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Kirk Ferentz reflects on ‘one of the more unusual seasons’ in 2023
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Getting blanked by Penn State and upset by Minnesota seems like eons ago as Iowa embarks on a Big Ten Championship Game showdown with unbeaten Michigan.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz took a moment to reflect with the Big Ten Network on what his team accomplished to go 10-2 and reach the title game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Hawkeyes did it despite a slew of injuries and off-field drama.
“This has been one of the more unusual seasons I’ve ever been through,” Ferentz told host Howard Griffith. “This year, we had a lot of challenges for sure, but I can’t say enough about the group of people I get to work with everyday, most importantly the players.”
"This has been one of the more unusual seasons I've ever been through."@HawkeyeFootball Kirk Ferentz talks with @HowardGriffith ahead of Saturday's #B1GFCG. pic.twitter.com/A2jqia8LsP
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 1, 2023
“They’ve just been really resilient. They’ve been willing, and they’ve really improved as the year went on,” Ferentz continued.
Challenges of this season included the Iowa administration’s decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, Kirk’s son, after the season. That stemmed from the program’s offensive performance, scoring fewer than 25 points per game — a stipulation in his contract.
“We’ve had 3 outstanding offensive coordinators for my 25 years. All 3 were excellent people. They were excellent coaches. All 3 were immensely popular shortly into their tenures,” Ferentz said. “It’s part of what we do. Criticism and all that, but it’s also hate to see it directed towards anybody I have a lot of respect for.”