By Jordan Hansen

[email protected]

Each week Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz meets with the assembled media on Tuesday afternoon. Here are a few quips from his presser.

• On contract: “Really excited to get this done.” Compliments basically everyone — his family, assistant coaches, fans, UI president Bruce Harreld, and athletic director Gary Barta
• Does not consider the contract to be “a cap” which basically means he might want to continue coaching. Something to watch, I suppose.
• Comments on how many players are from the state, how big it is to them
• “If you look over the past five years, you can pretty much predict a close game.”
• “I think it’s really rare to have a rivalry game where you have teams from two major conferences.”
• Jay Scheel might play, Parker Hesse is day-by-day. Doesn’t seem either has anything significant.
• Says lack of game tape will be “a challenge.”
• Says Toledo (Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell’s previous job) was well coached, played hard.
• “We have to stay within what we do best.”
• Back to contract: Says that stability is important, big in recruiting.
• On the defense: “Can’t give up that much rushing yardage.” Also mentions there was a bunch of blown coverages, stuff he says is “coachable.”
• “Good teams know how to practice well, take what they see, and move forward with it.”
• On splitting carries between Wadley and Daniels: Ferentz has “total confidence” in both players.
• Expects a back-and-forth game all the way with Iowa State. “In my experience, the team that plays the best usually wins.” Remember, Iowa was tied late in the fourth quarter with the Cyclones last season and Ferentz actually has a losing record from Iowa’s main in-state rival.
• On Josey Jewell: Was not a “malicious” hit, “one of things that happens, unfortunately.”
• Defensive ends: “We came in thinking we had three really good guys at that position… we’re really pleased with the progress.”
• On Aaron Mends: “Depth charts are really pretty fluid… he’s a tremendous young guy… I think he’s going to be a really good football player, he just has to keep his foot on the gas…. he’s got a chance.”
• Iowa’s playing on 9/11 this week. In 2001, the Iowa-Iowa State game was postponed until later in the season: “It was a unique time in our history, those are those moments where we remember where we are and what we are doing.”
• Game was called off on a Thursday, “Don’t know why it took so long.”