Hawkeyes serve tasty dessert to their fans before a bland meal overall
Iowa’s 24-14 win over Utah State wasn’t memorable, but it was much more satisfying than the way it began last season.
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Cade McNamara not ‘100 percent’ recovered, but ‘getting better’
Cade McNamara “seemed comfortable with things” in his Iowa debut, Kirk Ferentz said after Saturday’s 24-14 win.
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Game Report: Iowa 24, Utah State 14
Here's a look at the turning point, key numbers and more notes from Iowa's win over Utah State.
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Cade McNamara was complimentary of his pass protection: "The O-line really kept me protected today. They did a really good job. A lot of those guys, I was getting into my second hitch, and there's still no one within yards of me."
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Kirk Ferentz's opening statement
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Iowa TE Luke Lachey wants to be a 'security guy' for Cade McNamara
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Hawkeyes QB Cade McNamara on the first touchdown pass to Seth Anderson: "I was so fired up. We had the exact look we wanted. And to be honest, I was kind of surprised that play was called that early. I was expecting maybe a play action or something."
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Iowa’s newcomers fuel early offensive outburst in win over Utah State
Iowa’s early offensive outburst led to a 24-14 season-opening win over Utah State. The Hawkeyes quickly jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and both touchdowns were courtesy of Iowa’s transfer portal additions.
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Final: Iowa 24, Utah State 14
The Hawkeyes (+21) don't cover, don't reach the 25-point threshold, but it's a comfortable win with transfer-portal additions immediately proving their worth.
Next week: Iowa State at 2:30 p.m.
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Touchdown Utah State
Terrell Vaughn hauls in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Cooper Legas. It was a three-play, 70-yard drive aided by a late-hit penalty on Jaden Harrell.
Legas found Rahsul Faison for the 2-point conversion.
Iowa 24, Utah State 14 (1:36 4th)
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Iowa is 1-0 and still in contention for the College Football Playoff.
Have a nice Labor Day weekend, everybody.
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Utah State turns it over on downs
Maybe the Aggies' best chance to find the end zone today, but it doesn't happen. Iowa forces a fourth-and-11, then Brian Allen pressures and hits Cooper Legas as he throws for an incompletion. Iowa takes over at its 25, up 24-6 with 3:37 to play.
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Deacon Hill checks in
Cade McNamara's first start at Iowa appears to end with a 17-for-30 day for 191 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Hawkeyes go three-and-out with Hill completing one pass for 5 yards.
Iowa 24, Utah State 6 (6:57 4th)
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Touchdown Iowa
Kaleb Johnson's 3-yard run, set up by Kaden Wetjen's 13-yard scamper, completes a 10-play, 68-yard drive for an offense that hadn't done much since early in the first quarter. Drew Stevens kicked the extra point.
Luke Lachey made two huge catches of 31 and 15 yards on third-and-12 and third-and-11, respectively.
Iowa 24, Utah State 6 (10:17 4th)
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Iowa has 3 points since its second possession of the game ended.
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End 3: Iowa 17, Utah State 6
Not exactly a comfortable lead for the Hawkeyes with 15 minutes to play. Iowa nearly had a big blunder when a punt hit Deshaun Lee's helmet but he recovered the ball before the Aggies realized.
Iowa begins the final quarter with the ball at its 32.
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A promising Utah State drive into Iowa territory stalls with a pair of incomplete passes, a stop for no gain and a punt into the end zone.
Iowa takes over at its 25, up 17-6 with 6:01 left in the third.
Xavier Nwankpa hobbled off the field on that possession.
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Almost a pick
Ike Larsen got his hand on Cade McNamara's third-down pass. Then there was a low snap on the punt, but Tory Taylor still unleashed a 46-yard punt to the Utah State 17.
Iowa 17, Utah State 6 (10:11 3rd)
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Field goal, Utah State
Elliott Nimrod kicked a 45-yard field goal to complete the first drive of the half, a seven-play, 47-yard possession.
The big play was a 39-yard Cooper Legas pass to Terrell Vaughn.
Iowa 17, Utah State 6 (12:02 3rd)
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Stats stuff
After its opening pass play for a 36-yard TD, Iowa averaged 4.2 yards per pass attempt (19 passes, 79 yards).
Linebacker Jay Higgins has 8 tackles at halftime, 7 of them solo.
Utah State is averaging 3 yards per play.
In the some things never change department, wide receivers have just two of Iowa's 13 receptions. Tight ends have 8.
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Iowa's offense looked great in the first two drives. Been more iffy since then. Could potentially have been 24-3 or 28-3 with better execution in USU territory.
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Half: Iowa 17, Utah State 3
Cade McNamara was 13-for-20 passing for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Luke Lachey had five catches for 27 yards. Kaleb Johnson ran for 40 yards on nine carries.
The Hawkeyes averaged 4.6 yards per play to Utah State's 3.
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Iowa gets 3 before the half
Drew Stevens kicks a 20-yard field goal to put the Hawkeyes back up 14.
Iowa got another three chances at the end zone after a Utah State penalty on the initial Stevens kick, but couldn't convert.
It was an 11-play, 47-yard drive.
Iowa 17, Utah State 3 (0:07 2nd)
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Iowa's defense gets its first takeaway of the season, a Xavier Nwankpa diving interception at the Utah State 49.
PICKED OFF!! 😤@xaviernwankpa01 gets @HawkeyeFootball's first interception of the year! 👏 pic.twitter.com/wzSXOMOsP3
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023Jeff Johnson wrote this pertinent preseason story about the former 5-star recruit.
Iowa 14, Utah State 3 (3:54 2nd)
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Cade McNamara sacked, and Tory Taylor is on the field for his second punt. Officially a four-play, 4-yard drive.
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Iowa punts!
Tory Taylor got a big ovation before his first punt of the season. It was partially blocked by Ike Larsen. The punt still went 37 yards after a great set of bounces.
😤 @IkeLarsen19 gets a hand on Iowa's punt for @USUFootball to give the Hawkeyes a 37 yard punt 👏 pic.twitter.com/AjtAMuFxhs
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023 -
Utah State on the board
William Testa's field goal is good from 32 yards for the Aggies' first points.
Deontae Craig's sack for a loss of 10 on first down from the Iowa 23 derailed the Aggies.
Iowa 14, Utah State 3 (11:03 2nd)
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The scoreboards in Kinnick are on the fritz, and I blame no one.
But it's someone's fault.
Something has gone horribly wrong here. pic.twitter.com/KJCzsqzYiV
— Mike Hlas (@Hlas) September 2, 2023 -
End 1st: Iowa 14, Utah State 0
Cade McNamara is 8-for-11 passing for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
The Hawkeyes have outgained the Aggies 139-30.
Utah State just picked up its first first down with 1:02 left in the quarter. The Aggies have it at their 48 when the second quarter begins.
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Iowa turns it over on downs
The Hawkeyes called timeout on fourth-and-1 from the Utah State 29. Leshon Williams was stuffed for no gain by Anthony Switzer and the Aggies get their first stop.
Iowa 14, Utah State 0 (2:02 1st)
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I said in today's Gazette that Iowa would score 10 touchdowns on 10 possessions. I was not kidding, until the first time the Hawkeyes get stopped. Then, I was just kidding.
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Another Utah State three-and-out
The Aggies have 11 total yards through two possesions.
Iowa takes over at its 29.
Iowa 14, Utah State 0 (6:51 1st)
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Iowa has as many points halfway through the first quarter as it did in the first two games of 2022.
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Touchdown Iowa
Cade McNamara hits Erick All on a play-action pass on fourth-and-goal from the 3. Drew Stevens kicks the extra point.
Another one for @HawkeyeFootball 👏👏@Cademac_12 finds @eallindi83 this time ✨ pic.twitter.com/kujCqhp6s8
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023The 11-play, 75-yard drive included a nice, quick recovery after a couple incomplete passes and a Mason Richman false start. Iowa converted a third-and-15 with a screen pass to Jaziun Patterson for an 18-yard gain.
Big gains in the running game on that drive came from Kaleb Johnson (21) and Kaden Wetjen (14).
Iowa 14, Utah State 0 (7:44 1st)
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Utah State goes three-and-out
Utah State's first drive is hampered by a false-start penalty on third-and-5. Jay Higgins stops a screen pass for a short gain and the Hawkeye defense opens with a three-and-out.
Iowa's second possession will begin at its 25 after the punt.
Iowa 7, Utah State 0 (12:17 1st)
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Touchdown Iowa
How's that for a start?
Cade McNamara's first pass as a Hawkeye is to a wide-open Seth Anderson in the end zone for the Charleston Southern transfer's first catch.
It's a 36-yard touchdown, a two-play, 39-yard drive. Anderson had no one near him but the play still went to video review to make sure he actually caught the ball — the call stood.
Drew Stevens kicks the extra point.
Iowa 7, Utah State 0 (14:18 1st)
IOWA WITH A FAST START! 🙌@Cademac_12 with a dime to Seth Anderson for a @HawkeyeFootball TD! 🤩🎯 pic.twitter.com/Nftfrkek9K
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023 -
Cade McNamara starts
Iowa gets the ball first and Kaleb Johnson makes it an explosive start to the 2023 season with a 54-yard kick return to the Utah State 39.
Michigan transfer Cade McNamara is under center. His first play as a Hawkeye is a handoff to Johnson for a gain of 3.
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Pregame injury/lineup updates
• Hawkeyes QB Cade McNamara is fully participating in padded warmups. McNamara (was officially questionable) will indeed start, per Iowa radio.
Ferentz: "Just don't want him to run a lot obviously if he's got that choice."
Still not "100 percent," though.
• Deshaun Lee is taking first-team reps at cornerback with Jermari Harris out.
• No surprises with the first-team offensive line in warmups (left to right): Richman, DeJong, Jones, Colby, Dunker
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Ed Podolak mourns Jimmy Buffett
Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett died this weekend at 76.
Buffett was friends with Iowa radio commentator Ed Podolak for over 40 years. Podolak says the 1983 Buffett song "We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About" was written about Podolak.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2017, Podolak said "When I went to stay at his mom and dad’s house in about the mid-80s, his mother said, 'I know the song that Jimmy wrote for you, Ed, and I want you to know, you’re welcome in my house, because [that song] is about him, not about you.' "
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Hawkeyes should get back to Indy this year while the gettin’s good
Hlas GameDay column: This is the year for the Hawkeyes to return to the Big Ten title game. It will be much harder to ever get there anytime after.
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Iowa availability report
With the Big Ten Conference now requiring teams to release pregame athlete availability reports, here is who is listed as out or questionable. First-team players have asterisks.
OUT
• DB Jermari Harris*
• DL Noah Shannon*
• DL Chris Reames
• WR Jacob Bostick
• WR Reese Osgood
• OL Beau Stephens
• DB Jamison Heinz
QUESTIONABLE
• QB Cade McNamara*
• LB Jayden Montgomery
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Iowa vs. Utah State storylines
3 keys: How effective is Iowa’s defensive front at stopping Utah State’s rushing attack? Who wins the special teams battle? Assuming Cade McNamara does play, can the Hawkeyes ensure he does not need to do too much? Here’s the analysis from John Steppe.
Hlas column: Iowa ought to get back to Indianapolis this year while the gettin’s good.
Utah State perspective: New players and coaches abound for the Aggies this season.
Fun Facts: Iowa went 7-1-1 and 11-2 in the two seasons in which it played Utah State, 1957 and 2002. Here are 19 more things to know.
Steppe’s Stats: How much can Week 1 results foretell Iowa football’s full-season fate? Let’s look at the numbers.
Iowa vs. Utah State picks
Mike Hlas: Iowa 70, Utah State 7
John Steppe: Iowa 27, Utah State 3
Jeff Johnson: Iowa 24.9, Utah State 3
Rob Gray: Iowa 31, Utah State 10
Beth Malicki: Iowa 33, Utah State 17
Todd Brommelkamp: Iowa 38, Utah State 6
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How to watch Iowa vs. Utah State
Kickoff time: 11:03 a.m. (CT)
TV channel: FS1
Live stream: FoxSports.com
TV announcers: Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network | SiriusXM 83
