Former Michigan football quarterback struggles against WMU

When former Michigan football quarterback Cade McNamara left Ann Arbor over the 2023 offseason, one of the driving factors was his desire to be more than a “game manager.” At Iowa, McNamara has been average thus far; in fact, today, against the Western Michigan Broncos (MAC), McNamara underwhelmed.

Former Michigan football quarterback underwhelms against Western Michigan

The Iowa offense is not looked upon fondly in the college football community — it was one of the worst in the game’s history last year, and so far in 2023, it does not seem to be a whole lot better. While Cade McNamara is definitely an upgrade over ex-Iowa signal caller Spencer Petras, the former Michigan football quarterback has not been that impressive so far.

Today, after squeaking by Iowa State last weekend, McNamara and his Hawkeyes took on the Western Michigan Broncos in Iowa City. WMU, a local Michigan MAC football team, should have been very outmatched, though after one half of play, it was clear that the Hawkeyes were struggling. At halftime, Iowa narrowly led WMU, 14-10.

In the first half, Cade McNamara went 5 for 13 for 57 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns, and two interceptions. He followed this performance with a second underwhelming half, finishing the game 9 for 18, totaling 103 yards, two touchdowns, and two turnovers against the Broncos.

While Iowa still came away with the win — a 41-10 win at that — it’s clear that Jim Harbaugh and the coaching staff made the right call for Michigan football when they named JJ McCarthy as the Wolverines’ full-time starter last fall.