By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Until this season, I thought Kirk Ferentz did his best coaching in 2004 when he led the Iowa football team to a share of its last Big Ten title, and to a 10-2 record.

He did that despite having hardly any semblance of a running game due mostly to the running back position being decimated by injuries, and despite having a first-year starter at quarterback.

That first-year starter, sophomore Drew Tate, would go on to be named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year that season.

The 2004 season ended with Tate completing one of the most famous passes in program history; a 56-yard desperation heave for a touchdown to Warren Holloway as time expired that defeated Louisiana State 30-25 in the 2005 Capital One Bowl, and in what was Nick Saban’s last game as the LSU coach.

The 2004 season also capped a three-year stretch in which Iowa compiled a 31-7 record and a share of two Big Ten titles.

Kirk Ferentz was a rising star as a head coach, and deservedly so.

Turn the calendar back to the present and Kirk Ferentz is now 68 years old, the third all-time winningest head coach in Big Ten history with 195 wins, and the longest tenured FBS head coach in the country.

He is also nearing the end of a season that has tested him like no other season has before from a personal standpoint.

The multiple injuries to key players on offense, coupled with Cooper DeJean’s recent injury, would’ve been enough to make this season a monumental challenge for Kirk Ferentz.

But this season also turned personal when Iowa Interim Athletic Director Beth Goetz announced with four games left in the season that Brian Ferentz would be relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator once the season ends.

Kirk Ferentz isn’t used to having football decisions made for him, and he disagrees with firing coaches in season, even more so, of course, when it’s his son.

He was angry with how it was handled, and he probably felt a sense of betrayal.

But Kirk Ferentz  has managed to swallow his pride, check his ego, and push aside any hard feelings to stay the course.

And right now, that course is headed to the 2023 Big Ten championship game where Iowa on Dec. 2 will represent the West Division for the second time in the last three years.

Iowa will close the regular season on Friday at Nebraska with a chance to win 10 games for the eighth time under Ferentz.

Iowa is in this position despite the injuries, and despite having an offense that is ranked at or near the bottom nationally in multiple statistical categories.

Kirk Ferentz should clearly be one of the top candidates for Big Ten Coach of the Year, along with David Braun from Northwestern, and Ryan Day from Ohio State should the Buckeyes defeat Michigan on Saturday.

A naysayer might say that Kirk Ferentz shouldn’t be rewarded for overcoming the mess that he is mostly responsible for creating on offense, or for winning a weak division.

Fair enough about the offense, but Kirk Ferentz never should have to apologize for winning the Big Ten West Division.

This Iowa team could’ve easily unraveled after it fell to Penn State 31-0 in the Big Ten opener on Sept. 23 in Happy Valley, or after it suffered the controversial 12-10 loss to Minnesota on Oct. 21 at Kinnick Stadium.

It also could’ve succumbed to the mounting injuries or let the Brian Ferentz situation become a distraction.

But none of those things have happened, and the credit for holding the team together, and for staying the course, starts with Kirk Ferentz as the head coach.

David Braun will be tough to beat for coach of the year because what he has accomplished with this Northwestern team under very difficult circumstances is nothing short of extraordinary.

Kirk Ferentz deserves consideration, though, even more so should Iowa win at Nebraska on Friday.

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SPECIAL SENIOR CLASS: The current senior class on the Iowa football team should be regarded as one of Kirk Ferentz’s finest, and that’s saying a lot since it’s one of 25 senior classes that he has coached as the head Hawk.

There is just so much about this 20-player senior class that makes it unique and special, and of course, it starts with what it has accomplished on the field.

This senior class is unique in that it has fourth-year seniors, fifth-year seniors and even some rare sixth-year seniors that make up the class.

It has 26-year-old punter Tory Taylor, who is from Australia and is now arguably the greatest punter in program history; sixth-year defensive end in Joe Evans, who came to Iowa as a walk-on after having played quarterback in high school; defensive tackle Logan Lee, who has started 38 games, and who has the rare distinction of being married; first-year starting linebacker Jay Higgins, who has performed at an All-America level throughout the season; and another starter at linebacker in graduate transfer Nick Jackson, who started 33 of the 46 games he played for Virginia where he compiled 354 tackles.

This senior class is unique for having to deal with the racial unrest from the summer of 2020, and with a global pandemic, and with the in-season firing of Brian Ferentz.

What makes the senior class special is everything it has accomplished on the field, which includes being a part of two Big Ten West Division titles and having 43 wins since the fifth-year seniors joined the program in 2019.

The latest win came on Saturday, and in dramatic fashion, as Iowa overcame a late deficit to defeat Illinois 15-13 on Senior Day at Kinnick Stadium.

A day that started with emotional hugs before the game ended with emotional hugs after the game.

A senior class is counted on for leadership and guidance, especially during tough times, and there have been so many obstacles and distractions that could have caused this team to derail, but it didn’t largely because of the seniors.

One of the reasons Joe Evans decided to use his free Covid year as a sixth-year senior is because he wanted to be a team captain.

He also just didn’t want it to end yet.

There are few bonds, except for family, that are stronger than what teammates in sports feel.

Senior defensive end Noah Shannon had his season taken away because he broke NCAA rules by betting on sports.

But he is still very much a part of the team, and that’s why he was chosen as the honorary captain for the Illinois game, much to the delight of his fellow seniors.

“His situation is unfortunate, obviously, but it was great seeing the crowd rally around him,” Jay Higgins said of Shannon. “Getting your season taken away from you and continuing to stay with the program, I don’t think a lot of guys would do that. Having to come into the facility and watch other guys do what you love, I can only imagine how hard that is. He showed true character throughout this process and never complained. He always helps the team and puts us first.”

Shannon has stuck with the team because being a Hawkeye means that much to him.

They say once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye, and while that’s true, nothing compares to those few precious years when you truly are a Hawkeye.

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KALEB BROWN EMERGES: After playing sparingly in seven of the first eight games this season, sophomore receiver Kaleb Brown has emerged as a key weapon for the Iowa offense.

The Chicago native, who transferred from Ohio State, led Iowa with seven catches and 71 receiving yards in the win over Illinois.

He also made a key 23-yard reception that helped to set up a game-winning field goal in Iowa’s 10-7 victory over Northwestern on Nov. 4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

It was his first catch as a Hawkeye.

“He didn’t play at all early, I don’t think,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Looks like he’s developing into a good football player. That’s the fun of it.”

Brown wasn’t in uniform for the Purdue game on Oct. 7 for personal reasons.

He barely had played up to that point, so it was easy to assume that his first season as a Hawkeye would be a disappointment.

Brown has since switched the narrative with his play on the field.

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KRIKKE ON FIRE: Ben Krikke is showing why he led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring last season for Valparaiso.

The 6-foot-9 graduate transfer also leads Iowa in scoring with a 20.0 per-game average, and he is shooting 61.8 percent from the field.

Krikke also leads Iowa with eight steals, and he is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.

He said one of the main reasons he transferred to Iowa is because of how he felt he would fit into Fran McCaffery’s fast-paced offense.

So far, he has fit in nicely.

Krikke, a graduate student from Edmonton, Alberta, was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday.

He averaged 24.5 points and seven rebounds, while shooting 66 percent from the field (21-of-32) in a pair of games at No. 8 Creighton and Arkansas State. Freeman averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 blocks and two rebounds, while shooting 55 percent (6-of-11) from the floor.

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BOWEN STEPS UP: Dasonte Bowen has seized the opportunity so far in his first season as a starter for the Iowa men’s basketball team.

The 6-2 sophomore guard from Boston, Massachusetts, has 17 assists and just one turnover in four games this season.

He also has made 12-of-13 free throw attempts, has five steals and is averaging 8.3 points per game.

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IMPRESSIVE DEBUT: True freshman Gabe Arnold, who graduated from Iowa City High, made his dual debut for the Iowa wrestling team at 174 pounds against Oregon State on Sunday. He picked up a ranked win in his first appearance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, defeating Travis Wittlake via a 4-2 decision.

“I wanted this match,” Arnold said to hawkeysports.com.. “Past All-American, no slouch at all. I wanted it. I wanted to put on a show for the home crowd. Terry said that this match, this dual, was to put the world on notice. I put the world on notice. I am here at 174 pounds, not backing down form anything, ready for it all. Let’s do it.”

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PIVOTAL PLAY: There were multiple individual plays that helped to propel the Iowa football team to a 15-13 victory over Illinois in the home finale last Saturday.

One of the biggest plays was turned in by walk-on punt returner and Williamsburg native Kaden Wetjen.

Wetjen, who was filling in for the injured Cooper DeJean, returned a punt 17 yards that helped to set up Iowa’s game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

He broke multiple tackles and eluded multiple defenders in heavy traffic to give Iowa a first down near midfield.

“He’s an interesting guy,” Kirk Ferentz said of Wetjen. “He’s got a good spirit to him. And he’s practiced well. So that’s a good moment for him, too, talking about like guys maybe haven’t done a lot yet. But it’s really good. That’s got to give him some confidence.

“And that’s the fun part about this, too, you never know who is going to do what, when. And so it makes it interesting, makes it fun.”