Nine months since we last saw Iowa take the field (for a 21-0 shutout of Kentucky in the Music City Bowl), the Hawkeyes will finally be back in action on Saturday, hosting Utah State in the season opener (11:00 AM CT, FS1). What are we going to be paying attention to as Iowa takes on the Aggies? Here are the main things we'll be focused on Saturday.

This is a no-brainer, right? Everyone has been intrigued to see what the addition of a proven quarterback like Cade McNamara can do for the Iowa offense since he made the decision to transfer to Iowa City last December. That intrigue has been overshadowed in recent weeks by the non-contact injury that McNamara sustained at Iowa's Kids Day practice three weeks ago. Will McNamara play? How much will he play? How effective will he be?

Everything seems to be pointing toward McNamara suiting up on Saturday. That's certainly what all of Kirk Ferentz's recent public comments on the matter have suggested, most recently on his radio show on Wednesday night (see above). But how much McNamara plays and how effective he is remains to be seen. Iowa needs a healthy McNamara to achieve its goals this season, and Saturday should give us a better idea of what his health is and what he's able to provide for this Iowa offense.

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The Iowa offense has been held back by several factors in recent seasons, but one consistent problem has been the play of the offensive line, which has struggled for consistency and effectiveness. That was especially true in 2022 as Iowa played multiple underclassmen and dealt with a slew of injuries.

The 2023 offensive line has better health, more experience, and the presence of a few new faces -- Miami (OH) transfer Rusty Feth and Saginaw Valley State transfer Daijon Parker. Even though the depth chart features many of the same faces on the OL as it did a season ago, expectations are very different -- improved health and experience is expected to lead to a much more effective offensive line this season.

On Saturday, we'll start to get a sense of how true that might be. It won't just be a matter of whether the Hawkeye offensive line plays well or not, either -- how well the offensive line performs will be a key factor. The Utah State defense looks to be one of the weakest that Iowa will face this season; if the Iowa OL isn't able to impose its will and consistently move the line of scrimmage (and keep the QB well-protected) in this game, that would reasonably raise some red flags.

The Iowa passing game was not particularly explosive in 2022 -- the Hawkeyes finished tied for last in the Big Ten in pass plays of 30+ yards (10) and dead-last in pass plays of 40+ yards (4). 2021 was only slightly better in those categories.

It hasn't always been this way for the Iowa passing game, though -- even under Brian Ferentz's direction. In 2018 and 2019, Iowa finished top-four in the Big Ten in pass plays of 30+ yards, and in the top half of the league in pass plays of 20+ yards. The ability to hit those plays more than once a game would do wonders for Iowa's offense by preventing opponents from shrinking the field and squeezing the line of scrimmage.

Iowa seems to have the weapons to improve on those dismal big play numbers: Ohio State transfer Kaleb Brown, Charleston Southern transfer Seth Anderson, Michigan transfer Erick All, plus returning players Luke Lachey, Diante Vines, and Nico Ragaini. Can one or more of those players make some splash plays in the passing game in the season opener?

There hasn't been a great deal of concern among Iowa fans or media about the defensive line, despite the fact that unit is now down two starters from last season (John Waggoner to graduation, Noah Shannon to suspension) as well as another top rotation contributor (first round NFL draft pick Lukas Van Ness). That's understandable to an extent -- those departures have created more opportunities for highly-regarded players like Deontae Craig, Aaron Graves, and Yahya Black.

Saturday will give us the first look at Iowa's new-look defensive line; stalwarts like Logan Lee and Joe Evans will still be key parts of the mix there, but this will be an opportunity for Craig, Graves, and Black (as well as the likes of Ethan Hurkett, Max Llewellyn, and Jeremiah Pittman) to show what they can do in starring roles.

There's plenty of things to like about this defensive line even without the presence of top performers like Shannon or Van Ness, and this game ought to give Iowa fans an early indication of what to expect in 2023.

Finally, the other part of Iowa's front seven -- the linebacker unit -- will also feature plenty of new faces as well. Jack Campbell and Seth Benson are gone, along with the transfer of Jestin Jacobs to Oregon (though he scarcely played in 2022); in their place are seniors Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson and Kyler Fisher.

Higgins has served as a special teams contributor and strong understudy to Campbell the last few seasons, and Jackson was phenomenally productive at Virginia en route to three consecutive All-ACC nods. Fisher's path to a first-team spot on the depth chart was a little different as a former walk-on working his way up the ranks, but he has the coaches' trust as much as anyone else in that unit.

Saturday's game will give us a chance to see what the Higgins-Jackson partnership looks like on the field and an early taste of how they might compare to the Campbell-Benson duo. The linebackers have been a model of consistency under Seth Wallace, so it would be a surprise if there was a substantial drop-off in play; but we'll get a much better sense of what Higgins and Jackson bring to the position on Saturday.