Cade McNamara Recaps Iowa Hawkeyes 2024 Opening Game vs. Illinois State | Iowa Post-Game

let's go 1 2 [Applause] 3 half was a little tough and then you guys came right out second half and and it looked like things were just going smooth um did something flip it halftime did you guys make any adjustments what what changed I think we really started to gain some momentum at the end of that second quarter when we were able to go on a decent drive we weren't able to you know finish with a touchdown but I think overall like when stuff wasn't going our way at the beginning we were kind of you know really our Tempo wasn't very good and I think once we were able to gain some momentum and gain some Tempo um that really set us up really good for the second half looks like you might have Bing your hand at one point did you h a helmet or something or no I started cramping there's a few of us that started cramping today but um the trainers had me drink a bunch of stuff and I was good do you remember the past at World wor you kind of scrambled out and through 31 31 y play can you walk me through kind of what happened there yeah B no time to throw well they they did a really good job especially in the first half of pressuring us I mean they brought a lot of field pressure and Edge pressure today and you know kudos to them they you know it was pretty tough to deal with in the first half but I think um really in particular that play um they brought some good pressure and I couldn't I can't remember I have to go back and look at the play whether I was hot or not if I should have got the ball out earlier honestly but um honestly it was just awesome to see you know once I was able to get out of the pocket and or was able to you know keep the play going I was kind of waiting on him for him to make a decision whether it was a block or if it was to take off and he took off and it I thought it was a great decision and all I had to do is just lay it up for him I guess I just wondered like last year when you're doing with the quad for example I don't know if would you have gotten out of that no I wouldn't have you know um you know today felt really good to be actually healthy and run around a little bit I wasn't expecting to run as much as I did today but it felt good and you know some confidence was built with that and even there it's a couple times I'm like dang I could have maybe stayed on my feet a little bit longer and try to make a Juke but um but I I'll I'll play it safe for First full bit but um yeah I mean I this time last year I mean I really didn't even I wasn't able to do a full week of practice you know dealing with my quad and um for me to be able to do a full week of practice and then come out of this game healthy and everything you know it's it's huge has your chemistry and practice with Reese vanders been as good as it looked today or did you kind of surpr yourselves with how well you guys look together today um it was a little bit surprising you know I think he he's he really started gaining a lot of momentum towards the end of camp and I mean as you guys were able to see it his ability to go up and get it and make plays was you know something that he was gaining some traction through and um I'm just so stoked for him because you know as a true freshman you don't know how guys are going to react you know in game situations and you know even for like me or Luke you know like you know this is our first time being back there you know and a while too and there's nerves and there's anxiousness but um I'm just so proud of him the way that he was able to perform and something that's so impressive to me is just how he unfazed he is by everything that touch P did this feel like old times for you and when you were rehabbing after your injury in midseason were there ever any times when you questioned if you able to have moments like this again um I think moments like these and I'm really like picturing myself how moments like this is what got me through rehab I think you know having a rehab a second time was very difficult because I was you know wondering what I didn't do the first time you know and for me to um a lot of that motivation was being able to you know what it was like you know possibly to go out there as 100% again cuz I know last year I played and I wasn't 100% And I wasn't able to you know move around the pocket as much and for you know a lot of visualization and mindset and really just ring on my teammates and those relationships was huge for me during that process I'm the touchdown pass to to Jacob Gil you you really led him on that I mean he looked like he was covered but the spot that you get threw it to you know was was perfect I mean was what was your what did you see on that play how did it develop and and ultimately to put it in that spot yeah well we ran a similar play earlier and we were able to we were kind of just looking at how the safeties were playing it and um really when we've practiced that play it hasn't played out like that usually um usually you know the Jacob is able to kind of stay skinny through the middle of the field but because we called it lower in the Red Zone um kind of force his angle to be a little uh thicker and for um usually I'm kind of throwing it in the first window but kind of the way they played it it was a little unique and I mean that's the kind of thing about a new offense is like sometimes the first time that you see something is going to be in a game and for you know example that that was today with that and how long did it take for you alt together to heal from your last injury 9 months 10 months before you felt like you were 100% yeah I think it was I was cleared at either s or 8 months but I really started kind of feeling like myself through Camp because once I'm able to you know you can rehab and you can have as much strength as you possibly can but um when you're out for that long you have to gain like kind of your athleticism again you have to feel you know what comes second nature for you and for me I was able to gain some of those movements um in Camp because as a quarterback whether it's like kind of the smallest things whether it's like rotating out of Center or you know like maybe pivoting off a pitch like some of those little weird movements you don't realize that how much that you actually do that in a game until I'm actually thrown in there what you said in the locker room at half time um well for me I just I didn't say much you know but I think for me my message was that you know we just have to you know keep going I mean there was we missed some opportunities but I really emphasized kind of what I said earlier was you know um just our Tempo once we were able to you know pick up our Tempo and we were you know flushing the last play and able to move on then you know we started gain some momentum at in that second quarter and I just wanted to you know reemphasize that to the guys what were the conversations like in game and Co game with with Tim first time out with you guys yeah it was cool I mean sometimes you know I feel like we still need a little practice with the mic um sometimes like I had my helmet like my volume was on Max and um I feel maybe it wasn't it hasn't been that loud in practice so I think um overall like our communication was really good I think you know for us to have the iPads and you know with the coaches that are on the sideline versus in the Box it was really good I mean um coaches really put us in good situations in practice for us to practice those things like we've had Stadium practices and we make sure that we're using you know the headsets and everything throughout practice every single day but I think overall our communication was very good and I think it was really cool for me to like because usually um I mean this is my first game day with Coach Lester and for him and the staff to all all of us to be like in sync and for us to communicate as soon as we got off the field and you know if there's something to look at on the iPads um we looked at it but I think what was really good that we did as a unit very well today was um you know if something bad happened and then we would watch it on film we flushed it we weren't you know you know overthinking or thinking about those plays that happened bad if something that happened we basically like just took a peek at it and then we moved on say much pregame or what is a setall pregame speech like um kind of just like what you expect you know I think um he had he had us fired up and I think he really had us fired up at halftime and I think something that stck out to me was when we were on the field and once the offense started gaining some momentum I could tell like how much more fired up he was cuz then we're huddling up on the sideline and then I'm trying to call the play then I got coach Wallace saying let's go and like getting together guys and like we got to you know keep going and like whatever kind of motivation he was giving me and and to the entire offense like as I'm trying to call the play on the sideline so I thought it was that part was fun just to you know see his passion and I mean usually I mean I don't talk to coach Wallace that much on a game day so um that was pretty awesome this if this is game one and obviously it's still early but just what is what is putting 40 up like kind of make you feel about what the offense could become um I mean honestly the points do really matter to me I thought overall like that wasn't our best today I think you know we don't want to start a game like that you know you know we have a lot of guys you know new system new new offense new coaches you know guys who haven't played guys who have been out guys you know I think overall you know it took us a little bit to settle in and I think you know we're not really too worried about the 40 points I think we're more worried about you know how can we start the game fast and not you know l or stall and how can we get it going earlier [Music]