Iowa moves on without injured quarterback Brendan Sullivan when the Hawkeyes visit Maryland for a Big Ten Conference contest on Saturday afternoon.
Coach Kirk Ferentz declined to name either former starter Cade McNamara or former fourth-stringer Jackson Stratton as Sullivan’s replacement when asked who would run the offense for Iowa (6-4, 4-3) in College Park, Md.
“Everything’s clearly cloudy right now,” Ferentz said on Tuesday. “That’s our weather forecast.”
McNamara, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in a win over Northwestern on Oct. 26, has been cleared by doctors and is listed first on the depth chart.
“Whether he can play effectively or not, we’ll see. We’ll just see how the week goes,” Ferentz said of McNamara.
Iowa had been on an upswing with Sullivan, who had sparked the Hawkeyes to convincing wins over Northwestern and Wisconsin before suffering an ankle injury in a 20-17 loss at UCLA on Nov. 8. Ferentz said it’s possible Sullivan could return for a bowl game.
Another storyline for Saturday is that Ferentz will be opposing his son, Brian Ferentz, an assistant at Maryland. Brian Ferentz was Iowa’s offensive coordinator from 2017-23.
“We’ve all got business to take care of on Saturday,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I think his experience has been good and everything I know about it. As a parent, I’m glad he’s with good people.”
Maryland (4-6, 1-6) needs a win to keep its hopes alive for a fourth straight bowl appearance under Mike Locksley.
The Terrapins have dropped five of their last six games, all by at least 14 points, including a 31-17 loss at home to Rutgers last weekend.
“It’s been a challenging last few weeks to say the least,” Locksley said.
The challenge this week will be to stop Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who leads the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,328) and touchdowns (20), averaging 7.1 yards per carry.
“With running backs, it’s not always about speed. It’s about power, vision and the ability to make something out of nothing,” Locksley said. “This guy is a load and runs behind his pads.”
Maryland answers with quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (285.5) and completions (268). His top target is Tai Felton, who leads the conference in catches (86) and receiving yards (1,040).
