Iowa QB Cade McNamara out for season with a torn ACL. Deacon Hill will start against Purdue

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara will miss the rest of the season because of a torn knee ligament and Deacon Hill will be the starter against Purdue this week, coach Kirk Ferentz announced Tuesday.

McNamara tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the first half of the Hawkeyes' win over Michigan State. The Michigan transfer will have surgery soon and plans to return next season, Ferentz said.

McNamara, who missed most of last season with Michigan because of a knee injury, hurt his upper right leg in an August scrimmage and was not able to fully participate in most of the preseason practices. He tore his ACL while scrambling out of the end zone in the first quarter against Michigan State.

“Really tough break considering the last few years he's had more than his share of obstacles,” Ferentz said. “Your heart goes out to him.”

The 6-foot-3, 258-pound Hill transferred to Iowa after spending two years at Wisconsin. The third-year sophomore was 11 of 27 for 115 yards and a touchdown in relief of McNamara in the 26-16 win over Michigan State.

That was Hill's most significant action since his junior year of high school in Santa Barbara, California. Hill played an abbreviated schedule in 2020 because of the pandemic, sat out as a redshirt at Wisconsin in 2021 and took just three snaps for the Badgers last year.

Joe Labas will be Hill's backup in Saturday's home game against Purdue.

“For anyone who gets the opportunity to play in college, it's a blessing,” Hill said. “For me, it's an immense blessing. I wish it would have come under different circumstances. I love Cade and wanted the best for him. Injuries are part of the game, and now it's just my turn and I have to keep working like I have.”

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