You won’t believe this, but I called the score. Yep, “40-0,” I texted my brother before kickoff. Of course, I meant that as a joke and was just hoping for the under to hit to make my dad some money, but since it happened, I’ll take some pride in it. My black-and-gold painted heart wanted Iowa to emulate the Alabamas and Ohio States in Week 1 – trot out against a woefully inferior opponent and crush the living daylights out of them. And such is what transpired – disclaimer – in the second half. 

I hate to rain on parades, as Saturday conjured up plenty of stats – albeit some laughable – that would have anyone rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Three wide receiver touchdowns? 492 yards of offense? More passing yards than rushing yards? All true. And with two more wideout scores, the Hawkeyes would match their total from the last two seasons combined. All hail Tim Lester, the master of motion up in the booth at Kinnick Stadium, whispering into quarterback Cade McNamara’s ear via the new helmet communication. His debut was historic – the most rushing, passing, and points scored for any Iowa OC in their debut since 1979 – but not to be latched onto with the grip of expectation. 

Illinois State isn’t a bad school – I can’t hate on my home state – but it’s certainly no FCS powerhouse like the Dakotas. This was a team that went 6-5 last season giving up more than 300 yards per game and doesn’t have a true starting quarterback. The Redbirds’ pass rush was decent in 2023 as their sacks per game ranked third in the FCS in 2023, and this was apparent against an Iowa offensive line that looked a little overwhelmed in the first half. 

Running back Kamari Moulton could hardly find green grass in the first half with no holes opening up while Cade McNamara’s pass attempts flew frequently off target. Averaging four yards per play and 3.7 per rush, the Hawkeye offense looked like a marginally improved version from last year, just with more window dressing. Towards halftime, though, things were looking up, as execution improved and the face-palming penalties ceased. Credit acting head coach Seth Wallace – I’m sure he had plenty of PG things to say to fire up his guys – but also McNamara. 

The quarterback hadn’t played competitive football without some sort of lingering injury since the beginning of 2022, and I’m willing to cut him some slack for his early woes. Maybe all it took was the knockdown in the first half, but once McNamara got comfortable, he owned the field. Open receivers on crossing routes didn’t have to reach behind them or over their head – their hands barely moved. The Hawkeyes were utilizing the run-pass option and executing with speed and precision. Each of their five of their touchdown drives transpired in less than 3:30. 

Don’t even get me started on McNamara’s brilliant 31-yard toss to tight end Zach Ortwerth. Juking defenders and making a cross-body throw up the left sideline to a receiver in stride – I was seeing visions of Caleb Williams to Rome Odunze. Yeah, I suppose a guy named Aaron Rodgers did that too, but let’s not get into semantics. That play was the best I’ve seen from McNamara or any Iowa quarterback during my three years on campus. That first half, McNamara may as well have been Justin Fields, scrambling upfield but never hitting receivers, but he evolved to, well, Williams. 

But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. For Bear fans sick enough to watch whole preseason football games like myself, they will know that the Williams-to-Odunze connection occurred with mostly backups and third-stringers on the field. The corner guarding Odunze was a 2024 fifth-round pick out of TCU, and one of the defensive linemen chasing down Williams is now on the practice squad. What with Illinois State’s previously mentioned track record, you could reasonably argue that McNamara’s throw occurred in similar circumstances. This is not to diminish the play, but rather place it in proper context. I’m sure McNamara knows this. He’s not caught up in the whole “40 points!” bonanza. Following in line with Wallace, the quarterback admitted there’s still work to be done. 

“We’re not really too worried about the 40 points, I think we’re more worried about how we can start the game fast and not lull or stall,” McNamara said at his post-game press conference. “How we can get it going early.” 

Those are wise words, especially with rival Iowa State coming to town next week. Cy-Hawk games are as competitive as can be, and the Hawkeyes can’t afford another slow start on offense. I’m not asking for another 40 points, but at least take advantage of the field positioning and takeaways from the defense. But at least for one night, relish in the fact that Iowa mirrored the top teams in the nation with recruiting violations … err  … a 40-point blowout. It’s about time.