Brendan Sullivan sparked the Iowa offense and earned the right to start the rest of the season

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Postgame hugs were long and emotional for the Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan Moments after the 40-14 win Northwest.

A year ago, when these teams met at Wrigley Field, Sullivan wore purple and served as quarterback on the losing side by a score of 10-7. Iowa victory. This time, Sullivan wore black and gold, sticking it out to his former teammates. But those competitive feelings faded as the clock hit zero, especially thanks to the smack talk after turning the corner for a 6-yard touchdown.

Dozens of Wildcats embraced Sullivan as the BTN team interviewed Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. After answering questions on camera, Sullivan quickly walked over to his parents, Mike and Jenny, and the rest of the 10-member cheering group. Finally, Sullivan met up with former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald in the Iowa tunnel and they heckled each other for about 10 seconds.

“It was surreal,” Sullivan said of seeing Fitzgerald, whose son Ryan transferred to Iowa as a quarterback. “He’s the guy who believed in me and recruited me since high school. So this is nothing but respect for him and his family.”

Looking at the statistics alone, Sullivan’s impact seems meager at best. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 79 yards with no interceptions or touchdowns. He rushed eight times for 41 yards with a rushing touchdown. But there’s no denying the impact Sullivan had on his teammates when he replaced the starting point guard. Cade McNamara in the middle of the second quarter.

outside

@BigTenNetwork@bsully02 X #Sahkeyes pic.twitter.com/Q22xrGA6LA

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) 26 October 2024

With one more season of eligibility remaining, Sullivan is required to start the remainder of this season at Iowa. The Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) are no longer in College Football Playoff contention and need to see what they have in Sullivan to formulate a transfer portal strategy. Plus, Sullivan gives Iowa its best chance to win.

As he has for most of the season, McNamara struggled to achieve his goals on Saturday. On a play with an open receiver and a running lane, McNamara was hesitant and threw a 4-yard pass to tight end Luke Lachey. On the next snap, McNamara threw an interception that was returned 85 yards for a touchdown. Boos filled Kinnick Stadium as Northwestern took a 7-3 lead. Then, in what Ferentz called a planned quarterback change, Sullivan entered the game to applause.

The Hawkeyes ran on their first three drives, but then Iowa’s offense implemented wider formations. With McNamara in the game, Northwestern stacked the box against the Big Ten rushing leader Kaleb Johnson. When the faster Sullivan was the point guard, the Wildcats rarely had more than six defenders in the box.

Taking over at the Northwestern 48 with 1:22 left in the first half, Sullivan led the Hawkeyes to the 26-yard line with a pair of completions and two runs in four plays. Then on third-and-1, Northwestern was at the nickel and Johnson exploded up the middle, fending off a player looking for a steal and stiff-arming a defender before scoring to give Iowa a 12-7 lead.

Johnson said of Sullivan’s activity: “It raises the issue a lot, because they can’t just lock me up. They have to key him up too.”

The goal that came with 32 seconds left in the half changed the game. Sullivan scored on Iowa’s first possession of the second half. Later Kaden Wetjen followed by an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown. Johnson scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter on runs of 41 and 25 yards.

Iowa scored a total of 28 points in the third quarter; that equaled the total of points scored by the Hawkeyes in their final four games in 2023.

“He commanded the play,” Ferentz said. “No matter what your style is as a quarterback, you have to do it. It was a good outing. I thought we got into the flow a little bit in the second half. That was definitely encouraging.”

“I’m happy with the way he stepped in. (He) played with great balance, didn’t think too much about it. “You always worry a little bit about emotions when you play against your former team.”

It remains to be seen whether Sullivan will be Iowa’s starter next week. Wisconsin. McNamara was shaken up by several hits in the second quarter, and Ferentz opted not to play him for the remainder of the game. Ferentz declined to say whether Sullivan would be named the permanent starter.

“We’ll see about that,” Ferentz said. “Persistent is a strong word, isn’t it?

“We decided during the week that we were going to rotate Brendan a bit in the third or fourth series. It worked out that way. He did a really nice job.”

McNamara’s inconsistency and tendency to make mistakes dogged the offense at inopportune times. Against Iowa StateMcNamara completed 5 of 18 passes in the last three quarters for a 20-19 loss. Had three turnovers in the third quarter Ohio State This allowed a 7-0 deficit to turn into a 35-7 defeat. Then last week Michigan StateMcNamara completed 3 of 9 passes in a scoreless first half and had an interception in the fourth quarter in a one-score game.

But in other games, McNamara was effective. He also has the respect of his teammates, who vote for him as team captain every week.

Sullivan came to Iowa in June after graduating from Northwestern. Started seven career games for the Wildcats; four of those resulted in a 2-2 record last year. He opted to enter the transfer portal in the spring and chose Iowa. Nothing was promised, but he took on the role of red zone quarterback because of his running ability.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll play wherever you go,” Sullivan said. “Iowa gave me the opportunity to compete and I took it.”

The extra effort of Sullivan, who gave a high-energy performance, was remarkable. After completing a brief transition to tight end Johnny PascuzziSullivan took off downfield, ran past the tight end and threw a block for a 40-yard gain. After the touchdown run, Sullivan removed his helmet, walked to the sideline and raised his hands to the crowd.

“What he brings the most is excitement, enthusiasm, positivity, excitement guy and all that,” Mike Sullivan said of his son. “It’s nothing new as he’s always done this but it’s nice to see it here. He loves Iowa. He loves everyone here. “This is the best experience and best decision he’s ever made.”

(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / Imagn Images)