Iowa has lost a second major offensive player to a torn ACL.
Coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed Tuesday that tight end Erick All would miss the remainder of the season. All suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during the No. 24 Hawkeyes’ win over Wisconsin on Saturday.
All’s knee injury comes just weeks after quarterback Cade McNamara suffered a torn left ACL in Iowa’s win over Michigan State and tight end Luke Lachey suffered a season-ending right ankle injury against Western Michigan in September. Saturday, All injured his knee when he was tackled by Wisconsin’s C.J. Goetz after making a catch over the middle.
Both All and McNamara transferred to Iowa from Michigan over the offseason.
The loss of All to a season-ending injury is another major blow to an Iowa passing attack that was struggling even when McNamara was healthy. All is the team’s leading receiver in 2023 by a wide margin. He has 21 catches for 299 yards and three scores. No other Iowa player has more than 10 catches or more than a single touchdown catch as All has accounted for half of Iowa’s receiving TDs all season long.
Despite playing in just three games, Lachey is still tied for second on the team with 10 catches. Backup QB Deacon Hill became the starter after McNamara’s injury and is completing less than 40% of his passes and averaging 4.4 yards an attempt. For the season, Iowa is averaging fewer than 117 passing yards per game and the team’s offense is averaging just 4.4 yards per play.
But even though the Iowa passing offense has been dreadful this season, the Hawkeyes are 6-1 and can still be considered the favorites to win the Big Ten West thanks to an incredibly good defense and a lead of at least a game over everyone else in the division. Iowa is allowing just 15 points per game and Rutgers is the only team remaining on its schedule with a winning record.