Kirk Ferentz reveals his confidence level in Deacon Hill amid Cade McNamara injury

Early in the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ win over Michigan State, starting quarterback Cade McNamara went down with a lower-body injury and had to be carted off the field. He didn’t return, presenting another problem for Kirk Ferentz and his struggling offense.

Following McNamara’s injury, Ferentz shared how confident he is moving forward with backup Deacon Hill.

“Deacon, unfortunately, has gotten more practice. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but he’s practiced more than a normal No. 2 guy would because of Cade’s first issue,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I think that benefited him a little bit tonight. But it’s one thing to practice. It’s another thing to step in there when the game is on the line which it was.”

Deacon Hill, a transfer from Wisconsin, came in early enough in the game that the outcome was still on the line for Iowa. In the end, he impressed Kirk Ferentz with his play, completing 11 of 27 passes for 115 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

“We had a lot of football to play. I thought he showed good poise out there. Played with confidence. And his teammates, you can see they rallied around him, made some good throws, and had some other ones we can probably improve on, but I feel like he did a good job for the first time in a really critical time.”

Kirk Ferentz did admit that Deacon Hill is a different style of quarterback from Cade McNamara. However, he has liked what he’s seen from Hill so far.

“He’s a different style quarterback. He’s a big quarterback but he throws the ball well. It’s his strength and I thought tonight, we hadn’t really seen him in game action, where the game is on the line. And I thought he showed a lot of good things today. We’ll start with that and just keep pushing forward. And his wherewithal, his presence on the bench and on the headsets was really good, encouraging and that’s also a good thing.”

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

Following the game, Kirk Ferentz shared what he knew about Cade McNamara’s injury. For now, though, he wants to avoid speculating.

“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.”

Kirk Ferentz also noted that McNamara’s morale has been low since the injury.

“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.”