The game is taking its toll

The Hawkeyes are emotionally sputtering and physically battered going into last two weeks

Veterans from the University of Iowa unfurl a field sized American flag for Veteran's Day before Iowa's college football game against Purdue Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

IOWA CITY — It turned out to be a dog chasing his tail, the whole Kirk Ferentz-meet-the-press postgame in the wake of Iowa’s fourth straight loss.

The contentiousness was forced on Ferentz’s part. He wanted to argue about whether or not the Hawkeyes’ efforts in victories over Minnesota and Michigan State were strong. They were and they also were five weeks and four straight losses ago.

This felt like deflection after the latest loss, a 27-24 defeat at the hands of Purdue, a program that will likely be searching for a new coach in a few weeks. Iowa (4-6, 2-4 Big Ten) is headed into No. 23 Michigan (7-3, 5-1) a program looking for cover. Ferentz did his best in the postgame.

It started to deteriorate during a question about tackling. “You were at the game, right?” he said. From there, it was a question asking how easy is it for opposing defenses to prepare for Iowa.

“Well, if we don’t block better, throw better, run better routes and run better, that’s the name of the game,” he said. “It’s execution, it’s about playing well fundamentally, and that’s kind of what I was trying to hint at, particularly talking about our first half, we just weren’t playing well enough. They weren’t coached well enough, and that’s fundamentals and [they] didn’t play hard enough to expect to win.”

The fact of the matter is Iowa didn’t do anything well enough Saturday and really hasn’t the last four weeks. Ferentz does say blame the coaches, and then puts it in the general blend of execution and fundamentals. No names will ever be named. You know that, right?

Ferentz was asked specifically about blocking Purdue’s big defensive tackles, Kawann Short and Bruce Gaston, who dominated up front.

“We’re not as stout right now as we’ve been in the past,” Ferentz said. “Nobody is going to come in and we’re not going to get any free agent players coming in this weekend. We’re going to play with the guys that we have and try to get better, try to avoid some of those negative-yardage plays and run routes better, catch better, throw it better and run the ball better, too.”

A question about Iowa’s fourth-and-3 play that ended up being a James Vandenberg pass to tight end Zach Derby for 1 yard, turned out to be a condescending lecture about how passing games work.

The simple answer is it’s everything. Ferentz answered the questions and tried to protect a roster he recruited and a coaching staff he hired from scrutiny.

Saturday, Iowa was an offense that couldn’t complete a 3-yard pass on fourth down. That should be doable for any offense and even this offense, which still averages 5.8 yards a pass attempt (tied for 114th in the nation).

“We had little to no positives today,” Vandenberg said. “We were terrible on third down, the negative plays on first and second down, didn’t execute a lot of the plays that were there. You never know when we make that 7-yard completion or convert that third-and-4, what that can do for a drive. You have to make those plays when they’re given to you.”

Saturday, Iowa was a defense that couldn’t tackle. During one 16-yard run in the first half, Purdue running back Akeem Shaver broke four tackles. On Ralph Bolden’s 56-yard run that set up a TD, Iowa defenders couldn’t get to him and didn’t wrap. In November, the Hawkeyes have allowed an average of 6.09 yards on 158 plays. The two November games were against Indiana and Purdue (combined 3-9 in the Big Ten) and that number is No. 82 in the country.

It gets worse for the Iowa defense. Look who wasn’t on the field in the second half. Going into Michigan, which gutted out an overtime victory over Northwestern behind QB Devin Gardner, who filled for injured Denard Robinson with 286 passing yards and two TDs, Iowa could be without linebackers James Morris (undisclosed) and Anthony Hitchens (undisclosed) and defensive end Joe Gaglione (illness).

“It’s the end of the season,” Morris said. “Football is a physical game and it takes its toll.”

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The game is taking its toll

Sue-Don Immer said: On November 11, 2012
The press conference is pretty disturbing. No reporter said anything like he had a “dog crap” team, and his arguing with a straw man like that is pathetic. Challenging the reporters, telling people to connect the dots, bragging on his team’s performance six weeks ago: for Ferentz, this is demeaning and pretty close to a meltdown. It sounded like he was one heartbeat away from saying, “You won’t have Kirk Ferentz to kick around any more.”
I was going to Iowa games long before Ferentz arrived, and I imagine I’ll be going to them long after he relocates with his $50mm net worth. Sometimes college presidents and football coaches think their institutions and programs belong to them. But they are, in the end, the transients. They are custodians, not owners. He doesn’t have to be such a jerk with the media, and by extension, the populace. We’ve all been pretty good to him over the years.
- scott duncan said: On November 11, 2012
  Sue-Don, you have been writing some excellent comments the last couple of days. This from another Iowa fan who was in the stands for the Jerry Burns teams and will be there post-KF, realizing we’ve had some good years but Hawkeye athletics move on. I find the KF sarcastic attitude toward the media and the public’s inquiries appalling. Marc, you are doing a good job in a very difficult situation. You and your colleagues need to keep asking the uncomfortable questions and let the chips fall where they may. That’s your job and we count on you to fulfill it. Also, the usual excellent analysis above.
Mike Miller said: On November 11, 2012
Marc, you said it best a couple of weeks ago: Ferentz, with his repeated non-answers (and increasingly condescending tones and words), has become one of the least trustworthy individuals when it comes to “expert analysis” of the Hawkeye football team. Anyone that truly claims to be bleed black and gold cannot honestly say HONESTLY they even a single double-digit win season out of Ferentz before 2020. If they do see a SINGLE season, then what about the other 14 that do not or will not have double digits?
Yes, I know I complain a lot, but I can handle losing if there are some highly successful seasons wrapped around a down year and 1 or 2 developing years. We had only one highly successful season out of the last eight; we’re soon to have our first six-game losing streak since 2000. I can also handles some losing if there’s clearly light at the end of the tunnel (talent, injuries, etc. that can clearly be fixed the next season). After 14 years, most great coaches hold to their core beliefs BUT adjust accordingly to changes in their level of the game; can anyone truly say that KF has done that? If so, what do you base your opinion upon? The results on the field surely don’t show it the past 8 years.
Todd and crew: what say you? We’re all Hawk fans, but we seem to be going the wrong direction on the football field. Are you really OK with our direction when the previous 7 are factored in as well?
- Rupert Jones said: On November 11, 2012
  You are trying to predict what will happen up to 8 season in the future in college football and acting like you’re an expert about it? It’s almost impossible with college football to know what will happen from one season to the next, much less 8.
  - Mike Miller said: On November 11, 2012
    Rupert:
    You are correct – I am no expert. I am simply going by the past 8 seasons and looking at what appears to be onboard for the immediate future. That’s enough for me to make a prediction – if you don’t agree, that’s fine. But what else, besides calling me a non-expert and saying that college football is unpredictable, are YOU going on?
Mike Williams said: On November 11, 2012
Ferentz is human and when things aren’t going right you get cranky.
It’s a sideways analogy maybe but I was recently laid off and at first getting asked about my job hunt was ok and understandable. Then as time kept going on and nothing was really happening and when asked about it again I started getting defensive and snappy. There aren’t really any answers except go with what you got and keep trying. Now, Kirk makes about 500K per month where as I’m getting just SLIGHTLY less than that….But y’know, it’s not easy.
THAT SAID, that 4th and 3 call to Derby was just mind boggling in it’s stupidity.
Richard Deasy said: On November 11, 2012
This has been a tough year for Iowa FB. We seem to now be losing all the close ones and the loyal fans are becoming upset with our coach (es). The players are the ones who are most effected by all of this negative coach talk and our recuitng is bound to suffer from it. I have not given up on the team or coaches and hope they can get their game together again now. Our key injuries have certainly not helped. Go Hawks.
Michael Roberts said: On November 12, 2012
You mean Coach is frustrated? You show me one coach in the country who wouldn’t get defensive post-game when his team is so obviously struggling, and keeps losing close games because of lack of execution. Iowa is 10 points from being 8-2, and 4 points from being 2-8. That’s a little nerve wracking no matter who you are. Sometimes the ball bounes the wrong way, or people can’t make a tackle they need to make. What do you expect a guy to say when it comes to a question about tackling? “Yeah, well I told the player to make that tackle…he just didn’t.” Those aren’t “tough” questions, those are stupid questions.
By the way, to all the people who continously comment about “the money”, remember that the football program is self-sustaining and basically pays for the rest of the athletic department so that the title 9, and olympic, sports can continue. “Ferentz should have some accountability.” He doesn’t? He gets ripped on every week by a fanbase and media who have no professional teams to call their own. But yeah, you guys are probably right, he probably just goes home and sits in a bathtub full of money and just smiles because he’s fooled us all…never agonizing over the losses of a team whom he and his family have invested so much, both time and emotional.
Have a little perspective people. Texas just had a losing season two years ago and comes from the biggest and easiest recruiting base/climate in the country. Mighty OSU was 6-7 last year, while also possessing one of the best recruiting bases. Teams have down years. Ferentz has simply become a victim of his own success in raising the fans’ expectations, and is justified in being a little frustrated.
- Mike Miller said: On November 12, 2012
  Mr. Roberts:
  Iowa is a LOT further from being 8-2 than 10 points. Iowa is a long ways from even being .500 NEXT season. Ferentz has had ONE great season and one good one since 2005. Winning 8 out of 13 games is average at best – and a failing grade in a classroom. This isn’t just a bad year or two – it’s been pretty consistently mediocre to average since 2005 = especially with all this “NFL talent” we are reminded of in press conferences and releases – but not necessarily on the field in wins and losses. They’ve just been dominated, in order, by NW, Indiana and Purdue. At no time during ANY of those games did rational Hawkeye fans actually believe they were capable of driving the field and getting a winning score – or preventing one. The last time I felt confidence in a team being able to drive for that one winning score was 2004 with Drew Tate – before he was “tamed” with better stats but few winning plays and victories.
  As for the money thing: I agree with you. I’m sick and tired of hearing about it too, and you’re 100% right about the Athletic Department being self-funding for ALL sports. Unfortunately, the issue’s not going to disappear because Ferentz – with or without any philosophical changes – is guaranteed nearly $20M over the next 7 seasons. This leads people to become irritated with his demeanor and snarkiness towards media/fans when 75% of his past EIGHT years have been subpar. So yeah, I’m with you about the money argument, but understand that KF is under no pressure to change a thing. None. And we all know that it will be at least 5-6 more years before any Iowa booster would able to write a check to move him on his way = IF he hasn’t turned things around by then (which we as Hawk fans ALL hope he can do – and for longer than a one-year basis ala 2009).