Iowa Hawkeyes' Kirk Ferentz Reveals One Concern After Minnesota Win

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz has one significant concern following his team's win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Sep 14, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts with quarterback Cade McNamara (12) after a touchdown against the Troy Trojans during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday night, getting off to a solid start in Big Ten conference play.

While Kaleb Johnson put forth another dominant effort and Iowa's defense appeared to right the ship, head coach Kirk Ferentz still has one concern after the win: the passing game.

The Hawkeyes registered a grand total of 62 passing yards on the evening, with quarterback Cade McNamara going 11-for-19.

Ferentz is appreciative of Iowa's terrific rushing attack, but he wants to see more through the air.

"Just for the record, I’m all for balanced offense, too," Ferentz said, via Josh Helmer of USA Today. "And that’s the next challenge. We’re going to have to do a little bit better job in the passing game, but we left some stuff out there tonight, too, especially in that first half that could have helped."

"Balance" has been a foreign word to the Hawkeyes' offense in 2024.

Johnson has racked up 685 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging a robust 8.4 yards per carry over Iowa's first four games. That's fantastic.

But McNamara has struggled mightily, throwing for 588 yards, three touchdowns and a couple of interceptions while completing 62.7 percent of his passes.

Jacob Gill is the only Hawkeyes wide receiver with double-digit catches on the year thus far, as Iowa's aerial attack has displayed a complete lack of explosivity in the early stages of the season.

The Hawkeyes will have some type to get things straight in their bye week before facing the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 5.