By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa  – If you’re familiar at all with the Iowa football team under Kirk Ferentz, what’s happening now shouldn’t be a surprise.

It should frustrate you.

It should bother you.

And it should concern you.

But you shouldn't be surprised because almost every one of Ferentz’s 19 seasons as head coach has had a stretch like the current one where the team struggles beyond what was expected, or beyond what some fans consider acceptable.

Iowa’s performance during Saturday’s 17-10 loss at Michigan State left much to be desired on offense where the inability to mount any semblance of a rushing attack, coupled with two costly turnovers led to Iowa’s demise.

“It’s a frustrating and very disappointing loss for our football team,” Ferentz said to the media after Saturday’s loss, which lowered Iowa’s record to 0-2 in the Big Ten for the fifth time under Ferentz and 3-2 overall. “I thought we had a solid week of preparation getting ready for this ball game and that certainly didn’t show up in all areas.

“One thing about league play in the Big Ten, it’s going to be tough every week, and this is certainly witness of that. And it’s really tough to compete if you’re hurting yourself with penalties and turnovers, and that became a very big factor in this game today.”

Ferentz is right about the Big Ten grind, although, Iowa, at least on paper, catches a break with lowly Illinois coming to Kinnick Stadium on Saturday for homecoming.

However, anything less than a decisive win would cause fans and the media to continue to question the direction of the team.

So there will be pressure on Iowa to deliver against a 20-point underdog.

The reaction after Saturday’s loss shows just how much the mood can change in three weeks.

Iowa’s offense, and the person calling the plays for Iowa’s offense, were the toast of the town after the 44-41 overtime victory against Iowa State on Sept. 9 in Ames, while the defense was considered suspect.

The love fest on offense is over, though, based on the reaction on social media after Saturday’s loss, while the Josey Jewell-led defense is now being praised.

Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has gone from being the missing piece on offense to being the second coming of his much-maligned predecessor, Greg Davis, who retired as offensive coordinator shortly after last season.

Akrum Wadley has gone from being compared to former Iowa running back Ronnie Harmon to now being criticized for not finding the holes, for not running with enough power and for not being more like LeShun Daniels, who shared the position with Wadley last season, as both rushed for over 1,000 yards.  

Those reactions are too extreme, short-sighted and impulsive.

Brian Ferentz isn’t the savior on offense, but he hardly is a failure, either, after just five games.

Kirk Ferentz’s oldest child still is very much a work in progress, as is the entire team.

To sort of borrow a line from Kirk Ferentz, that’s Iowa football where struggle and uncertainty is part of the landscape.

There have been seasons such as 2008 and 2016 where some fans gave up on Kirk Ferentz’s team and seasons such as 2005, 2006 and 2010 where some fans prematurely anointed it.

It’s easy to become a prisoner of the moment during an Iowa football season because fans invest so much into it from an emotional standpoint and from a financial standpoint.

Right now, it feels as if the season is slipping away, and it might be.

But should the Hawkeyes defeat Illinois and Northwestern in the next two games, hope and optimism will be restored.

It’s not my job to tell fans to keep the faith or to give up on the season. It is a fan’s prerogative to do as he or she feels is appropriate under the circumstances.

My only advice to fans is to remember that rarely is the situation as good or as bad as it seems under Kirk Ferentz.

The all-too-familiar criticism that Iowa is too predictable on offense and that Kirk Ferentz plays not to lose both have resurfaced since Saturday.

The problem with that criticism is that Iowa always has been predictable on offense under Ferentz, but it gets overlooked, or is ignored and tolerated when the team is winning. Ferentz is the wise conservative when Iowa is winning, but he lacks imagination and a competitive spirit when Iowa is losing.

That shift back and forth has existed for years.

The current team certainly has its share of problems, beginning with the running game, which has sputtered for most of the season despite the presence of senior running back Akrum Wadley and an offensive line that still has three veteran starters despite some injuries.

Redshirt freshman tight end T.J. Hockenson had some interesting post-game comments that didn’t chime with what Kirk Ferentz said about having a good week of practice.

 "We need to practice better during the week," Hockenson said. "Sometimes, we're not on the same page and it shows. We win during week. Coach (Kirk) Ferentz always tells us that. So we're going to try and win during the week this week."

Hockenson's comments stood out because players almost always blame losses on poor execution. That's always the most convenient thing to say publicly. And it’s true to an extent.

Iowa’s execution on offense was poor on Saturday, but Michigan State’s wasn’t much better.

That’s why the loss was so frustrating because Michigan State didn’t play that well and because the Spartans look to be an average team.

The game was there for the taking, but Iowa failed to grab hold of it, and now fans are upset and worried about the rest of the season.

I predicted that Iowa would finish 6-6 this season, including a loss at Michigan State, so to be 3-2 is hardly a shock.

My biggest concern heading into the season was Iowa’s youth and inexperience at quarterback, receiver and punter, and we saw why on Saturday with the two turnovers and with Colten Rastetter’s 37.8 average on six punts. One of the turnovers was committed by Stanley, a true sophomore, while the other was committed by true freshman receiver Brandon Smith.

It’ll be interesting to see if Rastetter remains the starter with true freshman punter Ryan Gersonde another option. Gersonde made the trip to East Lansing and spent much of the game warming up on the sideline.

Ferentz’s style works best when Iowa has balance on offense between the run and pass, but right now there is little of either. The passing attack actually has been better and more consistent than the rushing attack, which is stunning to say.

These are trying times for Iowa football fans, but nothing they haven’t seen before.

With seven games still remaining, it’s too early to assume the worst, just like it was too early to assume the best after Iowa started 3-0.

The best way to approach Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes is not to assume anything good or bad because there is a good chance you’ll be wrong.