Iowa Hawkeyes College Football Postgame Quote, 01/01/2024

KIRK FERENTZ: Okay. Well, certainly disappointing end to a really special season and a really special group of people. Our players, our staff, just thought did a phenomenal job all year long. So I’m just really proud of their efforts, going back to January, but certainly since we got going in August.

Yeah, we competed; I thought we prepared well. Obviously just weren’t up to it. Tennessee played an outstanding game. Awful lot of credit to our opponent. Clearly the self-inflicted things, the things that you can’t do if you’re going to win football games, whether it’s not making the makeables offensively, penalties, penalties at inopportune times, and turnovers is as important a stat as there and certainly back to the game today.

That part was disappointing. Their offense, you know, they are really well-coached and they really present some unique challenges for our defensive football team. I thought we gave up a couple drives there but settled in and were doing a lot of good things there. But they are a tough challenge. There’s no question about that.

So just questions about the future, all that stuff, really not worried too much about that right now. Don’t want to get too global with my thinking, but my thoughts are really with these players and the stories that they are, especially our senior class. It’s been a great, great group of guys, and Joe is representative of that. Stayed for his sixth year. Just hard-working guys that really care about the right things. They have been great teammates, and then these guys have been great, great leaders.

It’s always tough when you have to say good-bye to the guys that played their final game. Some guys are going to the NFL. Some guys are going to certainly attempt for that, and wish them the best.

But at some point, you know, everybody gets on to their adult life and their life’s work, and I’m really confident that they will all do really well. They are all just top-notch guys. Just appreciate their efforts, the leadership they gave us, everything they have done.

Yeah, just really proud of our football team. Disappointing today. Never feels good after a loss. Can’t remember one. If you do this, compete, any time you go out there, it could go this way. The game is humbling. Always has been. Always will be.

But I’ve got to just encourage everybody to step back. It’s a ten-win season, Big Ten West champs and a lot of really good moments, and these guys have really overcome a lot of adversity and a lot of unique challenges, and those are things that will really serve them well moving forward as they go into their adult lives. And for the guys coming back, we’ll build off this. But just really proud of everybody.

Q. Joe, this one is for you. What more could you have done defensively as a unit?

JOE EVANS: I think we could have, honestly, handled their tempo better. We tried to emulate that in practice. It’s a tough thing to do. You know, when they are getting a play off every 10 seconds, every 15 seconds, definitely think that we could have done a better job of that. Stopping the run. We were playing with a light box, but I think we could have done a better job there. And from my standpoint and the defensive line, just playing better with our hands the fundamentals and stuff.

Q. At what point were you thinking at all about — at halftime about inserting Marco Lainez into the lineup, and what did you think of the spark that he seemed to provide for your team once he was playing?

KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, I don’t know if it’s critical when we thought of it. We came into the game considering it. Marco has gone a really good job. The improvement he’s made, he basically started with us in August. So the improvement he’s made, it’s been really impressive. He’s a great young guy. Great attitude.

But you know, it’s hard to practice three quarterbacks. He certainly got work as the season went on. But you know, he’s still got a lot of learning to do, a lot of time in front of him and all those types of things.

Yeah, he went and competed like you think. He’s got some things to learn. All this will be good experience for him. Something to draw upon and doesn’t burn a year of eligibility, so that’s a good thing.

Q. What you said there, you thought about playing Marco in this game or start about starting him in this game?

KIRK FERENTZ: No, not starting. He’s practiced well. So you know, you think about that with all your young guys. We played a couple young backs a little bit today. You think about all the guys. But obviously we felt our best chance to win, because we started Deacon and played Deacon the majority of the game. We thought that gave us our best chance to win. At some point you just felt like making a change to be the best thing. That’s what drives every personnel decision.

Q. With a quarterback like Nico, obviously he’s well-regarded, five-star coming in, what kind of challenges did he present in terms of the fact of just how mobile he was? And then to follow that up, Kirk, speaking about Marco, did you like that added dynamic he brought in terms of the mobility there as well?

JOE EVANS: Yeah, he definitely presented a lot of challenges. When you talk about you have to defend, you know, two facets, whether it be in the passing game or in the running game, it’s definitely a lot tougher, and he’s a very mobile guy, and you were able to see that today.

I mean, hats off to them. Hats off to their team. They played a really well-played game.

KIRK FERENTZ: Do you want me to finish that question, too? Yeah, anybody that can run at any position is a good thing. Again, he’s a young player. He’s got a lot to learn. He’s got a good future. Got good throwing skills, running skills.

But Deacon has obviously got a lot of experience through the season. Deacon has done a lot of good things for us. That was kind of the decision. We’ll let everybody compete in the spring and see where it all goes.

Q. This is 14 scoreless quarters against ranked opponents. What do you attribute that to —

KIRK FERENTZ: I have to apologize. My right ear still has not popped since we landed. Got some sinus stuff going on apparently.

Q. I believe it’s 14 quarters that you’ve been scoreless against ranked opponents. What do you attribute that consistent problem from this year to last year? What do you attribute it to offensively?

KIRK FERENTZ: Offense is pretty complicated. It’s a team effort. I’ll just say this, and again, I don’t want to get too global on things. We’ve played some top teams and we’ve been a Top-10 team, so I think we know what it takes and what is required. Typically for us, at least the last 25 years, everything has got to work together, and certainly it didn’t and didn’t today; it’s pretty obvious out there.

But usually, whether it’s this year or 1999, you know, if you turn the ball over, if you have negative yardage plays, if you don’t make the makeable plays, it’s going to be tough, unless you’ve got just got great personnel. That’s kind of the nature of football. It starts with those things. But obviously the players and experience all factors into that.

We’ve played at that level. We’ve played teams at that level. We’ve beaten teams at that level. It’s not like we are talking about something that none of us are aware of. We’ve just got to better, and we will. That’s the plan. We’ll start work in about two weeks.

Q. That first opening couple of series, great punt from Tory, and then pinning them deep and then getting the ball back inside their 50-yard line and you able to drive downfield, and pretty much almost put it in. How big was that interception?

KIRK FERENTZ: That’s a real good example, that’s who we are, our margin for victory. This year — it’s pretty much been that way for 20-some years. But this year, for sure, we’ve got to thread the needle.

When you do get good field position and then take it down inside and give yourself a chance to come out with a touchdown, and don’t, that’s not good, and the worst offense was not getting any points. Big difference between three and seven; it’s obviously four. And just to start building some momentum. But that’s a good example.

Then I think it was shortly thereafter, we missed a chance to pin them down, which is uncharacteristic, too. And they get the ball at the 20. Little things like that are big factors in football games. The world we live in, we have to really pay close attention to that so when you do get down there, it kills momentum and that’s where those turnovers — there’s no good place for a turnover. We had one at the other end, and that was kind of the game was over at that point, and we give them the ball on the two-yard line.

All those little things are really critical.

Q. Nobody in the history of college football has more punting yards than Taylor. How impressive is that feat to you?

KIRK FERENTZ: I think I’ve said it many times. First of all, Tory is just an exceptional young guy. Came here, was really na√Øve to college football. And there are not many of them around in our country. Just fans, everybody, everybody was an expert on football. This guy had no knowledge. So I’ll never forget that, the first game at Purdue during the pandemic.

And he has a strong leg. Obviously could kick a ball. Punt a ball. But what he’s done over four years’ time, the way he’s refined his skills, the way he’s developed just the repertoire of different ways to punt, you know, it’s very impressive. And then most impressively I think is the work ethic that he displayed. Because you don’t do those things by accident. It’s true, at every position, to truly master what you do, it takes a lot of work. And I don’t care if you’re 34 years old and still playing, there’s always work to do.

I think that’s the biggest thing I’ll take away with Tory is his work ethic, his attention to detail, the pride that he has, pride in his performance. And by doing all those things, he’s like all these seniors. He’s set a great example for younger guys, not just punters, but anybody that’s paying attention, I think this guy is the best in the country.

So how did that happen? Didn’t just fall out of the sky. And that’s what you learn in the game is people get good through hard work, through detail, perseverance. Not everybody has a great day. That’s how you get good at anything. So when guys, Joe, Tory, I can go right down all these guys as seniors, that’s the bar they have set. And they have been really good examples for young guys. I just hope like hell the young guys are paying attention. Some pay attention a little better than not. Jay Higgins is a great example. He learned a hell of a lot from some is of the guys that were in front of him and playing his tail off.

Q. I noticed after the quarterback change, Hill took off his helmet and put a metaphorical arm around Marco and stayed that way. You’ve been around football a long time. Is that significant? And if so, how significant is that?

KIRK FERENTZ: I think that’s who our guys are. It’s who our guys are. I’ll go back to earlier, when things were not going as good, Deacon struggled, obviously, it was tough for him. It’s a tough thing. You have to understand, he didn’t have much experience. Explained that earlier.

But the one thing that’s pretty consistent I think from all of our players is what they’ve said about Deacon. Those guys all had respect for him, cared about him. If it wasn’t going well, they supported him. Again, that’s part of being on a team.

You know, today wasn’t his day, all right. The new guy goes in and he’s right there. It’s about being aware of things, and you know, again, that’s the great thing about football. Like you’re not the only guy on the team, and you’re not the only guy that, you know, is important.

And I think for the most part, our guys at least figured that out a little bit, especially these older guys, again. And Deacon is not an old guy. I’m just really proud of that. That’s what you expect and that’s what you hope for, but you don’t always see it.

Q. Not trying to antagonize you after what you said at the opening remarks, but we are looking ahead after Bowl games every year. Do you know what you want and need the most from your next offensive coordinator?

KIRK FERENTZ: Yeah, things really haven’t changed much since whatever I said in December or two days ago. You know, first of all, I want a guy who is going to be a really good team player. Obviously they have got to have expertise in their area, like all of our coaches, and they have got to be good people. They have got to be, you know, guys that are going to mentor the players they work. They have got to be people that understand a team is a team.

I go back to my time in the ’80s, the thing that made Iowa so special, I came from a place where we had ultra talent. We coached a National Championship team down to No. 2, and I’ll go on record saying that one, mainly because we had phenomenal players. Marino, you go right down the list. Phenomenal players, but a dysfunctional coaching staff. A lot of guys worried about themselves, their professions, their careers, all that stuff.

I came to Iowa in ’81 literally off the pickle boat, and it’s just the opposite. We had talent, but not the kind of talent we had at Pitt. We had a staff that was just unbelievably cohesive. And the bottom line is the guys all cared about one thing: the players they coached and the team being successful.

That’s what the game is about. That was as good a nine years of my life as I’ve had being on that staff.

And so when I came back here 25 years ago, one goal I had was trying to get people, good coaches, but people — and you know, couple experts killed me on our first staff, right, Joe Philbin, Norm Parker, Vanderbilt, all that stuff. You try to hire the right people, that’s all, and then everybody has to work together and move forward.

And what we do is not rocket science. Again, we are not saving lives or any of that stuff. We are coaching football.

But how they are in front of the players, critical. How they are with each other, critical. And obviously they have got to be great representatives of university. We coach in college, not an NFL team, so there’s a responsibility there. What you do in the community, go right down the list. That stuff is important. There are a lot of things that are important.

Read somewhere earlier that voices are big, you’ve got to get it done, all that kind of stuff. I just want to get it right. That’s my responsibility as head coach is to get it right, period. Get the best guy we can get.

And I feel like great about it, but you know, that’s another story for another day, too, and get back to Iowa and start working on that in earnest as well. My focus has been more so on our team because that’s really my No. 1 responsibility.

Hate to keep saying “me” or “I,” but anyway, you get the idea. Thanks.