One Move Iowa Must Make After Beating Northwestern

The Iowa Hawkeyes must make one specific move after beating Northwestern.

Oct 26, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Brendan Sullivan (1) throws a pass against the Northwestern Wildcats during the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

After a brutal loss to the Michigan State Spartans, the Iowa Hawkeyes were motivated to get back on track yesterday against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Not only were they able to get back on track, they also came through with a dominant win. They ended up defeating Northwestern by a final score of 40-14.

Early in the game, things were looking bleak for Iowa. Cade McNamara threw a pick six, which gave the Wildcats a 7-3 lead over the Hawkeyes. That is when head coach Kirk Ferentz finally made a move.

Over the last few weeks, Iowa fans have been calling for a change at quarterback. Ferentz has been very hesitant to make that move. However, after the pick six, he made the switch to Brendan Sullivan.

Sullivan ended up putting together a very solid game. In fact, the way he played has made it a necessary move for the Hawkeyes to keep starting Sullivan moving forward. McNamara should have made his last start of the season.

After replacing McNamara, Sullivan ended up completing nine of his 14 pass attempts for 79 yards. However, he made a huge impact on the ground with eight carries for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Granted, those aren't huge numbers. No one would be expecting Sullivan to come in and power Iowa back into contention. But, the offense clearly ran better with him leading the way.

Ferentz has held out hope that McNamara could figure out his issues. That hasn't happened.

If McNamara has made his last start with the team this season, he would finish the year with 1,017 passing yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. Clearly, those numbers won't get the job done.

At the very least, Sullivan would bring a threat on the ground. That threat alone would force opposing defenses to respect his athleticism, which would help star running back Kaleb Johnson have a little more room to work.

Not only would Sullivan be able to make an impact with his own skill-set, it was clear that the offense was more confident and fired up after the quarterback change. His presence alone will help that continue.

All of that being said, Ferentz must make the decision to start Sullivan next week. McNamara has been a massive disappointment and it's time for a permanent change.