IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa football will open its 2023 season hosting the Utah State Aggies inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday with an 11:03 a.m. kickoff. Senior quarterback Cade McNamara will make the start in his Hawkeye debut.

McNamara suffered a soft tissue injury to his right leg in a fall at open practice on Aug. 12. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said McNamara was medically cleared to play but questionable to start under center on Saturday in a press conference on Tuesday, but the Michigan transfer was named the starter against the Aggies early on Saturday morning.

RELATED: Iowa QB Cade McNamara will start Week 1 against Utah State 

Iowa football finished the 2023 season with an 8-5 overall record after defeating the Kentucky Wildcats, 21-0, in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1. But the Hawkeyes look quite different this season, most notably at the quarterback position with senior Cade McNamara replacing Spencer Petras. Sophomore receiver Seth Anderson and junior receiver Kaleb Brown transferred to Iowa from Charleston Southern and Ohio State, respectively, although they will serve as backups to returners Nico Ragaini and Diante Vines.

Junior Yahya Black will start at left tackle on the other side of the ball, replacing senior Noah Shannon who the NCAA suspended indefinitely amid its gambling investigation. Senior Jay Higgins and Virginia graduate transfer Nick Jackson will start in the linebacker positions. Sophomore Xavier Nwankpa will start at safety.

Utah State ended the 2023 season with a 6-7 record upon losing the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl to Memphis, 38-10.

The Aggies return five starters on offense and four on defense. Graduate senior linebacker MJ Tafisi Jr. will lead the Aggies on defense, having recorded 8.5 sacks last year — a team-high. Sophomore safety Ike Larson will hold down the Utah State secondary after recording four interceptions last season.

20 minutes before kickoff: Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris, who missed all of last season due to injury but is listed as the starting cornerback, will not be starting for the Hawkeye defense today. It looks like DeShaun Lee will start in his stead.

COIN TOSS: Iowa won the coin toss and has elected to receive and defend the south end zone.

14:18 1Q: Sophomore Kaleb Johnson returns the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Utah State 39 yard line. On just the second play of the drive, Cade McNamara launched a 36-yard pass to a wide-open Seth Anderson on the left side for a touchdown. 7-0, Hawkeyes.

TOUCHDOWN HAWKEYES. 🙌

Seth Anderson gets @HawkeyeFootball on the board on just the second play of the game.

📺: FS1/@CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/iz1FNoIPsH

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 2, 2023

12:40 1Q: Iowa’s DeShaun Lee — in his Iowa debut — secured two big tackles to force the Aggies into a three-and-out. The Hawkeyes will come back on offense at their own 25 yard line.

8:24 1Q: McNamara’s short pass to redshirt freshman Jaziun Patterson on third down led to an 18-yard gain to save the Hawkeyes’ drive. An Aggie illegal block in the back on a 21-yard run from sophomore Kaleb Johnson moved Iowa to the 7-yard line. Timeout Utah State, its second of the half.

7:44 1Q: On fourth and goal from the three, McNamara finds tight end and fellow Michigan transfer Erick All for Iowa’s second touchdown of the game. A 75-yard drive brings Iowa to a 14-0 lead. The Hawkeyes have scored more touchdowns in this first quarter than they did in their first two games last season.

2:07 1Q: Iowa took over on its own 29 yard line after the defense forced another three-and-out and punt from the Aggies. The Hawkeyes set up to go for it on fourth and one from Utah State’s 29 yard line until the media timeout. The Hawkeyes will set up for fourth down after the timeout.

2:02 1Q: The Aggies stop a Kaleb Johnson run up the middle from any yard gain, so the Hawkeyes turned the ball over on downs.

End 1Q: The Aggies steadily pushed the ball up close to Hawkeye territory, but the Hawkeyes are still active on defense. Senior defensive back Quinn Schulte deflected a pass from Utah State quarterback Cooper Legas, which junior cornerback Cooper DeJean tipped, bobbled, and ultimately dropped — almost a pick for the preseason All American. Although a false start from sophomore defensive lineman Max Llewellyn gave the Aggies a free first down, DeShaun Lee is a Ball Hawk — he nearly picked one off on the play and secured a pass breakup. That’s the end of the first quarter.

11:03 2Q: Utah State drove the ball as far up into Iowa territory as the 14 yard line, but a big sack from junior defensive lineman Deontae Craig made a loss of nine. The Aggies settled for a 32-yard field goal, and the Hawkeyes remain in the lead 14-3.

8:50 2Q: Senior punter Tory Taylor came onto the field for the first time this game to a nice applause from Hawkeye fans, but his punt was blocked by Utah State safety Ike Larson and went only 37 yards. The Aggies will take over on their own 33 yard line. Of note: McNamara scrambled for the first time this game, sliding safely without any contact, a dangerous play considering the Iowa quarterback’s August injury arose from a similar scramble.

7:00 2Q: Utah State junior receiver Jalen Royals dropped an open pass that was right in the numbers on third down, so the Aggies punted yet again. Iowa will take over on the 20 yard line after the timeout.

4:49 2Q: Tory Taylor is back out to punt for the Hawkeyes, and this one is 53 yards that puts the Aggies at their own 23 yard line. McNamara was sacked for a loss of 10 yards by Utah State sophomore linebacker Gavin Barthiel. There is a timeout on the field.

3:54 2Q: Sophomore safety Xavier Nwankpa is here. He just intercepted Legas’ pass, putting the Hawkeyes on their own 49 yard line.

End 2Q: The Hawkeyes’ 47-yard drive held a handful of rushes and included two completions to tight end Erick All. The Michigan connection is continuing. Iowa sophomore kicker Drew Stevens nailed a 35-yard field goal, but a personal foul on Utah State’s Ike Larson erased the three points and brought the Iowa offense back onto the field for first and goal. Still, the Iowa offense failed to score on its second chance, so Stevens came back out for a 20-yard field goal. The Hawkeyes go into halftime with a 17-3 lead.

12:02 3Q: The Aggies opened the third quarter with a 39-yard pass from Legas to senior receiver Terrell Vaughn to set themselves up in Iowa territory. There, the Hawkeyes stifled the Aggies’ push, leading to a Utah State field goal. The Hawkeyes will take possession with a 17-6 lead.

10:11 3Q: Two incomplete passes from Iowa’s McNamara on second and third down brought Tory Taylor and the Hawkeye punting unit back onto the field. Utah State will take over on its own 17th yard line.

6:02 3Q: Iowa’s Cooper DeJean stiffed sophomore running back Robert Briggs Jr. on an Utah State screen pass on third down, forcing the Aggies to punt. It will be Iowa’s ball on its own 20.

3:43 3Q: Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara found senior receiver Nico Ragaini on the left side for 29 yards to move the Hawkeyes up into the Utah State 47. The next play, McNamara’s right leg — the same one he injured in August — was caught in an attempted tackle on a Utah State QB hurry. McNamara stretched it a few times before the next play, but he remained in the game.

3:05 3Q: The Iowa punting unit is back on the field, Tory Taylor placing the Aggies on their own 10 yard line with a 41-yard punt.

End 3Q: Sophomore safety Xavier Nwankpa, who walked off of the field last drive with a lower leg injury, has not returned to the Hawkeye secondary. Utah State was forced to punt, and that punt hit the ground and bounced off of a Hawkeye — but Iowa recovered the ball before Utah State could and will take over on its own 32nd yard line.

10:17 4Q: On third and 12, a 31-yard pass from McNamara found junior tight end Luke Lachey, who rose up and snagged the ball at his helmet. The Hawkeyes inched closer to the end zone and into Utah State territory, finding Lachey again on third and 11 for a 15-yard completion. Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson waltzed into the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown run, and the Hawkeyes now lead, 24-6. The drive lasted 11 plays and four minutes and 43 seconds for 68 yards.

8:50 4Q: A QB rush from Iowa defensive end Joe Evans pounded Utah State’s quarterback Cooper Legas, and the Aggies’ punt team returned to the field for a 47-yard punt. Iowa will take over on its own 29 yard line after a block in the back penalty on Iowa. Sophomore quarterback Deacon Hill is warming up for the Hawkeyes.

7:10 4Q: Iowa second string quarterback Deacon Hill’s first drive as a Hawkeye ends in a three-and-out, and the Aggies regain possession at its own 25 yard line after a Hawkeye punt.

3:37 4Q: Iowa’s defense forced a Utah State turnover on downs after an incomplete pass on a QB hurry from Iowa’s Brian Allen. Iowa will take the ball at its own 25 yard line.

End 4Q: Despite a last-ditch touchdown from the Aggies with just over a minute left, the Hawkeyes held on to their lead until the end. Iowa wins, 24-14.

This is a developing story. Follow along for updates here or @dipregame on Twitter.