By John Bohnenkamp

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill worked with the No. 1 offense during August camp when starter Cade McNamara was hurt.

The preparation was important, but Hill knew when McNamara came back from the quad injury that was keeping him out of practice that he would be the starter again.

It’s a different situation now that McNamara is out with a torn ACL.

Hill is the starter, and it’s time to prepare that way.

It’s an opportunity that Hill knows is a big deal.

“I think for anyone who gets to play in college, it’s a blessing,” Hill said on Tuesday. “Obviously I wish it would have come under different circumstances. I love Cade. But it’s how football is — injuries are part of the game.”

Hill’s game experience has been limited. He redshirted his freshman season at Wisconsin in 2021, and played in just one game last season with the Badgers without a pass attempt.

He threw eight passes in a reserve role in Iowa’s first three games of this season, but when McNamara went down on the second play of the Hawkeyes’ second possession in last Saturday’s 26-16 win over Michigan State, Hill was running the offense.

Hill completed 11-of-27 passes for 115 yards, with a touchdown pass and an interception.

“You have to move on,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We didn’t have any time to think about it Saturday night, obviously. I thought that was one of the highlights of the game is the way the team kept playing.

“Deacon stepped in and did a nice job. Not a big surprise. We’ve seen great improvement with him the last eight weeks, but Cade’s missed a lot of practice time. I’ve referred to that. So that’s helped him move forward a bit.

Hill said it helped having the practice time in the spring and in August with the top offense.

“I think it helps a lot getting the reps with (center) Logan (Jones), throwing the ball to (wide receivers) Nico (Ragaini) and to Seth (Anderson), it just builds chemistry,” Hill said. “Now we have to continue with that down the road.”

Hill said McNamara has been a big help to him.

“He’s been out at practice talking,” Hill said. “I feel like we have a great relationship. So having him out there is a blessing too. He really helps me. He’s got all of the experience in the world — he’s been there before.”

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MCNAMARA’S INJURY: Ferentz confirmed that McNamara had torn his ACL in his left knee, an injury that will require surgery.

McNamara missed almost all of last season with a right knee injury.

“It is not good,” Ferentz said. “It is not positive, and I was suspicious about that Saturday night.”

Ferentz said McNamara is expected to have his surgery in the next couple of weeks, and should be back practicing with the team by next summer.

“They normally let those things settle down a little bit,” Ferentz said. “If there is good news, it’s a clean injury. Sometimes they can be a little bit messy, but it looks clean, and that’s good. He’s been fighting some other stuff too. Maybe this will give him a chance to get totally healthy again.”

McNamara has one year of eligibility he can use next season.

“I think his intentions are to come back and play next year again,” Ferentz said. “That will be great. It’s a long road in front of him, but it’s a lot better than it was 30 years ago, that’s for sure, a lot more predictable. And he has a great attitude. He’ll work hard at it.”

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THE NEW NO. 2: Ferentz said Joe Labas, who started for the Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl last season, is the No. 2 quarterback behind Hill. Labas, though, has had his own injury issues during the summer.

“The challenge for him right now is he’s missed a lot of time too,” Ferentz said. “Seems to be a recurring theme here, but he missed a lot of time in July and August, so he’s playing catch-up in some sense. He’s working hard every day. The fact that he did play in December, practiced and then played, I think gives everybody a little more confidence certainly. It’s always good when you see a guy out there perform under pressure.

“Now, yeah, he’s trying to play catch-up and get back in the race here. We’re going to need both of those guys. It’s his job to be ready to go.”