Kirk Ferentz reveals status of Iowa QB position amid injuries

Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa Hawkeyes have been dealing with a myriad of injuries at the quarterback position, but they’re not making any excuses.

First, Cade McNamara suffered a concussion, and then his backup, Brendan Sullivan, sustained an ankle injury. That meant Jackson Stratton had to step up this past weekend against Maryland, and the walk-on who transferred to Iowa from Colorado State had a solid game against the Terrapins.

After the conference victory for the Hawkeyes, Ferentz cleared up any confusion about the position, revealing it’ll be Stratton who gets the start against Nebraska in Iowa’s final game of the regular season.

“Based on everything I know, it’s the few, the proud and the free out there. So, you know what I mean? He’s the leader of the group right now. So yeah, I would assume so,” Ferentz said, regarding Stratton starting against the Cornhuskers, during his post-game press conference. “But we’ll see what happens when the week comes. … I assume he’ll be the guy in there.”

Stratton did just enough to get the job done this past weekend. The transfer quarterback completed 10 of his 14 pass attempts, amassing 76 yards but zero touchdowns, while also not throwing any interceptions.

Iowa still put 29 points on the board, despite some uneven play at quarterback. They relied heavily on running back Kaleb Johnson, who carried the football 35 times for 164 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon.

Fellow running back Kamari Moulton also put his mark on the game. He carried the football 12 times for 114 yards and a touchdown, including a 68-yard touchdown run.

The win advanced Iowa’s record to 7-4, and the Hawkeyes will be looking to close out their regular season with a win over Nebraska. Jackson Stratton is who Kirk Ferentz will send into the fire at quarterback, but the Hawkeyes will continue to utilize their strong rushing attack, as well.