Iowa
Iowa Offense Remains Work in Progress
IOWA CITY, Iowa – This column always comes with a disclaimer – Kids Day is just one of more than 20 Iowa Football preseason practices. Context is very important when evaluating what we see.
Beyond that, there’s nuance. Guys on both sides of the ball are out with injuries. Sometimes the No. 1 offense is facing the No. 1 defense. Other times it’s not.
It makes taking a great deal out of the annual open practice difficult. That’s the case with what we witnessed Saturday in Kinnick Stadium.
The problem was perception. Everyone that walked into that historic venue sought salvation from the evils of Brian Ferentz’s offense. Instead, they saw ghosts.
There was motion and other wrinkles from new coordinator Tim Lester. A few plays popped. Overall, the Hawkeyes remained stuck in the muck trying to move the ball.
It wasn’t all bad, however. Iowa ran the ball pretty well. You know it’s an impressive stable of backs when it looks that good without injured starter Leshon Williams.
Also credit the interior of the O-Line as a lot of the rushing yardage came inside the tackles. The yardage raised questions about the team’s depth at defensive tackle, but that would have been picking nits with how that unit looked Saturday.
Beyond that, the offense was as inept as it was under Lester’s predecessor. Inaccurate passes, dropped passes, pass-protection breakdowns, unforced errors – the fans at Kinnick received the full experience.
Honestly though, are you surprised? Cade McNamara wasn’t cleared to physically work in the new offense until camp kicked off less than two weeks ago.
It’s going to take time. Growing pains will be experienced. McNamara throwing 7-on-7 with teammates all summer isn’t the same as having Deontae Craig or Yahya Black in your face.
That’s not to dismiss QB1’s dreadful day. He missed easy throws, botched a shotgun snap and appeared rusty in general.
Time will tell if McNamara can knock said rust off. Not that we needed a reminder, but everyone knows the Hawkeyes can’t achieve their loftiest goals with what we witnessed Saturday. Complementary football works best when all three phases, you know, complement each other.
Perhaps the Kids Day display wouldn’t have been quite as alarming had backup quarterbacks Brendan Sullivan and Marco Lainez lit it up. They did not.
In fairness to the trio, top tight end Luke Lachey, and receivers Seth Anderson, Dayton Howard and Alec Wick were either limited or out of practice. It’s also possible the coaches limited what they showed in an open practice knowing footage would be available to opponents.
By the way, you may have heard, Iowa’s defense is dominant and filled with sixth-year seniors patrolling the back seven. And if you’ve ever attended a practice, you know guys on that side of the ball love stuffing any offense, including their own. They didn’t give an inch Saturday.
Maybe nothing in the two previous paragraphs held significant meaning. Perhaps the offense won’t improve much and replacing Brian Ferentz wasn’t the solution. It’s a depressing possibility but a possibility none the less.
More likely, it won’t be nearly as bad. Early-season growing pains are normal considering the circumstances.
How much growth can be made and how long it takes will determine 2024’s result. Can the Hawkeyes grow through wins instead of losses against Iowa State and/or at Minnesota in September? Then, can the offense continue growing into October, making Iowa a College Football Playoff contender?
The blueprint here calls for development, individually and collectively. It’s happening on defense and special teams. The offense needs to follow that path.
The staff’s personnel decisions and play calling will be critical. The student-athletes must avoid being discouraged by failure in the moment, continuing to push forward.
That didn’t change Saturday. The players and coaches understood that. It was just confirmed for everyone else that watched.
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forward Tyler Pitlick from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Pitlick, 34 (11/1/91), has tallied two goals, 24 penalty minutes (PIM) and 26 shots in 31 games with Minnesota this season and ranks fourth on the team with 76 hits. He has also collected 11 points (8-3=11) and 31 shots in 12 games with Iowa. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound native of Minneapolis, Minn., owns 111 points (58-53=111) and 565 shots on goal in 451 career NHL games over 11 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (2013-17), Dallas Stars (2017-19), Philadelphia Flyers (2019-20), Arizona Coyotes (2020-21), Calgary Flames (2021-22), Montreal Canadiens (2021-22), St. Louis Blues (2022-23), New York Rangers (2023-24) and Minnesota (2025-26). He has tallied three points (2-1=3) in 22 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. Pitlick has also recorded 140 points (60-89=149) in 289 career AHL games in parts of eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Barons (2011-15), Bakersfield Condors (2015-16), Hartford Wolf Pack (2023-24), Providence Bruins (2024-25) and Iowa (2025). He was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round (31st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. Pitlick was signed by Minnesota as a free agent on July 2, 2025, and wears sweater No. 19 with the Wild.
Minnesota hosts the St. Louis Blues tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.
The fourth and final bunch of Iowa high school boys basketball substate championship games are now set after the second round of Class 4A games were completed on Friday, February 27.
Substate championships in Iowa’s largest classification will take place on Tuesday, March 3, with the higher seed serving as host in all eight games. Winners advance to Des Moines, Iowa and the Casey’s Center to compete in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament beginning March 9.
Three-time defending 4A state champion Valley was eliminated by Ankeny, 72-36. The Tigers, who lost all five starters from a year ago, won just one game prior to earning a victory in the opening round of postseason play.
Cedar Falls, who has held the No. 1 spot in 4A throughout the season, scored a dominating 78-45 decision vs. Iowa City High to move on.
Colin Rice, a Nebraska commit for Fred Hoiberg, scored a single-game school-record 50 points as Waukee Northwest topped Iowa City Liberty, 101-58.
Council Bluffs Lincoln, Ames, North Scott, Dowling Catholic, Dubuque Senior, Johnston, Linn-Mar, Muscatine, Norwalk, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Des Moines Roosevelt, Urbandale and Waukee all joined them in the next round after winning games at home.
The 1A and 2A substate finals will take place on Saturday, February 28 while the 3A games go down on Monday, March 2.
Here are the Iowa boys high school basketball Class 4A substate finals for Wednesday, March 3.
Wednesday, March 3
Class 4A
When it comes to the Iowa Hawkeyes 2026 football season, it doesn’t get much bigger than Ohio State coming to Kinnick Stadium.
No one knows at this stage where the Buckeyes will be come Oct. 3, but Iowa has a chance to make an early impression against a team that is no stranger to winning the big one.
Iowa’s B1G schedule couldn’t get off to a worse start as they head to Michigan and then welcome the Buckeyes to Kinnick.
Hopefully for Iowa’s sake, their first three games against Northern Illinois, Iowa State, and Northern Iowa are enough to get them prepared. If not, things could get ugly.
ESPN Believes Ohio State is Iowa’s Biggest Opponent in 2026
The Michigan game will certainly be a test, but hosting the Buckeyes is a different animal. That gives the Hawkeyes an advantage like no other, and if there was ever a time to give OSU a run for their money, it’s in Iowa City on Oct. 3.
“The Hawkeyes haven’t faced Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium since 2017, when Nate Stanley threw five touchdowns as they stunned the Buckeyes 55-24. An early October win over Ohio State could propel Iowa into the Big Ten title and playoff conversations,” Jake Trotter wrote.
To put things into perspective, Indiana and Oregon were the other two teams that had the Buckeyes listed as their defining game in the 2026 season. Shockingly, Iowa was actually selected against a team, that being Minnesota. Seeing as that’s for the Floyd of Rosedale, it makes complete sense.
Iowa Can’t Let Regular Season Opportunities Go To Waste
Last year was seemingly the Hawkeyes’ first time to actually make the College Football Playoffs. They came up short as their losses to No. 16 Iowa State, No. 11 Indiana, No. 9 Oregon and No. 17 USC all added up. Sure, those were by a combined 15 points, but that doesn’t matter, as it’s bad enough that a three-loss team made the playoffs.
Iowa ended with a bang as they took down No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl, 34-27. Now, all eyes are on either Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown. One of those men will have a chance to make their first B1G start at the Big House in Michigan.
It doesn’t get any tougher than that, as Iowa is immediately putting their new QB into deep water. They’ll have three games prior to that to get up to speed, but other than that, it’s go time as OSU awaits after their trip to Michigan.
Don’t forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!
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