Iowa football starts season strong with 40-0 win over Illinois State

No Kirk Ferentz, no problem for the Iowa Football team, as the #25 Hawkeyes blew out Illinois State 40-0 in the season opener of the 2024 season.

All eyes were on a reinvented Hawkeyes offense under new offensive coordinator Tim Lester, and despite starting slow in the first half, Iowa picked it up in the final two quarters. Quarterback Cade McNamara went 21-31 for 251 yards and three touchdowns in his first game back after suffering a torn ACL in Week 5 of 2023 season. Freshman Reece Vander Zee was the Hawkeyes’ leading receiver with five receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns.

Kaleb Johnson was Iowa’s leading rusher with 119 yards and two touchdowns.

Iowa’s defense held the Redbirds to 189 yards behind Hawkeye leading tackler linebacker Jay Higgins, who amassed seven during the contest.

After Iowa won the coin toss and elected to defer, the Redbirds had a quick three-and-out, with linebacker Nick Jackson getting a hand on quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse’s third-down pass. The first glimpse of the Tim Lester era on offense resulted in a whopping four yards by running back Kamari Moulton.

After starting their second drive off promising with a pair of first downs, cornerback Jemari Harris stopped the Redbirds mid-flight with an interception on Rittenhouse, setting up Iowa at their 45-yard line.

But the Hawkeyes weren’t able to capitalize on the field position, and Iowa punter Rhys Dakin got to showcase his leg once again with a 38-yard punt to the Illinois State 12-yard line, which was advanced to the 17-yard line after a cornerback John Nestor was called for a flag.

However, the Redbirds’ third possession was short-lived, as running back Wenkers Wright coughed up the ball on a third-and-one run, setting up the Hawkeyes in prime field position at the Illinois State 29-yard line.

On the first play of the drive, McNamara’s pass to Lachey in the endzone was behind the fifth-year tight end, and two plays later, Iowa scored its first points of the season on a 41-yard field goal by Drew Stevens.

After another three-and-out by Illinois State, what would have been a punt return touchdown by senior Kaden Wetjen gets called back after a holding by Iowa, setting up the Hawkeyes at their 49-yard line.

On third-and-three, McNamara finds Lachey on a drag route for the first down despite a Redbird defender draping all over the Iowa tight end. Two plays later, on second-and-eight, McNamara’s pass to wide receiver Reece Vander Zee is too behind the freshman, and after failing to convert on third down, Iowa punted once again.

Following another three-and-out for Illinois State, the Iowa offense had its most promising drive thus far, with an 18-yard pickup by Vander Zee and a 10-yard rush by Moulton.

But the Hawkeyes couldn’t turn positive momentum into points, and Iowa failed to pick up the first down on fourth-and-tw0.

Following possessions where both teams exchanged punts, the Redbirds got the ball back at their 14-yard line. Iowa almost got the ball in excellent field position after recovering a fumble off a strip sack by Aaron Graves, but the play was called back after linebacker Jay Higgins was flagged with holding.

The Redbirds would punt three plays later, and Iowa would get the ball at their 41-yard line.

A 17-yard pass to Lachey set up Iowa in Illinois State territory. Iowa would keep advancing after an 11-yard pickup from wide receiver Jacob Gill and a 12-yard scramble by McNamara. After a four-yard rush by Moulton and a pair of incompletions by McNamara, the Hawkeyes sent out Stevens again to boot another 28-yard field goal to extend Iowa’s lead.

Illinois State would run the clock out with less than a minute remaining, and Iowa would go into the half up 6-0.

Second half

Iowa opened up the second half with a pass to tight end Addison Ostrenga in the flat for 10 yards and a first down. Two plays later, McNamara found Vander Zee across the middle for 17 yards and another first down.

The hot hand for Iowa continued as the Hawkeyes scored their first touchdown of the season on a seven-yard pass to Vander Zee. The Hawkeyes were stifled on their two-point conversion when a Redbirds defender got in the way of a pass to Lachey.

The Redbirds’ first series of the second half featured more of the same: nine yards and total offense, which resulted in a punt by Hayden Futch setting up Iowa at their 34-yard line.

After missing most of the first half, junior Kaleb Johnson got the Hawkeyes started on their second possession with a 12-yard run up the middle, which was followed up with an eight-yard reception on a screen pass two plays later.

Shortly after, the Hawkeyes had their most electric play of the game, with a 31-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jacob Gill, his first touchdown in the black and gold since transferring from Northwestern in the spring.

Both teams’ subsequent drives ended with punts. To start the Redbirds’ third drive, Rittenhouse hit Sobkowicz for a 37-yard pass along Iowa’s sideline, but three incompletions on the following four plays led to Illinois State failing to convert on fourth-and-four.

Iowa started the drive at their own 38-yard line. On first down, McNamara hit Ostrenga on the left side of the field for an 11-yard pickup. Two plays later, McNamara showcased impressive footwork in the pocket, evading two tackles and hitting tight end Zach Ortwerth in stride for a 31-yard pickup.

The next play, McNamara continued his string of good plays with an 18-yard pass to Vander Zee, who jumped up and mossed a handful of Redbird defenders for his second touchdown of the game. With their third receiving touchdown of the game, the Hawkeyes tied the number of receiving touchdowns they scored all last season.

After a punt by the Redbirds, Iowa once again got on the scoreboard with a touchdown following a 64-yard rush up the middle by Kaleb Johnson. 33-0 in favor of the Hawkeyes.

Two possessions later, Iowa got the ball back at the Illinois State 34-yard line after a Redbirds punter, Hayden Futch, fumbled the snap on the punt and failed to run for the first down. Five plays and over three minutes later, the Hawkeyes scored once again on an 18-yard rush by Johnson, his second of the half.

To add insult to injury, the Hawkeyes collected their third turnover of the game during the Redbirds’ final possession after backup quarterback Beckham Pellant fumbled.

Iowa’s final possession saw backup quarterback and Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan get his first snaps as a Hawkeye. With 38 seconds remaining, Sullivan took a knee, and Iowa won it 40-0.