From a first half that left many wondering what had changed to a second half where anything seemed possible. Such is what unfolded at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday when the Iowa football team defeated Illinois State, 40-0, behind five offensive touchdowns in the second half and a stifling defense that clipped the Redbirds’ wings on nearly every play. 

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Over the first 30 minutes of action, the Hawkeyes had six points and 147 yards of offense. Twenty minutes later those numbers ballooned to 40 and 492. Quarterback Cade McNamara completed 13-of-14 second-half passes, three for touchdowns, to finish the day with 251 yards and a 167 passer rating. First-year wideout Reece Vander Zee snagged two while running back Kaleb Johnson dashed across the goal line twice in the rout. 

“The second half, as it related to the game, just from a messaging standpoint, the big deal was just clean up our executions and some things that shot us in the foot,” acting head coach Seth Wallace said. after the game “Anytime you take the momentum away, you really start draining a little bit of the confidence as well. That took place in the first half, but the second half is a better indicator of the kind of team that we are and what we’re capable of.”

While the offense ignited in the second half, the defense was on fire all game, yielding 189 total yards, including 1.7 yards per carry. Star linebacker combo Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson led the charge, pacing the team with seven and five tackles, respectively, as the Hawkeyes produced three takeaways and four sacks. 

Higgins jokingly told reporters that after such a performance, he needs to award his teammates with some Dunkin Donuts –  three boxes for the D-lineman, two for the linebackers, and one for the defensive backs, strictly proportioned on eating habits. But all kidding aside, the shutout was a huge confidence boost for a group looking to build on a spectacular 2023 campaign, as 23 different Hawkeyes logged at least one tackle. 

“We put the [backups] in with 12 minutes left,” Higgins said. “The trust that we have and everybody on our defense, I mean we coach top-down, our starters are being coached hard and our backups are being coached hard. It was just cool seeing everybody have an impact on today’s game.”

Receiving the second-half opening kickoff, the Hawkeyes took advantage of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave them a favorable position on their own 40-yard-line. McNamara seized the opportunity in the passing game, finding tight ends Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga for sizeable gains to get Iowa in the red zone. On first and goal, McNamara rolled right, nailing a sliding Reece Vander Zee for the first touchdown of the season and the team’s first in 12 quarters of football. 

Vander Zee, an 18-year-old true freshman from Rock Rapids, Iowa, was coming off an injury he suffered during the summer and finished the day with five catches for 66 yards. Back in Central Lyon High School, Vander Zee set the program’s single-season record as a junior, and the following year, took over at quarterback after Zach Lutmer, now at Iowa as a defensive back, graduated. 

“It was rough for the first week or so, but I got back into it,” Vander Zee said of resuming pass-catching duties in college. “Just trusting my technique and at the end of the day, you just got to be an athlete and have fun with it.”

The Hawkeyes went for two after Vander Zee’s catch but failed to convert. That error clearly didn’t bother the likes of McNamara, as he once again found paydirt through the air. 

After two straight 8-yard completions, the former Michigan signal caller launched a 31-yard spiral into the waiting hands of wideout Jacob Gill, a third-year transfer from Northwestern, as Iowa took a commanding 19-0 lead with under eight minutes to go in the third quarter. 

McNamara said Iowa ran a similar play earlier in the game to gauge how the Redbird safeties would defend it. This time around, the safeties played a different angle, and the quarterback took full advantage.

“That’s the thing about this new offense is, like, sometimes the first time you see something is going to be in a game,” he said.

The highlights only continued for McNamara. After the Hawkeyes forced a turnover on downs from the Redbirds, McNamara made perhaps his most impressive throw of the afternoon, dodging defenders on a leftward scramble and launching a perfectly placed, 31-yard ball for tight end Zach Ortwerth.

On the very next play, the Michigan transfer floated a 19-yard loft to a leaping Vander Zee for his third touchdown of the second half. Vander Zee said McNamara almost changed the play but reconsidered with the play clock winding down, adding that he didn’t even realize Lachey was right next to him during the catch –  a jump-ball-esque grab that felt only natural to the former high school hooper.

If that wasn’t enough, Iowa reverted back to the ground game and continued to find success. Running back Kaleb Johnson scampered through the hole and dashed 64 yards to the end zone, and Kinnick Stadium shook in excitement with every step. The third-year running back continued his dominance later on in the quarter, rushing to the right for 18 yards toward the pylon for his second score of the day. 

The Hawkeyes hadn’t scored more than 30 points in a game since last September, but in the afternoon sun on Saturday, anything seemed possible – especially after a first half that left many fans wondering if anything changed about the offense at all. 

Unlike the first-quarter fireworks from last season’s opener, the Hawkeye offense stalled early against the Redbirds, producing consecutive three-and-outs. Lester’s debut drive produced just four yards, all from Kamari Moulton. 

“They did a really good job of putting pressure on us, especially in the first half, they brought a lot of field pressure and edge pressure,” McNamara said of the Redbird defense.

The Hawkeyes forced two turnovers on the next two Redbird drives, with graduate senior corner Jermari Harris snagging an interception from Rittenhouse and senior defensive back Sebastian Castro forcing a fumble from running back Wenkers Wright. Had Harris stayed on his feet, he would’ve had an easy 50-yard stroll to the end zone. The Hawkeyes gained just 11 total yards off the turnovers, settling for a 41-yard field goal to open the scoring. 

Iowa ended the first quarter with 34 yards of offense and one first down as McNamara completed 3-of-8 passes for 17 yards. Hawkeye wide receiver Kaden Wetjen ran a punt back 65 yards for a touchdown, but the play was called back for an illegal block in the back. 

After a dismal first quarter of 34 yards and one first down, the Iowa offense came alive late in the first half, posting a 10-play, 49-yard drive to get within striking distance of the end zone. The drive produced three plays of 10-plus yards, including a 17-yard toss up the middle to Lachey and a 12-yard scramble from McNamara. On third-and-6, McNamara’s pass tipped off the hands of Ortwerth at the goal line. Drew Stevens notched his second field goal of the game, this one from 28 yards out. Iowa entered the tunnel with a 6-0 halftime lead. 

“Coach Wallace was really honing on playing together as well as making the most of every opportunity,” Lachey said. “It was one thing here, one thing there … We just got to keep everyone on the same page.”

Indeed, six penalties hampered the Hawkeyes in the first half, costing them 45 yards. Lachey drew an illegal motion that erased a McNamara 20-yard scramble while Higgins’ defensive holding eliminated a strip sack from Hawkeye Aaron Graves.

“Nobody was down on themselves, pouting, any kind of that stuff, we just knew that if we kept working at it, we’re going to start scoring some points,” Graves said. “We knew we were stopping them on defense. We just had to keep doing our job. I think it was, like, we’re going to get back out there and prove that we can put up 40 on these guys like we did.”

The 40-point outburst was the best debut for any Iowa offensive coordinator since 1979, per Iowa Athletics. Lester’s first game also set the record for most passing and rushing yards. Nevertheless, more offense isn’t necessarily best for everyone.

“Can I get on the field and make some more tackles?” Higgins said with a laugh.