Kirk Ferentz had to apologize for one comment he dropped at his weekly press conference, but it provided a humorous moment for all.

It started off when Ferentz was asked about a change on the weekly depth chart for the Hawkeyes. With both lead running backs presumably healthy, Ferentz was asked about Leshon Williams now being listed as the starter over Kaleb Johnson.

The head coach admitted it had “something to do” with Williams’ massive touchdown run against Wisconsin while dropping an expletive in the process.

“It had something to do with that 82-yard run or whatever it was. I mean, shit,” cracked Ferentz with a brief smile. “Pardon my French, but that was a huge play for us. No, I mean he ran the ball extremely well. We’ve got faith in all our guys, including the 2 young guys…”

Ferentz went on to point out Kaleb Johnson was the big-play back against Purdue but Williams seized his opportunity against the Badgers. Overall, Ferentz is still looking for every running back to contribute if Iowa is to beat Minnesota.

“He sees an opportunity and went with it and good for him,” Ferentz explained. “Might be the week before, Kaleb (Johnson) was the guy who was being anointed. All these guys are going to have to help us play, and we’re gonna have to run the ball if we want to win.”

At the end of the day, it’s hard to argue with Williams’ listing on the depth chart. He is Iowa’s leading rusher with 459 yards and is by far the team’s most efficient RB at 6.1 yards per carry.

We’ll see how Williams and the offense look with the change in Week 8.