By Jordan Hansen | [email protected]
Each week, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz meets with the assembled media. Here are the highlights.
- “All of us are disappointed by last weeks loss.”
- “At this point, there’s only one course of action and that’s to push forward.”
- Note: This is a more guarded Ferentz than we’ve seen the last couple weeks. Kind of feel he knows very well the pressure he’s under.
- Captains: C.J. Beathard, LeShun Daniels Jr., Desmond King and Josey Jewell
- “I’m really impressed with their running backs.”
- On pass blocking issues: “It’s not on every play… it hasn’t looked rhythmic.”
- Says that the leadership has been good, says the whole team has been getting good leadership.
- “We’re all frustrated right now.”
- Says Iowa has to tackle better, prevent the big 15+ yard plays.
- “You have to execute the fundamentals.”
- Brings up big plays again. Says it changes the complexity of the game.
- “I’m pretty concerned about everything right now.”
- “Depth charts mean something, but they don’t mean everything.”
- “There’s ups and downs in everything that we do.”
- Everyone is saying “fine line” there is a fine line. It’s very fine. And thin. And the team likes to talk about it.
- What can Desmond King do to get even better this season? “He’s out there every day in practice.”
- More depth chart talk. Iowa’s trying not to be “reactionary” in how building their depth chart works.
- Says you have to work at things, “you have to keep banging away until it happens for you.”
- Kinda sounds like Matt VandeBerg is going to come back next year, or at least has a pretty good chance at doing so.
- On the no-huddle: Nothing was really looking good at that point, it was a “shot in the dark.” It worked, but then Iowa went away from it. Seems likes Ferentz thinks cleaning up the little things is more important than trying to go no-huddle.
- On “drive killers”: He thinks they’re resilient enough. Talks about the difference between makeable plays and plays that are more lower percentage. Interesting point.
- Ferentz wants shorter 3rd-and-situations.
- “We just have to keep pushing through.”
- Lots of compliments for Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner.
- On offensive lineman Cole Croston: “It’s a tough thing to go through… he’s a tremendous guy. It’s not going perfect, by any stretch.”