How close is Iowa’s passing game to being an asset rather than a liability in 2024?

IOWA CITY — Good luck finding someone in Iowa who is a bigger fan of NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins than Tim Lester.

“Here in the quarterback room, we talk about Kirk Cousins all the time,” the Hawkeye offensive coordinator told reporters on Tuesday. “I loved him. I recruited him. … He’s a pretty darn good quarterback because he can efficiently run an offense.”

The big question on Evashevski Drive is how quickly can Iowa’s passing game — ranking 122nd in passing yards per game and 109th in team passing efficiency — start delivering Cousins-esque results.

“We’re getting closer to that point,” Lester said.

Through four games, the passing game is seemingly the one area that has not dramatically improved in Lester’s first season as offensive coordinator. Iowa is 73rd in total yards per game, tied for 52nd in points per game, 42nd in third-down efficiency and 14th in time of possession.

Iowa’s 5.96 yards per rushing attempt ranks third in the Big Ten and 20th across the country. Kaleb Johnson is second in the country with 171.3 rushing yards per game.

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The Hawkeyes are in the rare situation of actually averaging more rushing yards per attempt than passing yards. Iowa, with only 5.73 passing yards per attempt, is one of six FBS teams that can say that so far this year.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara has completed 62.7 percent of his passes while throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions. His 117 passer rating ranks 110th among 129 qualifying FBS quarterbacks.

Most recently, the sixth-year senior was 11-of-19 for 62 yards in Iowa’s 31-14 win over Minnesota.

“This is going to go against the popular opinion, but I actually think last game was one of his best games,” Lester said. “Everything is about your feet and timing in the passing game. … I was very impressed with his feet.”

Lester brought up several asterisks that came with McNamara’s 11-of-19 stat line.

“We had two drops,” Lester said. “We had two great reads, great throws, routes weren’t run right. We had one throwaway … which was a good decision.”

How many of McNamara’s passes should have been completions aside, Iowa’s deep passing threat has been virtually nonexistent. McNamara has thrown the ball 20-plus yards on 5.9 percent of his attempts this season, according to Pro Football Focus. When he has thrown it deep, he is 2-for-6 with one touchdown and one interception.

“We’re definitely still developing it,” Lester said when asked about the lack of deep threat. “Shoot, I had a couple really good ones last weekend that we didn’t call because the way the game was playing out. … That’s a huge part of this offense.”

Iowa also has not always gotten the ball to some of its playmakers in the receiving corps.

Tight end Luke Lachey, who was named to the John Mackey Award preseason watch list, did not have any catches in Iowa’s loss to Iowa State and was held to three catches in each of the last two games. Lester anticipates Lachey’s role “is going to continue to grow.”

“In every progression, he’s always one or two,” Lester said. “I guess sometimes he’s three, but he’s normally one or two. … He’s one of our most important players on our football team and one of our best leaders.”

Kaleb Brown, one of Iowa’s top wide receivers last year, has only one reception through the Hawkeyes’ first four games. The former Ohio State wideout has been targeted three times this year, per PFF. Lester believes Iowa has “got to find ways to get him the ball.”

“We've had him targeted a couple times, and he just hasn't run the route quite like we needed him to,” Lester said.

Lester sees Iowa’s Week 5 bye as a “week where we can hopefully bridge that gap faster than other weeks.” Whether that progress in the passing game is sufficient for Iowa to hang with No. 3 Ohio State on Oct. 5 remains to be seen.

“I have a lot more confidence after this week than I did after last week or definitely after Iowa State,” Lester said.

Without significant strides in the passing game, Lester could very well have another thing in common with Cousins, the eventual NFL quarterback he tried to bring to Western Michigan many years ago — two losses this season.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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