Iowa Hawkeyes' Cade McNamara Holds Key Distinction vs Ohio State

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara holds a pretty key mental edge against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sep 14, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara (12) attempts to elude Troy Trojans safety Ian Conerly-Goodly (39) during the first quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara has been much-maligned this season, and you can understand why.

Through Iowa's first four games, McNamara has looked wildly unimpressive, throwing for 588 yards, three touchdowns and a couple of interceptions while completing 62.7 percent of his passes.

So, naturally, things don't look too good for McNamara heading into the Hawkeyes' Week 6 matchup against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

However, McNamara does hold one key distinction over Ohio State: he is the only active Big Ten quarterback to have actually beaten the Buckeyes.

McNamara's victory came as a member of the Michigan Wolverines back in November 2021, when he went 13-for-19 with 159 yards and a pick in Michigan's 42-27 win.

Was it pretty for McNamara? No, but he did lead the Wolverines to a triumph, and at the end of the day, that's really all that matters. Well, for the most part.

The good news for McNamara is that he has some incredible offensive support in the form of running back Kaleb Johnson this season, so he may not have to light it up in order for Iowa to snare a surprising victory over Ohio State.

McNamara transferred from Ann Arbor to Iowa City in December 2022. There was a whole lot of hype around the signal-caller heading into his Hawkeyes career, but thus far, he has been a major disappointment.

A win over the Buckeyes—especially coupled with a strong performance—would certainly go a long way in easing the tension surrounding McNamara's job under center.