Passing Offense: A- 

If Cade McNamara started this game like he did in the second half, then this performance would have likely earned him an A+. McNamara went only 8/17 for 74 yards in the first half, which frustrated many of the 69,000 fans inside Kinnick Stadium. But just as the fans had given up on McNamara, the fifth-year redeemed himself after the break, tossing three touchdowns and 177 yards. In all, McNamara completed 21 of his 31 passes with 251 total yards. This was McNamara’s first game back since his season-ending injury last September, and Hawkeye fans should be pleased with his dominant response in the second half. 

Two of McNamara’s passing touchdowns went to true freshman wideout Reece Vander Zee, who tallied 66 yards on five receptions. Iowa entered the season with many questions surrounding the wide receiver corps but may have found an answer with Vander Zee, who played quarterback during his senior year of high school before being converted to a receiver in college. Third-year Jacob Gill also had a productive afternoon, snatching three catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. Again, this should be a promising sign for Hawkeye fans, especially with the return of top wideout Kaleb Brown next week against Iowa State. 

Passing Defense: A

There’s a saying that goes, “If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one.” This statement quite accurately described the Redbird passing duo of Tommy Rittenhouse and Jake Rubley, as the pair combined for 126 yards on 12 completions. To be fair, a majority of this ineffectiveness derived from Iowa’s suffocating pass rush, which romped to four sacks led by Aaron Graves with three. 

Jermari Harris snagged an interception early on and could’ve had a pick-six had he stayed on his feet. Sebastian Castro was once again a missile on the field, dislodging footballs from unsuspecting opponents. The only blemish was the 34-yard completion from Rittenhouse to wideout Xavier Lloyd that Hawkeye backup corner John Nestor couldn’t make a play on. 

TJ Hall started ahead of Nestor and looked solid, recording a fumble recovery and defending a couple of passes the Redbirds targeted him with early. The corner competition is in no way over, but Iowa demonstrated Saturday it has a lot of options. 

Rushing Offense: B- 

Following a strong fall camp, redshirt first-year Kamari Moulton was named RB1. Against the Redbirds, Moulton racked up 65 yards on 19 carries, most of which came in the first half. Moulton is known for his strong rushing and has unlimited potential in offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s new-look offense, but I felt the offensive line struggles early on stifled Moulton’s performance today. Regardless, Moulton is a name for fans to watch as the season rolls on. 

After missing the first half due to a suspension, third-year Kaleb Johnson made the most of his limited playing time on Saturday, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. One of the touchdowns was a 64-yard sprint early in the fourth that punctuated the win for Iowa. Johnson was Iowa’s top running back for most of 2023 and adds plenty of depth to one of the Big Ten’s deepest running back rooms. 

Rushing Defense: A+ 

I could just chalk up this grade by saying the Redbirds averaged less than two yards per rush compared to the Hawkeyes’ six, but there’s a little bit more nuance. Illinois State running back Mason King went down with an injury early on and finished his day with one carry for two yards. King, a first-team all-conference selection last season, was supposed to be the main threat to the Iowa front, but I doubt he could’ve made much of a difference. Illinois State had no ground plays of more than 10 yards. Enough said.  

Special Teams: A 

I was wondering at halftime how tired new Rhys Dakin was, having already trotted out to the turf four times as the Iowa offense languished, but by the time the final horn sounded, he must’ve wanted to get some extra practice reps in. The Hawkeyes punted just once over the final 30 minutes of action but still finished the day with 39 yards per boot. 

Kicker Drew Stevens stayed consistent, nailing both of his field goal tries. The only knock was the Hawkeyes could’ve recovered a muffed punt in the first half to set them up in the red zone, but the pigskin didn’t bounce their way. Such is life, but a 40-point victory margin should be enough to get by. 

Coaching A- 

Without Kirk Ferentz on the sidelines, it’s really hard to judge the performance of acting head coach Seth Wallace. The Hawkeyes looked awful in the first half, but they responded extremely well in the second, so I have to give the nod to Wallace and the coaching staff for keeping the locker room focused when seemingly everything was going wrong at the beginning of the game. 

One of the other reasons why this grade isn’t an A+ is the unusually large number of penalties committed by Iowa on the day. The Hawkeyes averaged only 30 penalty yards per game in 2023 but committed seven penalties for 50 yards against the Redbirds, an uncharacteristic number for an Iowa football team. It’s only Week 1, but Iowa can’t afford to play like that moving forward.