Kirk Ferentz gives update on Cade McNamara after injury in Week 5

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz isn’t one to mince words. Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara had to be carted off the field in the first quarter of Iowa’s 26-16 win over Michigan State. Following the bittersweet victory, Ferentz provided a blunt update on his QB1.

“I don’t want to speculate, but it always is concerning; a guy has to get helped off the field,” Ferentz said. “Considering what he’s been through, it’s really tough. You feel bad for any player that gets injured but in his case, it’s rough.”

McNamara went down just seven minutes into the game while scrambling out of his own end zone. Before leaving the game, McNamara had completed three of his six passing attempts. They went for a total of 46 yards, an average of 9.2 yards per attempt. McNamara’s lone rush went for zero yards — the play he suffered the injury on.

Despite Iowa’s 4-1 record, McNamara has had a tumultuous start to the season. The senior QB entered yesterday’s contest with 459 passing yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, completing just 50.6% of his pass attempts. After the game, a reporter asked Ferentz about McNamara’s morale.

“I mean, you can probably figure that one out yourself,” Ferentz said. “It’s not good. No player who gets injured is feeling too happy about things.”

McNamara’s disdain is understandable. The Nevada native missed most of the 2022 season at Michigan due to a right knee injury. After undergoing surgery and rehabbing throughout the season, McNamara entered the transfer portal, ultimately landing in Iowa.

Iowa’s response to Cade McNamara’s injury

With McNamara down, Iowa backup QB Deacon Hill stepped up. Although he wasn’t perfect, he got the job done. The 6-foot-3 sophomore tallied 11 completions for 115 yards and a touchdown while also throwing an interception.

Despite recording just 222 total yards compared to Michigan State’s 349, Iowa walked away with the victory. Ferentz was pleased with Hill’s resiliency.

“Impressed how Deacon stepped in,” Ferentz said. “Tough circumstance. Disappointing mostly for Cade. To go down early with an injury like that, we really won’t know his status until early next week but it’s nonetheless very disappointing. I can only imagine how he’s feeling.

“But I thought Deacon stepped into a tough situation, did a good job of leading our football team and making good decisions, especially in the second half in some critical situations. He did a good job.”

With or without McNamara, Iowa’s season will go on. On Saturday, the Hawkeyes will face off against Purdue at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.