Former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara entered Iowa's game against Washington on Saturday without a touchdown pass in seven straight games against power conference opponents.

The sixth-grader broke the losing streak late in the first half by hitting Kaleb Johnson out of the backfield for an 18-yard score that gave the Hawkeyes a 17-7 lead.

McNamara completed just 8 of 14 passes for 108 yards in a 40-16 win, but added another touchdown toss in the fourth quarter, throwing a 33-yard strike to Dayton Howard. His last touchdown pass against a power conference team came in the 2021 Big Ten Championship against the Hawkeyes when he connected with tight end Erick All, who also transferred to Iowa before the 2023 season, and in Michigan's 42- Yards scored a 5-yard score. 3 win.

As was the case during his tenure with the Wolverines, the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) rely heavily on their running game. Johnson ran for 166 yards on Saturday and has more rushing yards (936) than McNamara passing yards (794) this season.

McNamara hadn't thrown a touchdown pass since Week 1 and had a total of three interceptions in that span. Only Michigan ranks worse in the Big Ten in passing offense (140 yards per game) this season.

During Michigan's 2020 season, the former four-star recruit from Nevada completed a double-digit comeback against Rutgers while coming off the bench. He earned the starting spot for the remainder of the year and started all 14 games in 2021, leading the Wolverines to their first conference title since 2004.

McNamara lost the 2022 job to JJ McCarthy and transferred to Iowa, where he played the first five games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending ACL tear against Michigan State.

He'll get another shot at the Spartans next week in East Lansing.

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