By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – You know the thick of the college football season has arrived when the calendar shifts to October, the leaves start to change colors and Iowa football fans intensify their criticism of the offense, and specifically Kirk Ferentz’s handling of the quarterback position.

Because that is where we are right now on this day, Oct. 6, 2024, one day after Iowa laid yet another egg against an elite opponent, losing 35-7 to Ohio State on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

The defense held its own for one half, but an old and tired script played out in which the offense failed to do its part.

The play at quarterback wasn’t all to blame, but it was a major factor in Iowa’s struggles.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara committed three turnovers on three consecutive possessions in the second half, and he only threw for 26 yards in the second half.

He also missed on a throw to a wide-open Kaden Wetjen in the first half. McNamara escaped from a heavy rush in the pocket and was rolling to his right when his pass to Wetjen was badly underthrown.

McNamara was replaced by Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan with just under 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Sullivan would go on to lead Iowa’s only scoring drive.

Sullivan didn’t do anything spectacular in his short time behind center, but he showed the running skills that separate him from McNamara.

Kirk Ferentz was asked to access the quarterback position in his post-game press conference in Columbus, and what he said felt sort of like Groundhog Day.

“We evaluate every position week-to-week, but we’re comfortable,” Ferentz said of the situation at quarterback.

Asked specifically about McNamara’s performance, Ferentz said:

“He’s more comfortable and more decisive and quicker getting the ball out. He was doing a really good job of that in the first half. They were rushing the pass pretty well too then. We just have to get better collectively.”

Kirk Ferentz used to say almost the exact same thing when Spencer Petras and Deacon Hill were playing quarterback for the Hawkeyes.

He never will throw one of his players, especially his starting quarterback, under the bus, nor will he cave to public opinion or pressure.

And while that is admirable, it still doesn’t change the sobering fact that his quarterback is struggling and that fans are getting tired of watching the same storyline unfold.

In Kirk Ferentz’s defense, he was accused of sticking with Petras for too long until Petras’s backup, Alex Padilla, finally played when Petras was injured, but then Padilla arguably played worse than Petras.

Kirk Ferentz doesn’t like playing more than one quarterback, and that hasn’t changed despite having had four different offensive coordinators.

Tim Lester is the new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, but it’s still Kirk Ferentz’s offense.

Kirk Ferentz has final say on who starts at quarterback and he sticks with that starter sometimes until the results become so painfully obvious that it isn’t working.

The problem for fans is that it takes Kirk Ferentz much longer to reach his breaking point than them.

Some fans will argue that Kirk Ferentz stuck too long with Kyle McCann, Jake Christensen and Jake Rudock at quarterback, and now the same thing is being said about his allegiance to McNamara.

The why-not-give-Sullivan-a-chance narrative is gaining momentum, just like the why not give a chance to Brad Banks, Ricky Stanzi and C.J. Beathard narratives did in their time.

To say that Sullivan deserves a chance isn’t necessarily saying he’s a step up from McNamara because there is no way of knowing that right now.

Sullivan hasn’t played enough this season to know for sure what he brings to the offense, and the four games he started for Northwestern last season isn’t enough proof that he should be starting over McNamara.

But on the other hand, McNamara has now started 10 games for Iowa and rarely has he performed even above average.

He doesn’t seem anywhere close to the level he was in 2021 when he led Michigan to the Big Ten title, and to the college playoff.

McNamara was surrounded by incredible talent while playing for Michigan, but he also made the Wolverines better with his poise, grit and skills.

He moved the pocket, and he didn’t hesitate to scramble for yards when the circumstances called for it.

But that was before suffering two straight season-ending knee injuries that required surgery in both cases.

Iowa (3-2) is just one loss from being eliminated from playoff contention with seven games remaining.

Up next is 4-2 Washington this coming Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.

The Huskies defeated Michigan 27-17 on Saturday in Seattle as quarterback Will Rogers threw for 271 yards and pair of first-half touchdowns.

Rogers transferred from Mississippi State where he threw for 12,315 yards over four season to rank No. 2 in SEC history.

Washington needed a quarterback after losing Michael Penix from its 2023 national runner-up squad, and that’s the beauty of the transfer portal where there are quarterbacks for hire so to speak.

Iowa landed McNamara from the portal in 2022, apparently thinking he was a step up from what they already had at quarterback, and it was reasonable to think that way at the time.

But it just hasn’t worked – at least not yet.

Injuries have certainly been a factor, but so too has poor play and poor decision making.

And now there are some fans, and probably some in the media that disagree with how Kirk Ferentz is handling the quarterback position.

So, here we go again.