Iowa QB Cade McNamara is out with a concussion

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara is out for this week's game against Wisconsin after suffering a concussion in Saturday's win over Northwestern.

Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed the injury on Tuesday.

Brendan Sullivan, a transfer from Northwestern, replaced McNamara in the second quarter on Saturday and is listed as the starter. Redshirt freshman Marco Lainez will be the backup.

Ferentz said he was confident McNamara would return for the Nov. 8 game against UCLA.

Sullivan had 79 passing yards and 41 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Wildcats. On Saturday, Ferentz warned that the move was permanent and said they planned to use both quarterbacks. Ferentz said McNamara took a hard hit before being removed from the game and was “shocked, hit the turf pretty hard.”

Just before McNamara was taken out of the game, an interception was returned for a touchdown. In the second half he stood on the sidelines without a helmet.

The transfer from Michigan struggled with injuries throughout his time at Iowa, but opened the last two seasons as the team's starter. He has 1,017 passing yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions this season.

“I feel bad for him because it’s been a really tough time for about two and a half years,” Ferentz said. “I've said it before and you've heard it from me a million times – the worst part of coaching is dealing with injuries. Nobody wants to deal with that and he's certainly had some bad luck here. “I'm sorry about that, but hopefully we can get him back soon and get him back on his feet.”