COLUMBUS, OHIO -- Iowa hasn't defeated a ranked opponent since its 23-20 victory over Penn State in October of 2021. In their last 18 quarters against ranked teams, the Hawkeyes have been outscored 155-7.
The latest iteration of a thrashing at the hands of a top team in the country came on Saturday at #3 Ohio State, where the Hawkeyes fell 35-7.
Iowa hasn't beaten -- or even been competitive with -- any ranked opponents in several years at this point. The gap between Kirk Ferentz's team and the best programs in the country isn't shrinking -- it's only getting bigger.
In part, that's down the play of Iowa's starting quarterback, the claimed savior of the offense via the transfer portal, former Michigan starter, Cade McNamara. In ten games as Iowa's starter, McNamara has completed 110-of-192 passes for 1,093 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions and led the Hawkeyes to a 7-3 record.
Not bad stats on on a surface level.
That said, he has yet to throw a touchdown pass against a Power 4 team, let alone the two ranked opponents he's faced in black and gold. In his two starts against ranked opponents (Penn State in 2023 and Ohio State today), McNamara has gone 19-of-34 for 140 yards and an interception, and Iowa lost those games by a combined score of 66-7. On Saturday afternoon in The Horseshoe, McNamara was good for three turnovers in the first 15:08 of the second half.
No, McNamara isn't the only problem in those losses. Poor offensive line play, lackluster skill position talent, and defensive breakdowns have also contributed to the Hawkeyes' struggles against top teams.
But the former Wolverine gunslinger increasingly doesn't appear to be the solution for Iowa at QB, and this is what the Hawkeyes brought him in for -- to compete against the best teams the Big Ten and the country have to offer.
"When we're playing the big dogs like today, it just makes the rate of us getting better faster," McNamara said postgame. "I think today, for the most part, in the first half we kept it where we wanted to. There were some missed opportunities. ... I think the difference between being good and really good is very slim. We're really close to getting that. We just have to keep getting better."
My definition of slim versus McNamara's definition of slim appear to differ.
In games like Saturday, the talent discrepancy truly rears its ugly head on Iowa's defense, as well. Though Phil Parker is a known genius on the defensive side, the Hawkeyes' Jimmys and Joes struggled against OSU's dudes.
Will Howard, who previously played quarterback for Kansas State, finished the game 21-of-25 for four touchdowns and an interception. Though he and the Buckeye offense were held to just seven points in the first half, the floodgates opened in the second, particularly through the air.
Overall, Howard completed 13 passes to Ohio State's future NFL duo of Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. The pair finished with 160 yards and four touchdowns.
On the ground, Howard, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for 176 yards and a score.
"They've got so many playmakers across the board," senior linebacker Jay Higgins said. "Every receiver they put out there, the dude is capable. If you take out a running back they put in a guy who is just as good."
Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly didn't make things any easier on Higgins and the rest of the defensive unit.
"The offensive play calling -- he's got every play call in the book that he wants to call," Higgins added. "Defensively, we saw a lot. That was probably the most we've had to defend -- types of plays, motions, stuff like that. ... We've got to keep chipping away. This is a great opportunity to learn."
Ferentz, who has been at the helm for both big wins against ranked opponents and the Hawkeyes' recent struggles in those games, said opportunity for his team to improve comes along with this type of loss.
"There's no magic formula, you just go back to work and try to get better," Ferentz said. "We'd have to go back to January 1st -- that's probably the last time we had a game like this. I think we're a better team offensively right now, but time will tell. We'll know that in seven or eight weeks. We're just going to keep working."
The problem is that the Hawkeyes have continued to "keep working" since October of 2021, and the results haven't changed. Iowa has continued to become less and less competitive on the national landscape of college football.
