Iowa downed Miami (Ohio) in its season-opener on Saturday. After a rough first half that saw Iowa only take a three-point advantage into halftime, the Hawkeyes opened it up in the second to complete a 38-14 win.

There were ups and downs throughout the game, and head coach Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeye players spoke about them after the final whistle.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz on A.J. Epenesa getting double-teamed

“There’s nothing to do. If they want to double-team, that’s two checkers for one, right? It’s been a long time since I played checkers. I think that’s a good thing.”

Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs on playing with sophomore Kyler Schott

“See, I’m getting all giddy. Getting to play with him is pretty special. You know, we do everything together. We work together over the summer. We wrestle together. That’s around our breaks when we need to lose some weight. I’m excited to get to play next to him now.”

Wide receiver Nico Ragaini on the wide receiver depth

“We’re all pretty good players, but we all get along in such a great way, which I feel like you could tell; when Oliver scored, we all were excited for him, when [Brandon] Smith scored, we all were excited for him. I feel like we truly care about each other, and none of us are selfish.”

Defensive end Amani Jones on sacking RedHawks quarterback Brett Gabbert on third down

“That feeling was great. I felt myself come alive again. Once I got unblocked, I saw the quarterbacks eyes and he saw me. I was like ‘I got it.’ That feeling was electrifying; it brought up high school memories.”

Wirfs on adjustments after Alaric Jackson’s injury

“Injuries are just part of the game, and we have to keep trucking along. Everyone cares about [Jackson], but I think he would say the same thing if anyone else went down: we’ve got a job to do, and we’ve got to keep trucking along.”