IOWA CITY — Fans wanting to see the fruits of Iowa's transfer portal activity didn't have to wait long on Saturday.
On the second play from scrimmage in Iowa's 24-14 victory over Utah State, transfer quarterback Cade McNamara (Michigan) dropped back on a play action to find transfer wide receiver Seth Anderson (Charleston Southern) wide open down the left sideline on a double-move that dropped the Aggie defender on the 15-yard line, and the two connected on a 36-yard score just 44 seconds into the game.
"[The defender] was somewhere behind me," Anderson said with a smile after Saturday's win.
Anderson stood up after falling during his catch — "I don't know why I fell, honestly," he said later — and blew a two-handed kiss to the jubilant north end zone crowd. If only for a moment, it felt like the sky was the limit for the Iowa passing attack.
"[Scoring the touchdown] was a great feeling," Anderson said. "The crowd was hyped, I was hyped, my teammates were hyped. It was a great start."
Both McNamara and Anderson credited the aggressive play call for the opening score.
"We had the exact look we wanted," McNamara said. "I was kind of surprised that we called that play that early, but I was so fired up to be able to hit that and Seth made a great play on it."
"When it was called, I was like, 'it's a touchdown,'" Anderson said. "I got inside of him, faked the out and went back up."
Anderson's confidence is immediately obvious — as fans will come to understand during his Hawkeye career, it's not an undertone, it's the tone. But there's a method to it, not mere arrogance.
"You've just got to have the mindset that you're the best person out there, nobody can guard you," Anderson said. "That's who you have to be as a receiver, and having that mindset can take you a long way."
Brash? Maybe. But Anderson is right: a wide receiver ought to believe, with a deep and abiding sincerity, that he can beat anyone in front of him. Timid double-moves don't shake cornerbacks, and neither do timid receivers.
Anderson's exuberant personality has the blessing of his coach, too.
"Seth has been a great young guy since he's been here," Ferentz said Saturday. "He is really likable and a tremendous young guy."
McNamara's big first quarter didn't turn into the avalanche of offense most Iowa fans were hoping for, and Anderson's production similarly waned through the middle of the game; he finished with two catches on the day for 41 yards, his only other catch a 5-yard gain from Deacon Hill in the fourth quarter.
Still, Iowa's quarterbacks targeted Anderson five times in the win, second-most among Iowa wideouts behind only the six targets for sixth-year senior Nico Ragaini. Luke Lachey led all Hawkeyes with nine targets, resulting in seven catches for 73 yards.
Beyond targeting Anderson with regularity, McNamara's communication through the game helped tighten the rapport between the two.
"[Cade] is telling me what he's seeing, what I should be doing, what I shouldn't doing, stuff like that," Anderson said. "What to look for, stuff like that. It's really helpful.":
All in all, it was an impressive debut for the sophomore wideout — and if the future's as bright as Anderson's self-confidence would suggest, maybe the sky really is the limit for the Hawkeye passing attack.
