By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – If I were to pick Kirk Ferentz’s best team in 20 seasons as the Iowa football coach, the 2002 squad would be my choice without question.

The 2002 team, which finished 11-2 overall and undefeated (8-0) in the Big Ten for the first time in 80 years, would be my choice for a long list of reasons, perhaps none bigger than the impact of quarterback Brad Banks.

The Florida native was the leader and the engineer for an explosive offense that also included All-America tight end Dallas Clark, 1,000-yard rusher Fred Russell, standout receiver Maurice Brown and a top-notch offensive line.

Banks was also by definition a dual-threat quarterback and that made Iowa’s 2002 offense different than any other offense under Ferentz, whose current squad is preparing to face Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day in Tampa.

Banks went from being the backup quarterback in 2001 to the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2002, a miraculous ascent in which his dual-threat skills were maximized.

Iowa hasn’t had anything close to a dual-threat quarterback since Banks, and I’ve written several times over the years that Ferentz should be more receptive to changing that.

It’s not that I think Ferentz is against recruiting dual-threat quarterbacks. It’s just hard to do without having much of a track record.

Banks played 16 years ago, so his incredible story has faded, although, his name did come up during Ken O’Keefe’s interview with the media on Wednesday.

Iowa's quarterback coach was talking about the advantages of having a mobile quarterback, and had been asked just minutes before about the rise in popularity of dual-threat quarterbacks when he mentioned Banks, or more specifically, a quarterback draw in which Banks made several defenders miss in space while gaining nearly 50 yards in a 31-28 victory over Purdue in 2002.

“The mobility and getting outside of the pocket and making a throw and then making a first down with your feet is what matters most to us,” O’Keefe said of what Iowa looks for in a quarterback. “Now did it matter that Brad Banks could scramble out of the pocket on the first play of a two-minute drive against Purdue and go sixty or whatever it was? I was like ‘okay, we’re right where we need to be.

“And I hear Joe Philbin, which he’s still saying at Green Bay, ‘hey, we’ve got to use that clock.' And I’m saying, ‘hey, we’ve got to get into the end zone. Let Norm handle the rest of it after we score.’”

The Joe Philbin to whom O’Keefe referred was Iowa’s offensive line coach in 2002 and is currently the interim head coach for the Green Bay Packers.

And, of course, Norm is in reference to former Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker, who passed away in 2014.

Banks and his cohorts would go on to score the go-ahead touchdown against Purdue, while Parker’s defense made a game-winning stand on an interception by defensive back Adolphous Shelton in the final seconds.

“Stuff like that matters,” O’Keefe said of having a mobile quarterback. “But the system that we have matters more.”

I interpreted that as meaning that Kirk Ferentz has no interest in changing his offense to fit the skills of a dual-threat quarterback, even though there are advantages to having a dual-threat quarterback.

O’Keefe seems receptive to having a dual-threat quarterback, but not at the expense of losing accuracy on throws.

What made Banks so special is that he was arguably a better passer than runner, and he was a gifted runner.

But as a passer, Banks was accurate, timely and could make multiple throws.

O’Keefe was Iowa’s offensive coordinator from 1999 to 2011 and is nearing the end of his second season as Iowa’s quarterbacks coach.

He knows the quarterback position inside and out and recognizes that having mobility is critical in today’s game where defenses rely so much on speed, quickness and pursuit.

“The more mobility that a quarterback has, I don’t care if it’s in a pro system or in a spread system, the better off you’re going to be anyway because he can get himself in and out of trouble, as long as you don’t sacrifice mobility for getting the ball where it should be,” O’Keefe said.

Just so you know, O’Keefe wasn't lobbying for a dual-threat quarterback or suggesting that Iowa is suffering due to junior quarterback Nate Stanley’s lack of mobility.

O’Keefe was asked about the advantages of having a dual-threat quarterback and he gave his answer.

He also was asked about Stanley’s mobility, and he answered that, too, in great detail.

“I think the two or three times we asked him to run, he got what we needed,” O’Keefe said of the 6-foot-4, 242-pound Stanley. “And that’s the key. When you are recruiting, you’re looking for somebody whose feet are quick enough to at least come out of the pocket and get you a first down, come out of the pocket and make a play down field when you’re scrambling even.”

Stanley is by definition a pro-style quarterback in that he is more comfortable throwing from the pocket and from a stationary position. When given time to pass, Stanley can be very effective as shown by his 49 touchdown passes since the start of last season.

Stanley's problems usually start when he doesn't find an open receiver or when the pockets collapses because he lacks mobility, although, O’Keefe said Stanley has improved in that area.

“He’s felt more comfortable I think getting out of the pocket and coming out of the pocket if needs to and moving away from trouble,” O’Keefe said. “He has a good feel for when to throw it away and come back and live another day and go from there.

“The few egregious mistakes that get made are when you try and do too much. You’ve seen that happen a few times and the ball ends up in the wrong hands.”

This is nothing against Stanley, or any pro-style quarterback, but the beauty and the advantage of having a dual-threat quarterback is that defenses have to respect both the run and pass.

So often with a pro-style quarterback the play unravels when there is no open receiver or enough time in the pocket to find one.

But with a dual-threat quarterback, the play often is just beginning when the passing play breaks down.

There are few things more frustrating for a defense than when a slippery quarterback converts on third-down by scrambling for just enough yards after finding no open receivers.

Banks excelled in that regard and former Iowa quarterbacks Drew Tate and C.J. Beathard also were pretty good at producing with their legs, but neither was a dual-threat quarterback.

Banks is the only dual-threat quarterback to start for Iowa under Ferentz, and it’s hard to think of any before him.

Hayden Fry preferred using a pro-style quarterback and Ferentz has mostly followed his predecessor's approach, with Banks being the one notable exception.

That’s why it was so interesting to hear O’Keefe talk about the advantages of having a dual-threat quarterback.

I’m not suggesting that Iowa is on the verge of changing its philosophy at quarterback because that decision would be up to Kirk Ferentz and his offensive coordinator and son, Brian Ferentz.

But O’Keefe was willing to acknowledge that there are some benefits to having a dual-threat quarterback.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Peyton Mansell has shown some escapability from the pocket, while incoming freshman quarterback Alex Padilla also has some mobility based on his highlight tape.

They also both stand about 6-2, which is shorter than a typical pro-style quarterback.

Neither is considered a dual-threat quarterback, but they both have some of the characteristics of a dual-threat quarterback. 

So maybe we're seeing, and hearing with O'Keefe's comments, some subtle changes with Iowa's approach to recruiting quarterbacks.

I'd certainly be in favor of that.