Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz isn’t calling time of death on the Hawkeyes’ 2022 season.
In the face of a 54-10 spanking from No. 2 Ohio State, Ferentz pointed to the past for answers on models of Hawkeye resiliency. Ferentz shared optimism when asked if his group could keep this 2022 season from snowballing on them and if he believes it’s possible for Iowa (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) to get this headed back in the right direction for the Hawkeyes.
“Well, that part’s easy. Yeah, I not only think it’s possible, I believe it is possible and I believe it’s going to happen, but it’s up to us to make it happen. So, yeah, absolutely, no doubt, I believe it’s possible and that’s our job, that’s our goal. That’s what you try to do any time you compete is get yourself in a position where you can go out and be successful. We weren’t able to do it today, but, we’re going to keep pushing hard and again we’ve got quality people. That’s a big part of it, big component of this whole thing,” Ferentz said.
The type of players and people in Iowa’s corner was a consistent theme from Ferentz. He said as much when asked how to keep the offense’s confidence high.
“We have really good people to work with. I think we have good coaches on our staff and most importantly good players and that has been a commonality 30-plus years during my career at our place so it starts there. And there’s no magic formula. You just keep banging along and you’re never sure when things are going to break through,” Ferentz said.
He said it again when pressed on how he addresses a defense that is now part of a 3-4 football team despite owning the No. 8 scoring defense and No. 6 total defense.
“That’s how football can play out sometimes. I’ve got a long history at our school going back to the 80’s as well, and, you know, been through all kinds of years where, you know, you’re really strong on one area and maybe not so strong in another area. You know, that type of deal, so, at least here that’s how it works out. You try to play the hand you’re dealt as well as you can, and try to improve in the areas where you’re not playing at as high of a level as you’d like.
“I think the one consistent thing, whether it was in the 80’s or the last 20-plus years, we’ve had high-caliber guys. I’m not surprised with the feedback they’re giving you, because that’s how they are and they know how hard the guys are working. Everybody’s working hard. We all train the same, we all practice the same way and they know guys are working hard and I think they support each other. We’re going to just keep pushing forward and see what we can do with this season. That’s our plan,” Ferentz said.
Iowa returns to play against Northwestern (1-6, 1-3 Big Ten) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. from Kinnick Stadium for a Homecoming date against the Wildcats. The Hawkeyes opened the week as a double-figure favorite.
[lawrence-related id=11727]
[lawrence-related id=11708]
[lawrence-related id=11720]
[listicle id=11574]
[listicle id=11578]
[listicle id=11704]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fvdcxf97xrgg1awc player_id=none image=https://hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.