By the numbers, Iowa’s offense made a significant turnaround, showcasing its most impressive performance in years after struggling last season with a dismal ranking of 129th out of 130 FBS teams in scoring offense.
In their season opener on Saturday, the Hawkeyes delivered a commanding 40-0 victory over Illinois State, racking up an impressive 492 total yards of offense. Quarterback Cade McNamara shone brightly, throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns, marking a standout performance since his transfer to Iowa in 2023.
As Iowa’s offense appears to be evolving to meet modern standards, let’s break down the Hawkeyes’ performance through key statistics.
40: Iowa’s 40-point performance marked a strong season opener, representing the first time since 2016 that they scored this many points in an opening game, when they defeated Miami (OH) 45-21.
46: With head coach Kirk Ferentz serving a one-game suspension due to a recruiting violation, interim coach Seth Wallace made history as the first coach other than Ferentz to lead Iowa to victory in the 21st century. In the last 46 years, he is only the third coach to achieve this feat, following Ferentz and his predecessor, Hayden Fry.
3: McNamara’s three touchdown passes were a highlight, making him the first Iowa quarterback to throw three touchdowns in a game since Spencer Petras accomplished the same against Maryland on October 1, 2021.
250: In addition to his touchdowns, McNamara’s 251 passing yards signified a milestone, as it was the first time an Iowa quarterback surpassed the 250-yard mark since Petras achieved 258 yards against Maryland in 2021.
2: Freshman receiver Reece Vander Zee made a notable debut, recording five catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns. His performance marked the first time an Iowa player had multiple touchdown receptions in a game since Ihmir Smith-Marsette did so against Wisconsin on December 12, 2020.
3: Alongside Vander Zee, junior receiver Jacob Gill also contributed with a touchdown catch. The trio of touchdown receptions by Iowa’s receivers in under 12 minutes equaled the total number of touchdowns the receivers had all of last season.
34: The Hawkeyes scored five touchdowns in the second half, resulting in 34 points. This was the highest second-half score since they netted 42 points in a 56-14 victory over Nebraska in 2017.
492: The 492 total yards of offense were a welcome sight for Hawkeye fans, marking the highest offensive output since 2019, when Iowa amassed 644 yards against Middle Tennessee.
5: This game represented only Iowa’s fifth instance of scoring 40 points since 2020, with their most prolific scoring performance in the last five seasons being a 51-14 victory over Maryland in 2021.
0: While Iowa’s offense has faced challenges in recent years, their defense has remained strong. Notably, Saturday’s shutout was the first for Iowa in a season opener since 2005, when they defeated Ball State 56-0.
