyone played a role in Iowa getting shut out in the first half vs. Michigan State.
“I think they’re both doing a good job. Cade has to play better, certainly in the first half. Really nothing on offense was good enough. We dug a hole that was too deep quite frankly and everybody had a hand in it on offense,” Ferentz explained. “Cade’s going to have to throw the ball a little bit more accurately. Mentioned about the makeables, whether it’s him or anybody else. If he’s got a chance to give us better production, that’s what we need.”
As for McNamara, he has 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season, but just 3 of those touchdowns have come against quality competition. He has also gone back-to-back games while completing less than 60% of his passes, so we’ll see if he can turn things around moving forward.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.