Iowa football offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz thought the Hawkeyes took a step back last week in their 9-6 loss to Illinois in Champaign.

Iowa’s offense started drives at Illinois’ 5-yard line and 33-yard line and managed to score just three points off those two opportunities.

“I think we took a step back that night over in Champaign,” Ferentz said. “But the positive is that we got an opportunity to come back to work this week. Guys have come in with an eye on the future, eye on the horizon, and really a renewed focus on improving.”

Iowa’s offense is ranked last in the 131-team FBS in total offense, averaging 238.7 yards per game. The Hawkeyes are 127th in scoring offense with an average of 14.7 points per game — which includes the Iowa defense’s two touchdowns. Iowa’s offense has scored seven touchdowns this season.

Iowa is also 122nd in the country with a .296 third-down conversion rate.

Ferentz said he can’t identify a “root cause” for Iowa’s offensive woes this season.

“It’s very difficult to just pinpoint one issue,” Ferentz said. “Because when we’ve been good in certain places, we haven’t executed in other places. And the reality of offensive football is it takes 11 guys, and it’s more than that if you include the play caller, right, so we all have a hand in it.”

Ferentz commits to Petras as QB

Ferentz said Wednesday that Iowa won’t be turning to backup quarterback Alex Padilla ahead of its game against No. 2 Ohio State. Senior QB Spencer Petras has started every game so far this season.

“What’s the upside?” Ferentz said after a reporter asked about the downside of playing Padilla. “ … I don’t know. There’s unknown there. I know what Spencer has done. I know what Spencer can do, and I know what he does every day. That’s the evaluation piece that we were talking about. That’s what the decision is made on.”

Padilla won all four games that he played at least one half in 2021. Iowa averaged 26 points per game in those four contests, and Padilla threw two touchdowns and one interception.

In the first six games of the 2022 season, Petras has thrown two touchdowns and two interceptions. 

“What are we looking at? We’re looking at metrics,” Ferentz said. “Not just games. Practice. You’re talking about decisions, reads, timing, location, all those things. The good news with the quarterback position, it’s very tangible. There’s not a lot of gray area when you are grading those factors.

“So the reality is, we do like Alex.” Ferentz added. “We would feel comfortable with Alex in the game. We feel like he is a good player, but the reason that Spencer is our quarterback is we feel like he gives us the best chance to win.”

Iowa has two other quarterbacks on its roster: redshirt freshman Joe Labas and true freshman Carson May. While this is Labas’ second year in the program, Ferentz said he hasn’t progressed to the same level as Petras or Padilla.

“Joe continues to do a good job, but the simple answer to that is he has not yet closed the gap on those two guys,” Ferentz said. “But that doesn’t discourage you from continuing to work with him, right, and hope that you get there.”

Ferentz addresses job security, nepotism rules

Two offensive assistants in the Big Ten were fired this week: Indiana offensive line coach Darren Hiller and Rutgers offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson.

Gleeson was fired after Rutgers’ one-point loss to Nebraska on Oct. 7. The Scarlet Knights are 0-3 in the Big Ten and 3-3 on the season. They rank 109th in total offense with an average of 334 yards per game. In contrast, Iowa is 3-3 on the season, 1-2 in Big Ten play with an average of 238.7 yards per game.

Following Gleeson and Hiller’s dismissals, Ferentz was asked if he would ever step down from his position as offensive coordinator. 

“Quite frankly, I don’t worry about what’s going on for my job status or anything like that,” Ferentz said. “My focus is on the staff, the players, and doing my duty to the best of my ability to help them be successful.”

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Ferentz added he is not the type of person to surrender, and he would never be able to look his children in the eye if he gave up. He also mentioned his emotional ties to Iowa City — he was born at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, spent his entire childhood wanting to play for the Hawkeyes, and has 16 years in the program as a player or coach.

“There’s another layer for me,” Ferentz said. “My father is the head coach. I’ve been answering questions about nepotism my entire adult life. None of that is new to me either. I would flip it and say if you think that I don’t feel an added responsibility or added pressure to perform well for my father, you are crazy. Of course, I feel that. I’m a human being.”

Ferentz declined to comment when asked if he thinks he is evaluated differently because his father is the head coach of the program.

“You would have to ask the head coach,” Ferentz said. “I don’t think anything. That would be a question for him. I don’t want to speak for anyone else.”