.Iowa football’s offense looked rejuvenated against Utah State Saturday, defeating the Aggies, 24-14, in its home opener at Kinnick Stadium.
All eyes were on Michigan transfer QB Cade McNamara, who went 17-of-29 for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior tight end Luke Lachey was the Hawkeyes leading receiver with seven receptions for 73 yards.
Iowa’s defense held the Aggies to 116 rushing yards behind Hawkeye leading tackler linebacker Jay Higgins, who amassed 16 during the contest.
After winning the coin toss and electing to receive, Iowa took less than one minute to find the end zone,
as McNamara tossed a 36-yard touchdown to a wide-open Seth Anderson on the second play of drive; the first connection for the pair of transfers.
After an opening drive from Utah State that resulted in a quick three-and-out, the Hawkeyes got the ball back and had an 11-play,
75-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal to tight end Erick All, who played with McNamara for three years with the Wolverines.
After only scoring 14 points combined in their first two games of 2022, the Hawkeyes had matched that total in just the first quarter.
In addition, it took until Week 5 of last season for Iowa to complete two passing scores.
The Aggies’ second position was another quick three-and-out that resulted in three total yards before punting it back to the Hawkeyes who drove the ball 42 yards down the field,
getting to the Aggies 29-yard line, before turning the ball on downs after a failed fourth down conversion by Leshon Williams, who exited the game at halftime due to the 90 degree heat on the field.
The following possession saw Utah State’s longest drive of the game, even accounting for defensive tackle Deontae Craig’s sack for a 10 yard loss.
The Aggies would go on to settle for 32-yard field goal by kicker William Testa.
Following possessions where both teams exchanged punts, Hawkeye safety Xavier Nwankpa picked off Aggie QB Cooper Legas with four minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Hawkeyes followed the turnover with an 11-play, 47-yard drive that resulted in a field goal before the end of the half.