Kirk Ferentz optimistic despite loss to Michigan: 'It's good to have a sting sometimes'

Saturday’s loss has to be one of the more frustrating in recent memory for Iowa, but head coach Kirk Ferentz is choosing to move forward with a bit of optimism.

The Hawkeyes entered Ann Arbor as slight underdogs despite their No. 14 ranking. Iowa’s defense certainly lived up to the billing of the top 20 matchup against Michigan, but it was the offense that struggled.

Quarterback Nate Stanley and the offense turned the ball over four times on the afternoon, including a fumble by Mekhi Sargent on Iowa’s first play from scrimmage. From there, the Hawkeyes managed just three points and finished with one-yard rushing in the 10-3 defeat.

In particular, it was Michigan’s defensive front and relentless blitzing that gave Iowa fits. After the game, Ferentz admitted the Wolverines won the battle upfront, but he felt it had more to do with what the Wolverines did as opposed to the flaws of the Hawkeyes:

"They're a high blitz team… our protection was not good enough obviously… They're an aggressive group and it's more about the guys doing it."

— Matt Schoch (@Matt_Schoch_) October 5, 2019

Blitz timing a problem for OL? "It was a matter of not being able to match their tempo. … Hard to put the breaks on that."

— Matt Schoch (@Matt_Schoch_) October 5, 2019

Ferentz went on to say that he is not discouraged despite the loss. He believes the Hawkeyes are still in a good spot mentally and able to rebound moving forward:

Ferentz: I'm not discouraged… They've got great attitudes, they work right. There's a lot of football in front of us, and that's what we have to focus on. It's good to have a sting sometimes.

— Matt Schoch (@Matt_Schoch_) October 5, 2019