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It's time to avoid slow starts

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IOWA CITY — Fair or not, Saturday against Northwestern will be the Iowa football team's first offense in the spotlight and applying a lot of pressure.

The Hawkeyes have been a sluggish offense all season, scoring just 24 first quarter points in their first seven games. That's especially true on the first possession of games, with punts on all seven opening plays this season.

(Hey, at least they haven't done any first-drive sales yet.)

In front of a sellout homecoming crowd, there will be heightened concern from those in the aluminum bleachers at Kinnick Stadium as Cade McNamara has put in an uninspiring performance at quarterback all season. McNamara has one first-half touchdown pass all season, and that was a wide-open swing pass to Kaleb Johnson for a catch-and-run score against Washington.

If McNamara doesn't get it going right away, the Boo Birds won't stay quiet for long.

More: What channel is Iowa Football vs. Northwestern on Saturday? Time, TV schedule for week 9

The sixth-grader was asked on Tuesday about the reason for the initial difficulties and typically about a significant improvement in the second half. This season, 71.3% of Iowa's 195 points came in the second half – 19.9 per game after halftime. According to Matt Benson on After Halftime, the average is 7.08 per game (7th best in FBS).

“A small part of this success is because we are happy with what we see,” McNamara said. “Once we're able to make the necessary adjustments at halftime, we'll know exactly what we need to do in the second half.

“Once we find the rhythm, one thing fits into the next and it moves pretty quickly.”

But if McNamara gets off to a slow start again, head coach Kirk Ferentz has indicated he would be open to making a QB change to back up Brendan Sullivan.

Can the Hawkeyes get off to a fast start against the visiting Wildcats? Northwestern's defense has allowed just 24 first quarter points all year … and none in the previous two games against Maryland (37-10 win) and Wisconsin (23-3 loss).

This is arguably the winniest game on Iowa's schedule, perhaps other than a trip to UCLA on Nov. 8 – but we know how hard Iowa struggles in the Pacific time zone. The Hawkeyes and their fans could use a thoroughly satisfying performance on Saturday.

More: Leistikow: A Hawkeyes true freshman joins the cornerback mix for Iowa football

Chad Leistikow's prediction for Iowa football vs. Northwestern

Northwestern Wildcats (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) at Iowa Hawkeyes (4-3, 2-2)

Time, TV, line: 2:30 p.m. CT, BTN, Iowa by 14 points

Where Northwestern comes out on top: The Wildcats have a better run defense than Iowa's, having allowed the fewest rushing yards (724) in seven games in a season since 2000. They also yield just 3.23 yards per carry (compared to Iowa's 3.71) with just four rushing yards over 20 yards allowed. That could make it difficult for Iowa's Kaleb Johnson, who enters Saturday with 1,035 rushing yards and 17 totes of 20-plus, to earn a spot. Northwestern also blocked three kicks on special teams and has a decent pass rush with 17 sacks, the most for the program in seven games since 2016.

Where Iowa comes out on top: Iowa struggled to stop Michigan State's offense last week, but Sebastian Castro returns to the Hawkeye defense, which as a unit is far superior to Northwestern's offense. The Wildcats average 286.6 yards per game (129th of 134 FBS teams) and are the worst power conference team in the country in third-down conversions (26.7%). This should be a great opportunity for Iowa's struggling passing game to have its best day, as the Wildcats throw for 246.7 yards per game through the air.

Prediction: Iowa 27, Northwestern 17… Northwestern has scored 12, 13 and 7 points in its last three meetings against Iowa (all losses), but the Hawkeyes are still struggling with their pass rush and the No. 2 cornerback, which can keep this game dicey for a while. Former Wildcat Brendan Sullivan will contribute at least one touchdown for Iowa and Luke Lachey scores his first touchdown since the 2022 Music City Bowl.

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Iowa's Luke Lachey supports Cade McNamara and looks to the future after a tough loss

The senior tight end discusses commitment and buy-in ahead of this week's homecoming game against Northwestern.

Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has worked for The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network for 30 years. Chad is the 2023 INA Sports Columnist of the Year in Iowa and NSMA Co-Sports Writer of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad's texting group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.

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