By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Some of you probably chuckled upon learning that Kirk Ferentz is one of 20 head coaches named to the 2023 Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List.

The guy whose offense has been the brunt of jokes and ridicule since the start of the 2022 season is being recognized for a job well done.

And whether you want to believe it or not, Kirk Ferentz deserves to be on the list because you would be hard-pressed to find 20 head coaches that have performed their duties at a higher level than he has this season.

If you can just force yourself to look past the ongoing struggles on offense, and the fact that his son runs the offense, you’ll see a head coach whose team is 6-1 heading into Saturday’s game against Minnesota, and that has control of its own destiny in the Big Ten West Division despite having multiple injuries to key players on offense.

You’ll see a team that is rock-solid on defense and special teams, and that rarely makes mistakes.

You’ll see a team that is unified and resilient, and that seems to be getting better as the season progresses.

Blame Kirk Ferentz all you want for the deficiencies on offense because the buck stops with him, and because it’s his offense.

But he also deserves praise for the excellence on defense and special teams, because again, the buck stops with him.

Kirk Ferentz had to give LeVar Woods permission to travel to Melbourne, Australia to recruit punter Tory Taylor, and that decision is proving to be one of the best decisions that Kirk Ferentz has ever made as the head Hawk since Taylor is now poised to win the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best collegiate punter.

Kirk Ferentz is also smart enough to let Phil Parker run the defense without Kirk micro-managing.

Sometimes, being a good head coach is knowing when to allow others who are more qualified to do the coaching.

The ongoing problems on offense have continued to overshadow what’s good about Hawkeye football right now.

A lot of teams wouldn’t be able to overcome an offense that sometimes just struggles to complete a forward pass.

Iowa hasn’t just overcome its offensive woes; it has won six of seven games and will likely be favored to win its final five regular-season games, assuming there are no more serious injuries.

Iowa found a way to win 15-6 at Wisconsin last Saturday despite being without its starting quarterback and without its No. 1 and No. 3 tight ends, and despite being without its No. 2 tight end for most of the game.

Iowa was down to its fourth, fifth and sixth tight ends against the Badgers, and was playing with its backup quarterback, and yet, still found a way to prevail on the road.

That doesn’t happen without having leadership from the top.

The Dodd Trophy also stands for leadership and integrity, and this Iowa team has plenty of both.

Kirk Ferentz only has himself to blame for the awkward situation with his son of offense.

Kirk hooked his legacy to his son, Brian Ferentz, by making him the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, and right now that decision has backfired in historically bad fashion.

Some fans are upset and feel that Brian Ferentz has received preferential treatment, and that Kirk Ferentz shouldn’t be rewarded for cleaning up his own mess.

And while fans certainly have a right to be upset with the circumstances on offense, they still probably enjoy being 6-1 and in first place in the Big Ten West Division.

You can blame Kirk Ferentz for the problems on offense.

But he also deserves praise for having Iowa in position to win the Big Ten West Division for the second time in three seasons.

The Big Ten West Division certainly leaves much to be desired from a competitive standpoint.

But that isn’t Kirk Ferentz’s fault.