Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz speaks with the media each Tuesday during the football season. Every week, The Daily Iowan‘s Pregame Staff will post highlights, interesting quotes and lines from Ferentz’s press conference.

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Welcome is the first word.

• “Our football team has looked at this as a season of opportunity.”
• Captains are the same — Ott, Lomax, Beathard, Blythe.
• On injuries: Both LeShun Daniels, Jr. and Drew Ott did not practice today but are “making progress.”
• On Derrick Mitchell, Jr.: He was sent home before the game in Ames last weekend. He is in the plans this weekend against Pittsburgh.
• “We can anticipate this being a 60-minute game.”
• On the series with Pitt: “It’s in the Big Ten region, so to speak … It made a lot of sense when the series originated … I think it’s one of those logical matchups.”
• “A big part of our success [Sept. 12] was that Dillon Kidd did a good job punting.”
• Ferentz said he thinks Riley McCarron was more excited about making a tackle on punt coverage early in the game than his game-winning touchdown.
• “Coach [Pat] Narduzzi is not a good defensive coach, he’s an outstanding defensive coach.”
• “We’re really pleased with the start Jaleel [Johnson] has got off to so far. That’s kind of a blanket statement with all of our new starters.”
• Sean Draper is “getting closer” and Jake Duzey is getting better. Ferentz made it sound like Duzey could be back sooner rather than later.
• Ferentz said special teams and competitive drills are a popular thing during practice. Says he’s happy with the consistency of his special teams units so far this season. Cites Travis Perry as the “bell cow” of special teams.
• On running back depth and who is the No. 2 if Daniels can’t go “Probably Akrum Wadley, it’s kind of all hands on deck.
• Ferentz says Pitt wide receiver Tyler Boyd is as talented as any wide out he’s seen since Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr. in the Outback Bowl two seasons ago.
• On night games: “It’s exciting … night games are really special just in general, it’s a great place to be.”
• Ferentz says if not this weekend for Daniels and Ott, they should be ready by the North Texas game. He’s sure they’ll be back by the beginning of Big Ten season.
• Ferentz gives a fun fact — both he and Narduzzi coached in the Yankee Conference in the 1990s.
• On game preparation: Friday night routine moves to Saturday morning, and Iowa sends players to a movie on Friday night.
• On Pitt’s quarterbacks: “It’s not a dramatically different challenge, but we have to be ready for both, clearly.”
• Ferentz says running back Marcel Joly is “in the equation.”

Be sure to check dailyiowan.com throughout the day and Wednesday’s edition of the DI for more football coverage.