After months of preparation, Tim Lester and the Iowa offense are set for their season debut.
Since February, Hawkeye fans have been wanting to know what the Tim Lester era of Iowa’s offense will look like. On Saturday, we’ll get that first look. It’s been a long offseason for the Hawkeyes.
IOWA CITY, Iowa– Since February, Hawkeye fans have been wanting to know what the Tim Lester era of Iowa’s offense will look like. On Saturday, we’ll get that first look. It’s been a long offseason for the Hawkeyes. The quarterback room has been totally revamped, an offense line has been healed and potential all-American Luke Lachey opted to return. Now comes the easy part, right?
Iowa is in the midst of changing the narrative surrounding the usage of its wide receivers, but that could take a bit of time to be able to accomplish that feat. The Hawkeyes have all the tools to be a really solid team on the ground. A veteran offensive line itching to prove themselves combined with a plethora of talented backs. That’s one of the top goals for Lester.
“First, we are trying to set the standard of what we can do at the line of scrimmage and what plays we can get good at,” Lester said. “The truth of the matter is, the plays I call in game one, we aren’t going to have run them thousands of times. How many reps can we get in walkthrough? How fast can we change this curve? There’s a normal curve to a new offense, no matter where you go. That’s the battle we’ve been in. We can put more plays in the more efficient we become and we are working hard at it. The guys are doing a great job.”
McNamara missed all of spring football as he continued to recover from last season’s knee injury. Luckily for him, he has played so much college football throughout his career that he understands how to truly study football. That’s a massive benefit when Lester has continued to try to install the offense.
“For me, I’ve been in multiple different offenses with multiple different coordinators over the course of my career,” McNamara said. “For guys who have been at Iowa, they’ve had the same offense. So I think for them to go through a change, it’s not easy.
“I remember my first time, switching the offense. First two weeks of college, they switched the playbook. I was like, ‘Well, I guess I studied that all for nothing.'”
Fortunately for Iowa, McNamara is back at 100 percent. He has been a full participant for the past several weeks and feels as healthy has he has been in two seasons. The former Michigan starter was never healthy during actual gameplay for Iowa as he battled through a strained quad. Heading into this season, he’s excited about the possibilities.
“Recovering from an injury and being back on the field for the first time, I think over the course of camp, it’s had its ups and downs,” McNamara said. “But I’m just excited for all the work we’ve put in as a group for it to finally come to fruition and hopefully have some success this year.”
The Hawkeyes will have one of the most veteran offensive lines that they’ve had in recent memory. That’s what helps give coach George Barnett confidence in the group that he has this season. Even better? They are healthy.
“How they handle themselves on a daily basis, the professionalism in meetings and on the field,” Barnett said during Iowa’s Media Day. “Their competitiveness in practice, the fundamentals are getting sharper and their understanding of the offense is good, so they can pour a bit more energy into the competitive piece, and that’s when you start clicking.”
The pace of play picked up. “When you see that pick up, there’s a cohesiveness. They’re on the same page. I think we’re really just starting to feel that traction [with the new offense]. It’s a good feeling. I have so much belief in our group.”
