Tag: 2022 Iowa Football

‘He’s done a lot of good things for us’: Kirk Ferentz backing Spencer Petras heading into week 2

Don’t expect any quarterback changes heading into week two. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz remains confident in Spencer Petras moving forward.

Week one was a struggle for Iowa on offense. That much is clear as day to anyone who watched the game or just looked at the box score. Against South Dakota State, the Hawkeyes only mustered 166 total yards, just 109 of which came through the air.

It was a rough Saturday for senior quarterback Spencer Petras, throwing a pick and finishing with a 1.1 QBR. Head coach Kirk Ferentz, though, has shot down the mounting pressure to replace Petras at quarterback and give it a go with Alex Padilla or even Joey Labas in the battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, instead placing the focus on team execution.

“Yeah, I think it is full-fledged. In my mind it is, and every player builds a resume when they’re here through the way they practice and when they play. We see more practice than we do game competition.

“But I think he’s done a lot of good things for us, and he did some good things Saturday. Some things he could have done better. I think overall right now, I think our biggest challenge is just a little bit like last year, is just team execution right now, and I want to give him a fair assessment just like I would anybody that’s in there,” Ferentz said

Ferentz has been adamant ever since the 7-3 win over South Dakota State went final that Petras is the still the team’s starting quarterback moving forward this season. After the game, Ferentz stated that he doesn’t anticipate any changes at this point, and once again called on the entire team to get better, including the subject of debate.

The Hawkeye head coach’s words have so far been backed by his actions, Petras pretty much exclusively working with the first-team in practice. It should be noted though that while Padilla is working with the twos, he sees the same exact plays that Petras and the first team are working with.

“Not a lot. We’re running the same plays both groups — I imagine most people do this. Pro football is a little different, but we tend to work two offenses during the course of a practice.

“The twos get a lot of reps. Not as many as the ones, but they get a lot of reps. Alex is running the same stuff that Spencer is,” Ferentz said.

We’ll see if Ferentz’s confidence in his quarterback is well founded in Saturday’s clash against rival Iowa State.

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Iowa Hawkeyes week 2 opponent defense outlook: Iowa State Cyclones

The Hawkeyes host Iowa State in week one. Here is a defensive outlook for what the Cyclones will try to do and who to watch.

Heading into week two featuring the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry against the Iowa State Cyclones, there is certainly no shortage of questions that the Iowa Hawkeyes have to answer offensively.

Coming off a season-opening win against South Dakota State, the offense did not do much of their part in it as they mustered up just one field goal the entire 60 minutes. That said, the good thing for the Hawkeyes’ offense is that the only way to go after that performance is upwards.

With Iowa State coming to town this weekend, there is no doubt about it that the offense is going to have to carry their end of the bargain to try and extend the winning streak over the Cyclones to seven.

The defense the Cyclones will field is going to be a talent level higher than that of the FCS contender Jackrabbits and will take a much-improved offensive effort. Let’s dive into the defense the Hawkeyes will be up against this Saturday afternoon.

Iowa’s Keagan Johnson, Jestin Jacobs absent from Hawkeyes’ Cy-Hawk week depth chart

As the Iowa Hawkeyes get ready to host the Iowa State Cyclones in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, there were some depth chart adjustments released.

With the matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones approaching, the Iowa Hawkeyes are back to work this week getting ready. That starts with a newly released depth chart and some changes in personnel.

The “non-change” that is sure to be the number one topic of conversation this week amongst Hawkeyes fans is the quarterback depth chart. Spencer Petras is listed above Alex Padilla.

One of the biggest changes comes in the fact that linebacker Jestin Jacobs is not present anywhere on the depth chart. This is on the heels of an injury sustained in week one and will likely be nursing back to health.

When asked about it, head coach Kirk Ferentz does feel that Jacobs avoided something serious.

“I assume this is good news. It wasn’t a joint. It sure looked like it on the field. So, it’s soft tissue, and those can drag out, too, as we know, but at least it wasn’t a joint. That would have been bad,” said Ferentz in regards to Jacobs’ injury.

Another change, or absence, of note is that Keagan Johnson has been removed from the depth chart in a revision. This will give Iowa Arland Bruce IV, Alec Wick, Jack Johnson and potentially a first look at Brody Brecht as the receiving group.

On a positive note, Gavin Williams is present on the running back depth chart. There were rumors floating around last weekend that he was very close to suiting up so his presence in the backfield will be a welcome site.

At cornerback, we see Terry Roberts getting the nod opposite of Riley Moss after his solid performance last week.

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Iowa safety Quinn Schulte shines in first career start, earns praise from teammates, coaches

Quinn Schulte started at safety for the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday for the first time in his career. He wasted no time having an impact.

With the Iowa Hawkeyes losing Dane Belton and Jack Koerner to the NFL this past offseason, there was a question mark of who is going to step in at safety on defense. It wasn’t so much a worrisome question as defensive coordinator Phil Parker always has his guys ready to go, but more of a question as to simply who it may be manning the position.

That question was answered rather quickly and in quite a resounding way on Saturday. Quinn Schulte started as safety for the Hawkeyes and he wasted no time at all making his presence felt.

Schulte led the Hawkeyes with four pass breakups on Saturday. That total matched the rest of the defense combined.

“I think just once you get that first play, first hit out of the game, you know, all the butterflies go away. Coach always talks about, ‘If you don’t have any butterflies, then it’s probably not a good thing that you don’t care.’ Once you get out there and you start playing, they definitely go away,” Schulte said of his first-game nerves.

The pass breakups flashed a physical brand of football, too.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re always trying to bring a physical brand defensively. You know, just trying to be tough, smart, physical. That’s kind of our saying,” Schulte said.

The performance wasn’t lost on fellow defensive back Terry Roberts.

“Quinn has made significant progress. He’s made a lot of plays even throughout practice, throughout spring ball, summer, camp, all that. He’s stepped up to the plate. I love it and the sky’s the limit for him,” Roberts said.

When asked about the Schulte’s performance postgame, head coach Kirk Ferentz was pleased with his performance and spoke a bit on what he saw.

“Quinn is just steady, kind of quietly steady. Not a flashy player but two really good plays right out there in the open. He has practiced well. He’s played well on special teams, and now he took the next step,” said Ferentz.

A position that was a bit of a mystery before the season got underway has suddenly morphed into a potential strength on the back end for the Hawkeyes’ secondary and defense. As the season continues, Schulte will likely be around the ball quite a bit as we already saw his innate playmaking nature in his first start.

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Jacob’s post-week 1 Big Ten Power Rankings

Our first full slate of games are in the books. Which way are Big Ten teams’ stocks trending and what are the post-week one power rankings?

Week one is in the books, and we have a bit of movement in the rankings. Most of the top teams in the Big Ten took the first week as a chance to gain roster cohesion and iron out the kinks against an inferior opponent. This worked for most, except one team and you better believe they plummeted in the rankings.

It was a great week for the Big Ten, the only two teams losing games were against fellow Big Ten competition. I would argue that two team’s “wins” against FCS opponents though are more akin to losses. Here are the post-week one Big Ten Power Rankings. For a side-by-side comparison, here are last week’s rankings.

5 takeaways from the Iowa Hawkeyes’ abysmal opener against South Dakota State

Iowa topped South Dakota State, 7-3. Here’s the five biggest takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ season-opening triumph.

I honestly don’t even feel like writing about this game, or giving this team any attention right now. All credit to South Dakota State. They are not a pushover despite their FCS status and they played hard on defense. They were overmatched on offense, which was always going to be a likelihood with the talent on Iowa’s defense, but they surely were right there to stop Iowa’s offense.

Was that South Dakota State playing out of their minds, or Iowa just being a complete disaster? You can make your own judgement, but I know what my choice is.

I don’t care that they are a good FCS opponent, this Iowa team went into the season with aspirations of making it back to the Big Ten Championship game! That’s how you start out the season at home?! It was an embarrassment, it was a disgrace, and a disservice to every fan that sat through that mess in Kinnick Stadium Saturday. Ferentz and his staff need to figure it out, or this is going to be a long, long season.

That said off the top, let’s look at five of the biggest takeaways for the Hawkeyes versus South Dakota State.

5 Offensive keys for the Iowa Hawkeyes against South Dakota State

Here’s five keys for the Iowa Hawkeyes on offense to get the season off to a strong start in week one against South Dakota State.

Week One is the perfect time to work out the kinks, earning some needed chemistry and playing time. While No. 2 Ohio State is playing a national contender in No. 5 Notre Dame to kick off their season, Iowa is also facing a national championship contender, albeit a very different one.

The Hawkeyes will host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at Kinnick Stadium to kick off their season. It certainly isn’t the toughest week one slate, they didn’t elect to schedule a top 25 team like No. 12 Oregon or a returning College Football Playoff team in No. 22 Cincinnati, but SDSU is certainly not a pushover. They aimed for a bit more of an ambitious FCS opponent than say Wisconsin taking on Illinois State, a team that didn’t even muster five wins in 2021.

Expectations are high for the Hawkeyes, fresh off of their Big Ten Championship game campaign. The first team left on the outside looking in of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA coaches poll, Iowa certainly has a chip on its shoulder entering the season. After an offseason of incessant talking points, none of that matters anymore. The season is here, time to put up or shut up. Here are five keys for the Iowa offense against South Dakota State.

Kirk Ferentz, John Stiegelmeier share mutual respect for one another, mirroring programs

Between the two head coaches, there’s over 50 years of head coaching experience and 363 wins while at their two programs.

After the 2022 season ends, Iowa Hawkeyes head football coach Kirk Ferentz and South Dakota State head football coach John Stiegelmeier will have a combined 50 years of college head coaching experience between the two of them.

When the Hawkeyes and Jackrabbits get their respective 2022 seasons underway on Saturday at 11 a.m. on FS1 from inside Kinnick Stadium, the two head coaches will boast a combined 363 head coaching wins at Iowa and South Dakota State. The longevity of both is unique to college football.

As the buildup to the game reaches its crescendo, one of the questions posed to Stiegelmeier was if he saw any similarities between the two programs. If you stop and think about it, there are some striking similarities. Tough, hard-nosed programs led by two of the longest-tenured head coaches that like to feature talented tight ends and emphasize physical running games.

“I do. At different levels, but a lot of similarities in terms of coaches’ tenure. We want to be physical on offense. They are very physical on offense. Run the ball, use tight ends. They use a fullback, we use tight ends. Defensively, I think we maybe have a little more variety, but still want to be sound. When you put on the film and you watch how people line up against formations and things like that, you can’t outnumber them. We take pride in doing the same thing, so there’s a lot of similarities. It’s at a different level and more scholarships, but our guys will be ready to play,” Stiegelmeier said.

It’s clear the amount of respect that Stiegelmeier has for Ferentz individually.

“I’m honored. I look forward to meeting him. I look forward to picking his brain. He’s only a couple years older than me, but I’m sure he’s got some really good insight in the success of his program. I respect what he’s done, what the Iowa Hawkeyes have done through the years and, again, it’s going to be an honor to meet him and compete against him,” Stiegelmeier said.

Ferentz echoed many of those sentiments about Stiegelmeier and South Dakota State.

“Yeah, so I think I’m older than him—I figured I was. That’s unusual that somebody is that close and then he’s got more tenure. But I have great admiration for him. He’s done a great job with the program. Not that I know them intimately, but I’ve followed them now the last several years, and I just watch the way they operate. We’ve seen them in crossover tape. You pretty much form opinions about anybody when you watch tape, at least that’s how I form opinions about programs, and every tape I’ve seen going back a couple years with them is really—whenever the tight end that got drafted, I don’t know if he’s in Philly or whatever, you know who I’m talking about, but I remember them playing against somebody there, and they’re a good football team and a good football program.

“The other thing I’m impressed with, they lost four coaches this past offseason, but if you look at the guys they’ve hired, there’s a lot of common DNA in there. So they’re very confident about who they are, what they are and how they do things. That to me is impressive. Like they know who they are, and it’s worked really well for them, and he’s a first-class coach, first-class gentleman,” Ferentz said.

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Week 1 Iowa Hawkeyes defensive depth chart versus the South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Iowa released their first defensive depth chart of the season. What changes were made for their week one clash against South Dakota State?

Iowa released their depth chart on Monday for their week one clash against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and it surely is interesting. Virtually nothing is changed on the defensive line from the depth chart we’ve already seen, and that might puzzle some.

Some players are listed at different areas on the chart than how we’ve seen them used during camp. The most important thing to note with head coach Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes, the depth chart is not the be all end all. Just like the pirates code, Iowa’s depth chart is more what you would call guidelines instead of rules.

Defensive coordinator Phil Parker and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell know how to utilize their guys best, relying on the depth and versatility abundant with this unit. Expect to see Iowa’s front line look a lot different on game day. That being said, here’s a look at the week one defensive depth chart that was released.

247Sports tabs Jack Campbell as one of the Big Ten players that has generated the most 2022 buzz

In a final review of Big Ten stars that have generated the most offseason buzz, Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell made the cut.

To say that there’s a ton of hype for Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell would be a massive understatement.

There have been a few talking points about Hawkeyes football this offseason. Amidst the questions about offense have been exclamations of, “dang, Jack Campbell is really good.”

You’ll be hard pressed to find many negative things said about the senior linebacker. Campbell is quickly rising as one of the top linebacker prospects for the 2023 NFL draft. Campbell was featured in 247Sports writer Nick Kosko’s recent article on the Big Ten football players that have generated the most offseason buzz for the 2022 season.

Campbell was a monster last season for the Hawkeyes, the Big Ten runners-up. He finished with 140 total tackles, 57 solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, six pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and two defensive touchdowns. Campbell emerged as the leader of the defense in 2021, and could be one of the best defenders in the conference heading into this season. Iowa will certainly count on him once again. Riley Moss was given consideration here, but a knee injury from 2021 ultimately kept him from being as buzz-worthy. – Kosko, 247Sports.

For anyone familiar with the Hawkeyes or Big Ten football, this is no surprise. It is well known in these circles just how good the senior linebacker is. He made first-team All-Big Ten last year for a reason, joining NFL players Leo Chenal, David Ojabo, and Jack Sanborn. He will join them again in the NFL after one more tremendous campaign for the Hawkeyes.

The 2022 season isn’t for Campbell to gain buzz around fans in the Big Ten. Big Ten fans are die hard fanatics. They know who’s good and buzz worthy. He is well respected amongst Hawkeye fans and his opposition. What he can do, though, is break out on the national stage. He is already successfully doing so. Campbell has infiltrated the watch list of nearly every major award available to defenders. He is also a candidate to become an All-American this year.

There is no doubt that he will be entering the draft after this year, and he will be a fairly highly-ranked NFL prospect. Most likely being a lock for the Senior Bowl will also help, those guys always get an extra careful look by NFL draft media. With a big season and a strong predraft process, the rest of the football world will know what fans those in the Big Ten have already learned.

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