When Dr. B Eleanor Anstey died last month, her family was given a simple instruction for how her obituary should read:
“Dr. B. Eleanor Anstey born on June 9, 1926. She died on October 25, 2023.”
Her loved ones didn’t feel those two sentences were enough, so while honoring her wishes, they also filled in the gap between those years with highlights from her life — including her devotion to Iowa Hawkeyes football — which led to another simple instruction from her family:
“In lieu of flowers please make a donation to a charity of your choice,” the obituary read. “Or simply say a prayer for the Iowa Hawkeyes offense on her behalf.”
Iowa’s offense has been notoriously low-scoring for years, averaging at least 30 points per game just twice since 2016. It’s gotten even worse in 2023 with the Hawkeyes averaging 19.5 points. That ranks 120th out of 133 FBS teams. Earlier this year the Hawkeyes played a game with the lowest over/under total points line in college history at 30.5. They may top that record again in Week 10 with the over/under for the Iowa-Northwestern game reaching as low as 29.5 at some sportsbooks.
But it appears those prayers may have started working. On October 30, Iowa announced offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz will not return to the team in 2024. It’s a massive win for Hawkeyes fans who have long called for change within the program.
His father, head coach Kirk Ferentz, however, still plans to stick around. The call for prayer may not have been specific enough.