McNamara grateful to be healthy facing Michigan State for third career matchup

Hawkeyes quarterback Cade McNamara doesn’t have the fondest of memories playing Michigan state. The two times he’s played them in the last four years he blew out his knee and lost one of the all-time great college football games in East Lansing.

That of course was a thrilling 37-33 Spartans win in 2021. McNamara threw for nearly 400 yards as #8 Michigan fell in the final seconds to a red-hot sixth ranked Michigan State team.

In 2023 McNamara suffered a torn left ACL that ended his season. But he says there’s no additional juice playing this team for the third time.

“I mean at this point I’ve played a lot of teams in the Big Ten,” McNamara said. “This year I’ve been healthy and for me to see these teams whether it was a 2nd or 3rd time, and that’s the exciting part.”

Excited because things feel different with no injuries holding him back.

“The coordinators have changed, the players have changed since the last time I’ve played,” McNamara said. “The last time I played them I really wouldn’t even consider playing them.”

The memories go even deeper for his backup, Michigan native Brendan Sullivan. Sullivan played his high school football at Davison high school less than an hour away from Michigan State. He said there’s nearly 30 family and friends that have bought tickets to the game.

But nobody has a deeper connection with the Spartans than Iowa’s defensive coordinator Phil Parker. Parker was a three time all Big Ten defensive back for Michigan State and had his moment against the Hawkeyes. Kirk Ferentz remembers it vividly.

“The thing I remember about Phil mostly, don’t ask me why it’s funny, we ended up working together for a quarter of a century. I remember watching him, he had has to be a cousin to the Stoops. To me the way he played is similar to the three Stoops. Obviously Mark hadn’t played at that point. All three of those guys were smart as can be, tough, good players.” Ferentz said.

“You could tell watching him play, I got to be on the field with the Stoops, how they were mentally, how they communicated with everybody. Phil is the same way. He’s a three-time All-Big Ten player. He wasn’t the fastest guy, certainly not a combine guy. He still says Nick tried to run him out of there and all that stuff as a player.”

“Phil doesn’t go away. He’s one of those guys. What a great career he had.”

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