Iowa - Glorying In the Nepotism of the Ferentz Family

[SpiralOut 1818]

Lots of coaches aspire to be Ferentz.  

Find yourself an in at a middling organization where there are next to no expectations.  Then you work on exerting your control over everything so your position becomes near unassailable as long as you aren't absolutely awful.

Ferentz is pretty damn good at it, but the absolute master was Jeff fucking Fisher.  Dude lasted forever in the NFL off of one fluke kick-return and being a good ol' boy for an organization/city who was just happy to have a team.

 

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

4 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

Yeah, but we haven't been rooting for our respective teams for just the past decade.  

Feel depressed now?

Yes.  For reasons that have nothing to do with football.

[TotallyLegit 3053]

If Iowa puts up like 70 on nebraska in the last game of the season to reach 325, I will know for sure that there is a higher power in this universe

[billfromlaketravis 11516]

The Quest for 325 is such a bizarre contract clause that it had to be created by a father for his son. 
 

I will give Ferentz credit, he hasn’t lost his team. The Iowa defense should demonstrably hate their counterparts on offense. 

[Carl Spackler 3486]

15 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Yes.  For reasons that have nothing to do with football.

You're thwarting me in my efforts to make you feel depressed over the state of ISU football, and I don't like it.

[Masshole Horn 775]

All I can say is that I liked living in Iowa City during grad school.

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

You're thwarting me in my efforts to make you feel depressed over the state of ISU football, and I don't like it.

If I was gonna let ISU football actually depress me I would have bit lead before I could legally drive

[Grade of D as in David 13253]

27 minutes ago, TotallyLegit said:

If Iowa puts up like 70 on nebraska in the last game of the season to reach 325, I will know for sure that there is a higher power in this universe

The only way that is even a remote possibility is if they replace the bye week with a game against Cumberland.

[ScottS 1065]

I have this sick desire to see Iowa go 10-2 this year while winning every game something like 17-10 just to see what happens with the coaching staff and administration.  It is a given that Kirk Ferentz is going nowhere, but would Brian really be fired if they won 10 games but did not hit the 325 points mark?  Like the car wreck that you just can't not watch, I can't not watch this little sub-plot to the season.

[Carl Spackler 3486]

1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

If I was gonna let ISU football actually depress me I would have bit lead before I could legally drive

That doesn't make me feel one bit better.  

Wait . . . which one of us is supposed to feel depressed?

[Neonmoon 38129]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

.The Iowa defense should demonstrably hate their counterparts on offense. 

CSB: I once had a boss that played football for Tulane back before electricity was invented. They sucked back then too. Anyway, he played on offense  and they were hungover from the night before. It was late in the game and everyone wanted to quit. The QB goes, okay, I will throw an interception, but you guys got to pretend like you’re really mad about it when our defense runs onto the field. 
 

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

1 hour ago, billfromlaketravis said:

The Quest for 325 is such a bizarre contract clause that it had to be created by a father for his son. 
 

I will give Ferentz credit, he hasn’t lost his team. The Iowa defense should demonstrably hate their counterparts on offense. 

wait  is it real?  like really real?

 

i assumed it was just a meme 

[trza-hawk 269]

The best way to describe from a macro level is that they are the only team in college football that tries to win the way that they do.

[4th&Five 41558]

 

[heso 2813]

5 hours ago, Rockethorn1978 said:

I love Midwest slugfests of 9-6 and 7-5. 

I’ve seen how bad it can get. I was in the stadium when Iowa beat Penn state 6-4. 

[ScottS 1065]

Actual article on CBS Sports right now.

Short version:  some stats are slightly better than last year for Iowa, so things are improving.

Big Ten takes, picks: Yes, Iowa's offense has actually improved, Michigan set to face first real test

Quote

The Iowa offense looked worse on Saturday than it has in a long time, which is saying a lot considering we're talking about the Iowa offense. The unit was so terrible last year that it felt compelled to tell the world that if the team did not average 25 points per game this season then Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of legendary Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, would be ousted.

Saturday night felt different, though. The Hawkeyes lost to Penn State 31-0 in Happy Valley, but the score didn't tell the whole story. The most damning statistic wasn't the zero points or that Iowa averaged only 2.3 yards per play. It wasn't even that the Hawkeyes finished with nearly half as many first downs (4) as punts (7).

No, it was that Penn State ran nearly three times as many plays on offense as Iowa did. Penn State snapped the ball on offense 97 times to Iowa's 33. There was a moment late in the third quarter where Penn State had run more plays during the second quarter (28) and third quarter (29) than the Hawkeyes had in the entire game to that point (25).

It was perhaps the most inept performance in a long, ugly list full of them from Iowa offenses over the years. You can point to the substantial number of injuries the Hawkeyes are dealing with (and there are a lot of them), but not even that does enough to explain away the futility of Saturday night in State College, Pennsylvania.

Here's the craziest part of all: Yes, you're aware that Brian Ferentz is behind on keeping up his end of the bargain as it relates to the goal of 25 points per game and that Iowa has only reached the 25-point mark once in four games, but did you know this? Iowa's offense has been better this year than last. Seriously, it has. 

It still stinks, and I would rather undergo a rectal exam than watch an Iowa offensive possession, but the numbers don't lie. Iowa is scoring 19.0 points per game on offense this season compared to 14.15 per game last year. While points are the ultimate arbiter of games, they're the result of a process and there are improvements in other areas. You just have to look really hard to find them.

Now, if you look at the raw numbers in that table, you see some spots where there's an improvement. But raw numbers can be misleading. I've added Iowa's percentile ranks to provide more context with how the offense stacks up nationally. The higher the percentile, the better.

Of the 10 statistics listed here, Iowa has improved its percentile ranking in eight of them. The only two spots where it's gotten worse are passing success and turnover rate. What's somewhat surprising, given all the offseason hype surrounding transfers on offense (new QB, TE, WR), is that the biggest leap has been in the run game.

The Hawkeyes have made significant strides running the ball, which is pivotal for their overall philosophy and a key to their long-term success. The problem is Iowa's run game is still well below average and it's paired with a passing attack that may be improving but remains anemic. Throw more turnovers on the pile for an offense that can't score, and things snowball quickly.

Also, I'd be doing a disservice if I failed to point out that Iowa hasn't gotten through Big Ten play yet. These numbers could all come crashing down by the end of the season as the schedule gets more difficult (theoretically, anyway), so I don't know what conclusions we can reach based on any of this.

You could take the pessimistic approach and say that none of this matters, the offense is terrible and will remain that way. I wouldn't blame you. Nor would I blame you if you told yourself that the improvements could continue, even if incrementally, and a healthier roster might only improve them further. I'm a Chicago Bears fan, so I'm no stranger to being delusional.

 

[Vermin 3049]

11 hours ago, Horn of Gabriel said:

Ferentz must have a Mack Brown-Texas Football level hold on that administration.  Iowa is a decent brand, maybe they feel like high-floor low-ceiling is their best case and are willing to give the keys over to Kirk to retire on the job while getting his kids paid?

[WhatTheBuck 28788]

One of the guys on local sports radio suggested referring to them as “Iwa” since they have no O. I swear I heard someone on Stadium TV refer to them that way last night. Maybe it’s just stuck in my head now. 

[trza-hawk 269]

The big hyped transfer quarterback with the good hair has a slight injury that limits his mobility. The offense relies heavily on primitive rollouts, bootlegs, and waggles and scratching those of the play sheet limits an already limited offense and makes the job easier for the opposing defense. The biggest offensive play against Penn State was a broken play that a healthy quarterback would have scrambled for 20 yards down the field. The team is built to win games with 13 points on the scoreboard one way or another. A couple setbacks, turnovers, special teams mistakes and then putting up a goose egg on the scoreboard on the road is not an unexpected outcome.

 

 

[Beau Vine 54254]

 

[runthebone 8013]

On 9/26/2023 at 2:29 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

Quite the contrary, honestly.  Because we don't expect much, our football games are just big parties where people aren't there because they really need the team to win, but because they just want to have a good time with friends and family while rooting for their schools.  Both schools have great tailgate scenes.  We don't get anywhere near the handwringing, misplaced emotional attachment, and general psychotic fan behavior that really high levels of success tend to create.

Who's had more fun with their football program in the past decade:  Iowa State fans or Texas fans?  You guys are perpetually disappointed and disgruntled because you know what the mountaintop looks like, and you aren't there yet.  We don't know what the mountaintop looks like, we know we can't get there, and we're fine with that.  We're going to have fun anyways.

When we crack about the team ruining our lives, it's a joke.  It seems like with a lot of blue blood fanbases, it's closer to reality.  Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and all that shit.

This sounds really healthy and mentally balanced, so I'm not sure why you post here.

[hookem2010 2624]

On 9/26/2023 at 9:33 PM, FORTY NINE TO ZERO said:

wait  is it real?  like really real?

 

i assumed it was just a meme 

On Cover 3 they said that the contract does terminate... but there is nothing preventing them from writing up a new one.

[aggie08 21505]

On 9/26/2023 at 2:29 PM, Al_4_ISU said:

Quite the contrary, honestly.  Because we don't expect much, our football games are just big parties where people aren't there because they really need the team to win, but because they just want to have a good time with friends and family while rooting for their schools.  Both schools have great tailgate scenes.  We don't get anywhere near the handwringing, misplaced emotional attachment, and general psychotic fan behavior that really high levels of success tend to create.

Who's had more fun with their football program in the past decade:  Iowa State fans or Texas fans?  You guys are perpetually disappointed and disgruntled because you know what the mountaintop looks like, and you aren't there yet.  We don't know what the mountaintop looks like, we know we can't get there, and we're fine with that.  We're going to have fun anyways.

When we crack about the team ruining our lives, it's a joke.  It seems like with a lot of blue blood fanbases, it's closer to reality.  Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and all that shit.

You're doing it wrong. The true path to happiness is having never been to the mountaintop, knowing deep down that you'll never get to the mountaintop, but deluding yourself into thinking that you deserve to be on the mountaintop.

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

You're doing it wrong. The true path to happiness is having never been to the mountaintop, knowing deep down that you'll never get to the mountaintop, but deluding yourself into thinking that you deserve to be on the mountaintop.

Username checks out.

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

This sounds really healthy and mentally balanced, so I'm not sure why you post here.

Oh, I’m plenty damaged. That just has more to do with a German Catholic heritage that breeds generations of emotional repression, self deprecation, and attaching a potentially unhealthy percentage of self worth to one’s work ethic than it does cheering for shitty football teams.

[Beau Vine 54254]

36 minutes ago, aggie08 said:

You're doing it wrong. The true path to happiness is having never been to the mountaintop, knowing deep down that you'll never get to the mountaintop, but deluding yourself into thinking that you deserve to be on the mountaintop.

Maybe the real mountaintop is the friends me make along the way?

/BillLittle

[CurlyDumps 4476]

Oh man. I've been hoping a "Brian Ferentz watch" thread would get going here. This has the makings of an all-time classic CFB storyline.   My favorite part so far is when Iowa, leading 34-10 with :30 left in the 4th quarter, went full Bob Stoops mode and ran up the score with a rushing TD against Western Michigan. After only scoring 24 & 20 points in weeks 1 and 2, Ferentz was already in desperation mode.

12 point favorites against MSU this weekend. Can't wait!

[Beau Vine 54254]

3 hours ago, CurlyDumps said:

My favorite part so far is when Iowa, leading 34-10 with :30 left in the 4th quarter, went full Bob Stoops mode and ran up the score with a rushing TD against Western Michigan.

Niiiice!  Got the ball back with 3:12 left and a 34-10 lead, and went 3 passes and 3 runs.  Passing 3 times in the final 3 minutes with a 24-pt lead is totally normal behavior.  

[Auto Driller 2506]

3 hours ago, CurlyDumps said:

Oh man. I've been hoping a "Brian Ferentz watch" thread would get going here. This has the makings of an all-time classic CFB storyline.   My favorite part so far is when Iowa, leading 34-10 with :30 left in the 4th quarter, went full Bob Stoops mode and ran up the score with a rushing TD against Western Michigan. After only scoring 24 & 20 points in weeks 1 and 2, Ferentz was already in desperation mode.

12 point favorites against MSU this weekend. Can't wait!

Assuming that they can score 2 TD against anyone is not without risk.

[Mitch Cumsteen 18550]

4 hours ago, CurlyDumps said:

Oh man. I've been hoping a "Brian Ferentz watch" thread would get going here. This has the makings of an all-time classic CFB storyline.   My favorite part so far is when Iowa, leading 34-10 with :30 left in the 4th quarter, went full Bob Stoops mode and ran up the score with a rushing TD against Western Michigan. After only scoring 24 & 20 points in weeks 1 and 2, Ferentz was already in desperation mode.

12 point favorites against MSU this weekend. Can't wait!

It sure as shit wasn't my favorite part. I had Western Mich +28.5. Brutal, brutal beat.

[bluto 4932]

2 minutes ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

It sure as shit wasn't my favorite part. I had Western Mich +28.5. Brutal, brutal beat.

Here! Ducking assholes running play action on the final drive and throwing inside the 10 yard line. 

[trza-hawk 269]

Its a thing for long term fans of the Iowa program. The offensive coordinator does things the way KF wants them. He works for KF and does things the way KF wants. They change the literal guy around a few times but the thing is whoever they put in the booth does exactly what KF wants. Back in the days early in the Ferentz years the fans were all convinced that Ken O'Keefe was holding the team back with his conservative approach.

[Not a cat 5660]

2 hours ago, trza-hawk said:

Its a thing for long term fans of the Iowa program. The offensive coordinator does things the way KF wants them. He works for KF and does things the way KF wants. They change the literal guy around a few times but the thing is whoever they put in the booth does exactly what KF wants. Back in the days early in the Ferentz years the fans were all convinced that Ken O'Keefe was holding the team back with his conservative approach.

You mean the guy that hired Greg Davis just wants a figurehead and not any original thoughts or schemes?

[Beau Vine 54254]

On 9/28/2023 at 8:48 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

That just has more to do with a German Catholic heritage that breeds generations of emotional repression, self deprecation, and attaching a potentially unhealthy percentage of self worth to one’s work ethic than it does cheering for shitty football teams.

And then there's this guy:

 

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

And then there's this guy:
 

Oh yeah. I remember why I used to make fun of Hawkeye fans all the time.

[C-Man 27230]

Iowa has 29 active players in the NFL, good for 13th overall.  They're good at developing big guys. I get why a school like Iowa is content. They see what Nebraska is like with their constant upheaval. It's basically like a parallel universe where Nebraska never gets rid of Pelini and is content with the 9 win seasons.
So I get Kirk Ferentz. I do not get Brian Ferentz. 

They’re all tight ends

[Steel Shank 9428]

Maybe the real mountaintop is the friends me make along the way?
/BillLittle

Afuckingplus!!! Bravo!

[Francisco 2.0 32395]

 

 

 

[trza-hawk 269]

At different times last night, the fans were booing the offense, the play calls, the special teams running on the field to attempt a field goal or punt on a short fourth down, even chanting "FIRE BRIAN". Former B1G coaches Pat Fitzgerald and Mark Dantonio were at the game for different reasons.

 

The color commenter and sideline banter about Cooper Dejean was that he wanted to play quarterback, but looked at which positions turn into professionals at Iowa and that was part of why he decided to play defensive back.

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by trza-hawk
i can't count

[Aqua Buddha 14598]

Looking at their schedule, they close out against a putrid Nebraska team.  They could easily run up the score there just to meet the scoring thresholds.  

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

Iowa has to stay like this.  They are the very definition of Big10 football.  The state of the art. The standard of Big10ness against which all other Big10 teams are judged.  
 

[redswingline 1057]

Let's be fair now.

The reason the Big 10 is so fucking terrible to watch is because they have to compete with the MAC for talent.

[Francisco 2.0 32395]

 

 

 

[Doc Daneeka 6769]

3 hours ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Looking at their schedule, they close out against a putrid Nebraska team.  They could easily run up the score there just to meet the scoring thresholds.  

I’d love to see Iowa with the game in hand late, score a TD to get to 323, and go for 2.

And I used to like Nebraska when they were the anti-OU in the Big 8.

[Stringer 1439]

It’s incredible that this idiot gets credit for special teams and defensive scores in his total. He would have 14 points less without those.

[Hagbard Celine 10871]

cade mcnamara is out for the season

[Al_4_ISU 12464]

8 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

cade mcnamara is out for the season

Irrelevant.  There are at least 3 (Minnesota, NW, Purdue) games left where they could kneel down on every offensive play, punt, and win via defense or special teams TDs.

There's some aggravating force of nature that has made Iowa's opponents consistently commit major unforced errors (or it could just be that 2/3rds of the Big 10 is straight garbage) at crucial points in games that always benefit Iowa.

They could go the rest of the year without the offense scoring a single point and still end up with 7 wins.

[Aqua Buddha 14598]

Watch their being exception for major injuries like there is for defensive scores, special teams, etc.

[trza-hawk 269]

The new starting quarterback is listed at 260 lbs on the depth chart, and he does not carry it well. He looks like he ate a lot of cheeseburgers during his time in Wisconsin. The super hyped transfer quarterback that injured his quad and knee in non-contact injuries couldn't do the rolls and boots and some of the play actions, but this guy can and when he has to spin around it looks like a fat guy doing a pirouette. When the playbook is limited and margins are close, just the littlest bit of mobility makes a difference and injured Cade this year or Petras last season were basically statues in the pocket.

[closetojumping 62746]

Just now, trza-hawk said:

The new starting quarterback is listed at 260 lbs on the depth chart, and he does not carry it well. He looks like he ate a lot of cheeseburgers during his time in Wisconsin. The super hyped transfer quarterback that injured his quad and knee in non-contact injuries couldn't do the rolls and boots and some of the play actions, but this guy can and when he has to spin around it looks like a fat guy doing a pirouette. When the playbook is limited and margins are close, just the littlest bit of mobility makes a difference and injured Cade this year or Petras last season were basically statues in the pocket.

Wait, so new guy is a fatass? I view Iowa as borderline unwatchable unless they're playing someone like OSU or PSU and it's required viewing. If they've got a dancing bear running around back there, however, I might tune in just for grins.