IOWA CITY — Ahead of Iowa football’s Week 4 game at Rutgers, coach Kirk Ferentz met with the media to discuss the matchup, the state of the team and more.
Here’s what stood out.
Kirk Ferentz evaluates Iowa’s passing game after its best showing of the year vs. UMass
“It’s a step forward, Ferentz said, “and I think three weeks into (it), there’s been progress each week — especially from what we’ve seen in practice,” Ferentz said. “The challenge we had two weeks ago (at Iowa State), it’s a really unique defensive scheme and unique coverages. So not a lot of clean looks. But I thought we took a step forward (vs. UMass).
“Still a lot of things we can get better at. Ball placement, at times, could be better. And then certainly. If you get your hands on the ball, we’d sure like to think you can come up with it. If we’re going to move forward, we’re going to have to do a little bit better job with both of those things. Had a protection bust too, and we’re going to have to get better at that as well. Negative yardage is tough to overcome.”
Kirk Ferentz on the high number of wide receiver drops
“Believe it or not, we coach not to drop it and emphasize catching,” Ferentz said. “I always joke with the guys that they call them wide receivers, not wide droppers. There’s a reason why they call them wide receivers. So the objective is to catch the football. It’s easier said than done sometimes. Sometimes, it might be ball placement — a little bit behind, a little low. But you’ve got to flip it around, too. The quarterback has a tough job, and it’s not always clean back there.
“So everyone just needs to do a little bit better, and a lot of times, it’s concentration. And then sometimes, guys try too hard and start fighting it. I know if you throw a baseball and try to aim it or overthrow it, then the ball tends to sail on you. So that’s why practice is so important, just concentrating and really developing good habits. Hopefully, through game experience, it just keeps getting better as we go along.”
Despite Iowa’s defensive success, Kirk Ferentz knows the Hawkeyes’ margin for error shrinks significantly in Big Ten play
“The good news is guys were hustling, so if someone missed a tackle, someone else was there to close in on it,” Ferentz said. “Every week, win, lose or draw, there’s always something to be corrected and areas where we can get better at.
“… We’re going to play in a lot of close games moving forward, just like we did two weeks ago, and those little things tend to make a difference. It’s like a PAT. You never know which one is going to be the one. There are usually five, six, seven plays you go back and look at. If you could change those, it would really impact the game. But as a player and a coach, you never know when that’s going to be. That’s why you’ve got to be at your best and make sure you’re getting better.”
Kirk Ferentz provides a handful of injury updates
Ferentz said wide receiver Reece Vander Zee will be out against Rutgers, as will running back Xavier Williams, thanks to an injury suffered versus UMass. On a positive note, Kamari Moulton has a chance to return for the first time since early in the season opener.
“Getting Kamari back is always a good thing,” Ferentz said. “Any time you get a good player back, it’s a good thing. We think Kamari is a good player. He is capable of breaking some longer runs. If he could do that, it would be a great thing. But Rutgers is a tough defense to do that against. They’ve done a really nice job.”
As for Vander Zee, it sounds like he won’t be back before Iowa’s bye week on Oct. 4
“We’re not counting on it, but we’ll see,” Ferentz said. “We’ll see what it looks like next week. But not counting on it, based on what I know.”
Wide receiver Jarriett Buie remains out. He hasn’t appeared in any games this season.
“He’s just had some soft-tissue stuff that we can’t quite get a grip on and get right,” Ferentz said. “I don’t think it’s anything major, but it’s been enough to keep him out right now. It’s hard as a receiver if you can’t run. That’s kind of been the issue.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said ahead of Hawkeyes’ Big Ten opener vs Rutgers
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
