Did you see what he said after finding out that he has now lost TEN STRAIGHT games against ranked opponents? Tell me you saw it…
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me,” Ferentz said when told about losing 10 straight to ranked opponents. “I wasn’t aware of that, actually. So, I mean, we’re three points short today; that’s about all I can say. It’s disappointing.”
“We’re three points short today.”
“We’re three points short today.”
“WE’RE THREE POINTS SHORT TODAY.”
If it wasn’t clear before, it is now (well, at
least to me). He’s going to do it his way until he decides to either hang em up or gets paid out because the Athletic Department and fanbase just can’t keep living this way. I’ve been as optimistic and protective as they’ve come, but despite the money, despite the landscape, it doesn’t matter. He’s content with the status quo despite being 43-21 in the last five seasons. Despite giving up 536 points in those 21 losses (25.5 points per game). Despite only scoring 238 (11.33 per game) in that same span.
Iowa isn’t JUST three points short, they’re two touchdowns short (on average) against every single team that matters. And isn’t that what you’re coaching for? Isn’t the whole point to win? Isn’t that what the boys are playing for? Isn’t one of the first few goals you discuss with your team making the College Football Playoff?
You have to beat ranked teams to do that! It’s very simple and you’re failing at it. You’re failing at something that used to be your calling card. It used to be a terror playing Iowa as a ranked team. And now, all you have to do is score 12 points and you’ll probably be ok and can move on to the next game as if nothing even happened.
Yeah, the game still sucks because Phil Parker puts you in a noose, but you’re going to get out of it.
How isn’t this driving him crazy? How isn’t this making him itch and scratch all night long? It’s been five years of the same thing. It’s been five years of watching an entire phase of football suffocate on the field. It’s been five years watching the other two phases dominate. It baffles me.
Like, why on earth is he still trying to play his old handicap while playing a game and a course and a field that isn’t the same anymore? Dude, take the strokes!
How is this even fun? And why, when it does get a little entertaining, do we just stop? Saturday is yet another perfect example. He literally let Lester try a little Slow-Mesh and it kind of worked enough to throw Iowa State off the scent and then they just stopped again in favor of the most basic and predictable offense a DC ever has to prepare for. Everything is always just so wonky and clunky and frustrating.
Why are you making it so hard on yourself when you have 2/3’s of the puzzle figured out?
I don’t know what more I can say anymore. I respect the hell out of Kirk Ferentz. I’m going to revere you when you’re gone. I will remember some of those big time wins against teams we had no business beating. You are the only Iowa coach I know. BUT it’s broken and outdated and it has single handedly prevented the team you’ve been in charge of from reaching their actual and full potential. Your offensive recruiting, philosophy, scheme, game and money management, hiring and development is a tragedy. And I’m saying this knowing full well you took two of these horrendous offenses to ten wins.
Those two 10-win teams could’ve achieved so much more had you even considered the offence.
Those eight-win teams could’ve achieved so much more had you even considered the offense.
And once again, this 2025 team seemingly is going to miss the mark as well…because you didn’t even consider the offense.
I appreciate you taking swings in the portal for the most important position in sports. I get WHY you did what you did with Cade McNamara and now Mark Gronowski. But where are the swings at everything else? Why are my buddies and I correcting each other about who the last decent wide receiver in the program was between Marvin McNutt (graduated in 2011) and Ihmir Smith Marsette (graduated in 2020).
It’s hard not to ask yourself, “why am I even wasting my time discussing this?”.
It’s just evident that nothing is going to change and I have to start believing what you’re telling me. And what you’re telling me is that while you’re the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa is going to be ultra conservative, lean heavily on special teams and the defense and if they don’t play perfectly every single game, we wont have the offensive firepower to compete.
Kirk’s fallen so in love with punting, he’s developed more faith in kicking it off an opponents leg and setting up field position that way rather than actually just building an offense that can do it on their own.
How can I think otherwise at this point? NOTHING has changed. You’ve played the same game against Iowa State the last three years and you’re 1-2 (BUT just six points short!). But sure, lets do it again anyways.
The sad thing is, I know deep down that this is most likely the same game plan he’s implemented against the Cyclones his entire career. The only problem now is that Iowa doesn’t have any players that are able to make it work anymore. The teams you’ll always remember under Kirk, they had offensive mojo. They were usually able to get us into field goal range when we needed a score/extend a lead. At minimum, they were good enough to be able to flip the field.
But not the last few years. This plan just doesn’t work without at least a FEW dudes that can make plays.
Do you know what I would financially give to have a dude in an Iowa uniform just Tweet out “MPOD” let alone DO IT?
And look, I get it, Kirk’s offensive, lets call it strategy, actually (stupidly) kind of works against a lot of teams. It’s not like you’ve played any different in those 43 wins. But it’s empty. It’s a Little Debbie’s snack at midnight. It’s an entire Ben and Jerry’s pint after you ate an entire dinner.
It’s temporary pleasure that is also deteriorating the rest of the program.
I know some of you are going to come at me with Iowa’s past. How we used to be a bigger laughingstock and lose WAY more often and that if Iowa doesn’t nail the next hire we are doomed to be worse than Northwestern and we wont matter even the little bit that we do now.
And that’s fine. I understand being tentative. But, this isn’t the same kind of football as it was back then (or when Kirk Ferentz started here for that matter). We will NEVER be Northwestern in this era of college football no matter who the eventual successor will be. And, not to beat a dead horse, but the point of playing football is to win. Every single game. Not just the teams “we’re supposed to beat”.
If that’s not the goal, then the person setting the goals needs to move on.
Like you, I’ve been hearing the retirement whispers. It makes sense. It’s probably time. Or at least, it feels like it should be. They always say it’s better to leave a year early than leave a year late.
If it hasn’t dawned on Kirk that he’s maybe not the man for the job anymore, well, he’s more stone cold than I ever imagined. I wish we didn’t have to even talk about this. But we do. We do have to talk about this, because it’s not good enough and hasn’t been in a long time and we’re all tired of the madness.
This was the season it NEEDED to be different and through two games it’s just not. And it probably wont be.
As sadistically entertaining as it is watching you win games playing this way (it makes me sick to admit that winning the way Iowa does is somehow very satisfying when it works despite the frustration), I’m ready for something new. Something with commitment. Something that inspires hope.
Something that isn’t just “three points short” anymore.
