After registering just eight first downs and 158 yards of total offense that netted one field goal against No. 2 Ohio State, Iowa (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) continues to search for any kind of offensive footing.
Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz was asked how they keep confidence high for the offensive personnel when the unit is one of the nation’s worst and has devolved into a national laughingstock.
The Hawkeyes’ 24-year head coach pointed back to one of his first seasons leading the program for an answer on how to break through offensively.
“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.
“I’m standing here right now just thinking about going to Penn State in 2000. I don’t think anybody would have called that shot, but that was really the first time we played collectively like a winning football team, a winning Big Ten football team. We didn’t do anything magical during that course leading up to that game other than just try to, you just try to practice well and try to get better each and every time out there. I don’t think that formula ever changes in sports. I know more football than I do anything else, but, you know, so that’s the course we’ll stay on and we’ll see where it all takes us,” Ferentz said.
Leading up to that 2000 game versus Penn State, Iowa had gone just 1-10 in Ferentz’s first season leading the program in 1999 and were just 1-8 to start 2000. That was a combined 2-18 record and there weren’t many signs that things were magically about to start getting better.
Still, Iowa stayed the course and, sure enough, the Hawkeyes topped Penn State on that Nov. 4 day in 2000 by the final tally of 26-23 in two overtimes. Then, Iowa won the following week over then-No. 18 Northwestern, 27-17, and finished with a one-score loss against Minnesota.
Of course, Iowa enjoyed its first very successful season under Ferentz in 2001 when the Hawkeyes finished 7-5 before ripping off 11-2, 10-3 and 10-2 marks in 2002, 2003 and 2004. So, the track record for trusting with and sticking to the day-to-day approach and eventually getting results is something that exists for Ferentz dating back to the beginning of his Hawkeye tenure.
Against Ohio State, it was the first time this season that backup quarterback Alex Padilla saw extended action. While it didn’t result in improved results and Iowa hasn’t committed to Padilla taking over in place of Spencer Petras yet, the hope is that it signals that Iowa is committed to whatever changes it will take to improve the offense over the season’s final month and change.
Ferentz admitted following the blowout defeat that Iowa doesn’t have a simple answer right now offensively.
“Well, we’re not playing well enough. I can’t give you an answer. If I had that answer, you probably would have seen something today. Part of the credit goes to our opponent today. They’re a really good defensive football team. Much improved. I don’t want to say much improved. Much improved statistically, but they’re a good defensive football team. We felt that coming in watching their tape and feel that way now after seeing them in person. So, I don’t have the answer or we would have scored more points today and we’ll just keep pushing forward and trying to find a better solution,” Ferentz said.
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