CBS analyst Gary Danielson believes Iowa could be ‘pretty special team’ if strong QB play continues

IOWA CITY — Gary Danielson, like many Iowa football fans, “was really nervous” about quarterback Cade McNamara’s play in the first half against Illinois State.

“I’m glad you didn’t call me at halftime,” the CBS college football color commentator said this week in a phone call with The Gazette.

But after a much-improved second half for McNamara and the Iowa offense as a whole, Danielson envisions a high ceiling for the 2024 Hawkeyes.

“If it’s even close to that type of quarterback play for Iowa, they may have a pretty special team,” said Danielson, who will be on the call with Brad Nessler for the CBS broadcast of this week’s Iowa-Iowa State game.

McNamara went 21-of-31 for 251 yards and three touchdowns in last Saturday’s season opener against Illinois State. (That’s more yardage than the entire Iowa offense averaged per game in 2023.)

There was a stark dichotomy between the two halves for the sixth-year quarterback, who was appearing in his first game since last year’s season-ending knee injury. He went 8-of-17 for 74 yards in the first half versus 13-of-14 for 177 yards in the second half.

“It just felt like he was very tight (in the first half), and he showed he’s much more capable the way he played in the second half,” Danielson said. “And he’s got some nice weapons. This is a really nice group of receivers that he can take advantage of.”

McNamara has appeared to be more relaxed, comfortable and confident around Iowa’s facility compared to the 2023 season. When McNamara talked with reporters on Tuesday, he talked about the “relief” of playing “the way I think I should be able to play” (while also making sure to shout out having the “best nana in the world”).

As a former Big Ten quarterback himself, Danielson knows that “confidence in yourself goes a long way.”

“You can literally turn yourself into a 50 percent better player by just absolutely believing that you belong and you can lead this team to win,” Danielson said. “So hopefully that half got him believing.”

That belief is backstopped by sharing a sideline with one of the best defenses in the country. The Hawkeyes returned all but three starters from a defense that led the country in yards allowed per play for the second consecutive season in 2023.

“That’s why he came here — to prove that he could be a special quarterback — and he’s been given a great opportunity,” Danielson said. “It’s a good team. You don’t have to score 40 points to win. You can throw the ball away occasionally on third down. There are some teams where you can’t do that. … This is a different team. If you can get into the mid-20s, they should win a lot, a lot of football games.”

National spotlight for game with potential CFP implications

Danielson will be on the call for CBS’ first broadcast from Kinnick Stadium since then-No. 1 Iowa defeated then-No. 2 Michigan, 12-10, in 1985. CBS regained the rights to select Big Ten football games as part of the conference’s media rights agreement that went into effect in 2023.

The 2024 renewal of the rivalry is the third time in the last four years the Cy-Hawk game has aired on a major broadcast network. Fox had the game in 2023, and ABC had the game in 2021.

“I always felt like the Iowa-Iowa State game was important to Iowa,” Danielson said. “But I feel like with the (expanded) playoff now, it’s a much bigger game. Both of these teams know the value of this win because they know the other team is going to be pretty good. And this would be a huge data point to get in as the eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th seed.”

The expanded College Football Playoff will include 12 teams — five conference champions and seven at-large teams. Iowa, going into Week 2, is No. 21 in the AP Poll. Iowa State is unranked, but received votes for the second consecutive week. The first CFP rankings will come out on Nov. 5.

Given that Iowa only has one ranked team on its schedule — No. 2 Ohio State on the road on Oct. 5 — Saturday’s Cy-Hawk game is a prime opportunity for the Hawkeyes to capture a quality win for their CFP resume.

“Both teams believe that they’re in the hunt for the playoffs,” Danielson said. “They know the importance of this game, which makes it even more special.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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