10 key things Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz had to say ahead of the Hawkeyes’ battle at Purdue
Iowa (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) has another key test this week at Purdue (5-3, 3-2) where the Hawkeyes will look to erase a trend that has seen them lose four of the past five against the Boilermakers.
Of course, that included last season’s shocker where Purdue came into Kinnick Stadium and intercepted Spencer Petras four times, held Iowa to just 271 yards of total offense and topped the Hawkeyes, 24-7.
With a win, Iowa would be one win away from bowl eligibility with three games left to play. Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz understands the importance of this game and he had plenty to say earlier in the week during his regularly scheduled media availability.
Opening comments on Jeff Brohm, Purdue
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
“Moving on to Purdue. Great respect for Coach Brohm, his players. Done a great job since he’s gotten there. Not just a matter of them being good offensively, which they are, but they’ve upgraded their program in all three areas. They play well defensively, on special teams, on offense as well.
“We haven’t had much success the last couple outings against them, so that’s a goal of ours, to try to change that. Big challenge on our hands. They’re coming off a bye, so they should be well-rested and prepared. I’m sure they will be. We’re going on the road. A road challenge for us.
“Again, we took a big step forward last week. The idea now is to keep pushing forward and see what we can do. Certainly need to do that to be successful this week.”
Playing Purdue following the Boilermakers' bye for a second straight season
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
“First of all, I wasn’t even aware of that. I’m aware of their players on the field, more worried about them. Yeah, there’s always quirks in our schedule. We’re not the only ones that experience that. I think some are pretty public about that… thought I heard a couple weeks ago. I don’t read the papers very much, but I did hear that, little chatter.
“There’s nothing to do about it. I don’t know how impactful it is. Bye weeks, I was asking one of the younger guys earlier in the week the best time for a bye week. Never quite sure. Sometimes if you’re just banged up, really banged up, it’s a good thing.
“You go back to 2002, probably best thing in the world we didn’t have one till the end of the season because we really had good momentum. Sometimes they can be a bad thing, too. These guys have been playing well. I expect they’ll play well Saturday. We’re not thinking much about that.”
Keagan Johnson dealing with a hamstring injury
(Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
“He’s had a series of injuries. It’s not just one thing. Most recently it’s been the hamstring. I’m thinking about Ohio State’s No. 11 played against us. I don’t know why I heard this or read this, but somewhere after last week’s game he reinjured his. I think he’s played in three games. Hamstrings are just funny. A lot of bad injuries to have; that might be the worst as far as I can tell. They can be really frustrating.”
On Purdue QB Aidan O'Connell
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
“He’s an outstanding passer, he’s experienced. He’s a six-year player. He’s had great success against really good competition. Probably get more exposure in the summertime. Listening to a guy who does a talk show on Saturday mornings going to get a cup of coffee. This particular gentleman was leading the Heisman campaign for him. Threw his stats out. Awfully impressive. We saw firsthand what he can do.
“Combination of Coach Brohm’s offensive mind. Everywhere he’s been, they’ve been good offensively, scored points. I don’t want to say he’s the best passer in the conference, but he’s certainly in the top echelon. We played a pretty good guy a couple weeks ago. He’s certainly in that stratosphere, if you will.”
Importance of the run game, limiting Purdue's possessions
Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I think that’s good against any opponent, if you can control the ball, keep the other team off the field. When you’re talking about a team like Purdue, since Coach Brohm has gotten there, obviously it’s an important thing to do.
“Then they can get down the field pretty quickly when they have to. It’s not like they’re restricted to long drives. They’re a really good offensive football team. They’ve played pretty much that way throughout the season. If we could hold on to the ball, it would be great.
“If you look at the Wisconsin game, their most recent game, Purdue still had more possession time than Wisconsin. It’s not the full answer, but at least it’s part of the answer for sure.”
If Iowa's offensive line is as stable as it's been all season
Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK
“As crazy as it sounds, I think we learned a little something in the Ohio State game, maybe gained a little traction. There wasn’t a lot good there from an offensive standpoint.
“Yeah, I think making the moves that we did make, I think at least what we did Saturday, I don’t want to say we’re settled in right now, but that’s probably where we’re at right now.
“I think you learn about your players with each and every opportunity. Connor looks a little bit more comfortable in there. He’s a good football player. Our objective is to get him where he can play his best. I think that’s probably where he’ll be.
“Stephens is the same way. We’re going to keep him in one position, he’s so young. Then we have flexibility with Plumb can go either side, DeJong can go in and out. That’s probably the end of the discussion right there. That’s where we’re at.”
Responding to ESPN's report that opposing coaches described Iowa's offensive line as soft
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
“I say we’ve been inexperienced and inconsistent. That’s what I am saying. That was what I was alluding to. Use that freshman class, six guys, four didn’t practice. The way you get better is practice football.
“Going back to the original discussion about the transfer student. You have to play football, practice out there, be out there especially in the lines. Experience helps, age helps typically. We talked about Beau. He’s a young guy, uncommonly strong and physical for a guy his age.
“Most linemen, it’s a journey. At least the ones I’ve been around. I mean, whoever could use whatever term they use. I use the word inexperienced, not good enough at this point.
“I think we made strides. Last year at this time we really started to gain some ground. I’m hoping that’s going to happen this year, too. You’re not going to get better if you’re not on the field. It’s really hard.
“I’ll go back as I’m thinking about it. DeJong has been out there, but DeJong hasn’t been full speed. That affects performance. If we had guys that were healthy and full speed, we’d have them there. You play with the guys you have.
“Again, when all the shots are getting fired, I’m just sitting back knowing what I know. All we can ask for our guys to do is the best they can do. I think they’ve done a pretty good job of that.
“Hopefully we’ll be less soft in the future, maybe more experienced, a little bit more able to control tempo because when you can do that, you’re really in business. That’s what every coach hopes for.”
How much of what Spencer Petras did against Northwestern will carry over during the final four games
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
“Depends on how we play around him. Have to help him. He’s able to get his feet set, had a little time to do what he had to do, get the ball to where he needed to get it.
“One of the plays I enjoyed the most is when he pulled the ball down and ran. Dumped it off to Monte. That’s not a signature play for him necessarily. Just talking about Mahomes. If a guy can do something like that, that really helps the cause too. It’s tough to keep that pocket clean every time you drop back.”
If he puts Purdue into the same rivalry game conversation like Wisconsin, Nebraska
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
“Yeah, every game is a rivalry game. Every game in college football. Single elimination as far as I’m concerned. Still in conference. If you belong to a conference, they have that extra significance, too. We’re not looking at the conference race by any stretch right now. We’re just looking at this week.
“For our team right now, I mean, we’re fighting for our lives so we’re just trying to make incremental gains. That’s what it’s been each and every week. We took some strides last week. We’re right back trying to do the same thing this week.”
Growth of Iowa's defensive line
(Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
“I felt pretty good about the group really coming into the season. Last year we graduated some guys, so last year we were young. Thought those guys gained traction. This year VanValkenburg was the only guy we really lost. Kind of a collective effort. Maybe eight, to 10 guys had a chance to play pretty well. Kind of panned out that way. We’ve had some injury issues there, too. At least on that side we’ve got some depth. We don’t have that depth offensively. That’s been good for us.
“I don’t want to call us a no name defense or whatever, but we got a bunch of guys just doing a good job. Saturday is a good example. Kind of been this way all season long. We’ve done a good job getting to the quarterback, but a lot of times those are coverage sacks. We do a good job in the back end, easy throw. If you can do that, it gives guys a chance to get there up front if they work hard. Our guys work hard. They go hard when they’re out there. We are able to rotate them so they stay fresh, which is an advantage.”
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