What Kirk Ferentz should be telling Brian Ferentz after one game
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – If I’m Kirk Ferentz, I’m telling my oldest of five children, who is also my offensive coordinator, that he did fine in his first real test.
I’m telling Brian Ferentz, or reminding him, that his new starter at quarterback (Nate Stanley) threw three touchdown passes, with two of them caught by his new starter at tight end (Noah Fant), and that his star running back (Akrum Wadley) surpassed 100 rushing yards for the 10th time as a Hawkeye, and did so in spectacular fashion by leaving defenders grabbing for air, or maybe if they were lucky, an ankle or a shoulder.
I’m telling Brian, or reminding him, that turnovers are a pain in the you know what, and that you can only do so much in practice to guard against them.
I’m telling Brian that his quarterback stayed composed despite committing three turnovers in his first start, and that Brian had much to do with it as the new offensive coordinator.
I’m telling Brian that his offensive line stayed strong and cohesive despite not having the injured James Daniels at center and despite having a redshirt freshman (Alaric Jackson) start at left tackle and despite having somebody who normally starts at guard (Keegan Render) start at center.
I’m telling Brian that sophomore tight end Noah Fant is special and that the vertical route used to get Fant open for a 27-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter was brilliant strategy and execution.
I’m telling Brian that his handling of Wadley and graduate transfer James Butler at running back was good for an initial test. Wadley carried 24 times for 116 yards, while Butler had 47 yards on 10 attempts. Butler was a factor, but not at the expense of Wadley.
I’m telling Brian that he is fortunate to have good old reliable Ken O’Keefe at his side as the quarterback coach because Brian has enough to worry about as a first-time offensive coordinator and play caller.
I'm telling Brian that former offensive coordinator Greg Davis was under-appreciated on the outside, but those of us on the inside know how valuable his insight truly was on a daily basis.
And I’m telling Brian that his defense is there to protect him, and that it might be special with three senior linebackers, including one of the best in program history in Josey Jewell, and a rock-solid defensive line leading the way.
Then lastly, I’m telling Brian to move on because the win over Wyoming will be brushed away by fans like lint on a shirt if the offense struggles and we lose at Iowa State next Saturday.
Ames is a place where Iowa offenses have been known to unravel. It’s a place where logic doesn’t always apply and where power on paper often doesn’t carry to the field.
Just because Iowa crushed the Cyclones 42-3 last season at Kinnick Stadium doesn’t mean we’re in for a repeat of that in Ames. If we know anything about the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry, it’s that we don’t really know anything heading into a game about the outcome because the situation on the field changes dramatically from year to year.
It seems fair to say Iowa State is better than it was when it faced Iowa last season in Matt Campbell’s second game as head coach. But that isn’t saying much because the Cyclones were horrible at the time.
That no longer is the case as we saw on Saturday with Iowa State defeating Northern Iowa 42-24 in Ames. It hardly was a masterpiece for the Cyclones, but it was a double-digit win against a team it had lost to in the previous season.
“The one thing I've noticed without studying them is during the course of the year how much improvement (they made),” Kirk Ferentz said of Iowa State on Saturday. “The team we saw here, that was a new staff with a whole new situation. But midseason on, those guys had it going pretty good, from what I can tell.
“There's an excellent coaching staff, and they've got good players and really good players on offense. They're almost the opposite of us, I guess. When we play there or here, it's always a hard fought, tough game. That's what I always expect this time, too.”
That answer was vintage Kirk Ferentz, rooted in the belief that you always respect your opponent, but also because Iowa State has earned his respect.
If Kirk Ferentz has a kryptonite besides directional schools from the Mid-American Conference, it’s Iowa State. He’s 9-9 against the Cyclones, including 4-5 in Ames.
As a former Iowa player and assistant coach, Brian Ferentz knows what he is stepping into on Saturday. He knows the climate in Ames, but it remains to be seen how Brian will respond to that climate in his new role.
Brian already was a target for Cyclone fans as Kirk Ferentz's son, but his new position and his outspokenness takes it to a new level.
Brian has taken subtle shots at Iowa State, and now it’s time to put up or shut up as Cyclone fans will say.
Brian will be armed with a top-notch offensive line on Saturday that should have James Daniels back at center, along with a dynamic running back and a rising star at tight end.
But he also will have a sophomore quarterback making just his second career start and his first start on the road.
So if I’m Kirk Ferentz, I’m telling Brian to devise a plan that helps Stanley get rid of the ball quickly and that puts Wadley in space as a receiver. Anything to make it easier for Stanley to gain confidence in hostile territory.
“Everybody has got room for improvement,” Wadley said after Saturday’s victory that improved Kirk Ferentz’s record to 16-3 in season openers. “And if I was to grade it as far as like A, B, C, D or good, average or bad, I’d say it was above average. We’ve got a lot of room for improvement.”
If I’m Kirk Ferentz, I’m telling Brian exactly what Wadley said.