IOWA CITY, Iowa — Postgame embraces were long and emotional for Iowa quarterback Brendan Sullivan in the moments following a 40-14 win against Northwestern.
A year ago, when these teams met at Wrigley Field, Sullivan wore purple and quarterbacked the losing side of a 10-7 Iowa victory. This time, Sullivan donned the black and gold and stuck it to his former teammates. But through the smack talk, especially after sprinting around the corner for a 6-yard touchdown, those competitive feelings subsided as the clock struck zero.
Dozens of Wildcats bro-hugged Sullivan as the BTN crew interviewed Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. After Sullivan answered questions on camera, he rushed over to his parents, Mike and Jenny, and the rest of his 10-member cheering section. Finally, Sullivan met former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald at the Iowa tunnel, and they squeezed each other for about 10 seconds.
“It was surreal,” Sullivan said of seeing Fitzgerald, whose son, Ryan, committed to Iowa as a quarterback. “He’s the guy that believed in me out of high school and recruited me. So, it’s just nothing but respect for him and his family.”
When looking merely at the statistics, Sullivan’s influence appears meager at best. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 79 yards without an interception or a touchdown. He ran eight times for 41 yards with a rushing touchdown. But no one can deny the influence Sullivan had on his teammates when he replaced starting quarterback Cade McNamara midway through the second quarter.
Around the outside 😤
📺 @BigTenNetwork@bsully02 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Q22xrGA6LA
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 26, 2024
With one more season of eligibility remaining, Sullivan needs to start for Iowa for the rest of this season. The Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) are no longer in College Football Playoff contention, and they need to see what they have in Sullivan to formulate a transfer portal strategy. Plus, Sullivan gives Iowa the best chance to win.
Like for much of the season, McNamara struggled to hit his targets Saturday. On one play with an open receiver and a running lane, McNamara was indecisive 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 switch, Sullivan entered the game to rousing applause.
The Hawkeyes punted on his first three drives, but then Iowa’s offense implemented wider formations. With McNamara in the game, Northwestern stacked the box against Big Ten rushing leader Kaleb Johnson. Once the faster Sullivan became the quarterback, the Wildcats rarely kept more than six defenders in the box.
After taking over at the Northwestern 48 with 1:22 left in the first half, Sullivan led the Hawkeyes to the 26-yard line in four plays with a pair of completions and two runs. Then on third-and-1, Northwestern stayed in nickel and Johnson burst up the middle, spun off a would-be tackler and stiff-armed a defender before scoring to give Iowa a 12-7 lead.
“It opens it up a lot,” Johnson said about Sullivan’s mobility, “because they can’t just key me. They’ve got to key him, too.”
That touchdown with 32 seconds left in the half changed the game. Sullivan scored his touchdown on Iowa’s first possession in the second half. Then Kaden Wetjen followed with an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown. Johnson scored twice more in the third quarter on runs of 41 and 25 yards.
In all, Iowa scored 28 points in the third quarter, which was as many as the Hawkeyes put up combined in their final four games in 2023.
“He commanded the game,” Ferentz said. “No matter what your style is as a quarterback, you have to do that. It was a good outing. I think we got into a little flow in the second half. That was certainly encouraging.
“I’m happy with the way he stepped in. (He) played with great poise, didn’t think about it too much. Playing against his former team, you always worry about emotions a little bit.”
It remains unclear whether Sullivan will become Iowa’s starter next week against Wisconsin. McNamara was rocked by a couple of hits in the second quarter and Ferentz chose not to play him the rest of the game. Ferentz refused to say whether Sullivan would be named permanent starter.
“We’ll see on that,” Ferentz said. “Permanent is a strong word, right?
“We made the decision during the week we were going to rotate Brendan in a little bit on the third or fourth series. It just worked out that way. He did a really nice job.”
McNamara’s inconsistency and penchant for mistakes has haunted the offense at inopportune times. Against Iowa State, McNamara completed 5 of 18 passes in the final three quarters in a 20-19 loss. He had three turnovers in the third quarter at Ohio State that allowed a 7-0 deficit to spiral into a 35-7 defeat. Then last week at Michigan State, McNamara completed 3 of 9 passes in a scoreless first half and threw a fourth-quarter interception in a one-score game.
But in other games, McNamara has been efficient. He also has the respect of his teammates, who have voted him team captain every week.
Sullivan arrived at Iowa in June after graduating from Northwestern. He started seven career games for the Wildcats, including four last year with a 2-2 record. He chose to enter the transfer portal in the spring and picked Iowa. Nothing was promised, but he carved out a role as a red zone quarterback because of his running ability.
“You don’t have a guarantee to play anywhere you go,” Sullivan said. “Iowa kind of just gave me the opportunity to compete, and I jumped at it.”
A high-energy performer, Sullivan’s extra effort was noticeable. After completing a short pass to tight end Johnny Pascuzzi, Sullivan took off down the field, ran ahead of the tight end and sprung a block on a 40-yard gain. After his touchdown run, Sullivan came to the sideline with his helmet off and raised his hands to the crowd.
“That’s what he brings the most, is the excitement, the enthusiasm, the positivity, the hype guy, all those things,” Mike Sullivan said about his son. “He’s always done it so it’s nothing new, but it’s so cool 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)
