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Brian Ferentz shoulders accountability for Iowa’s Week 1 performance
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Brian Ferentz entered the 2022 season already under scrutiny, and that certainly did not change during Week 1.
In the season opener, the Hawkeyes did not crack 200 yards of offense with punter Tory Taylor accounting for nearly 500 yards of punting. Quarterback Spencer Petras also completed less than 50% of his passes with 4.4 yards per attempt.
Ferentz addressed the media on Wednesday, and he shouldered accountability for the issues. He also said he maintains faith in both Petras and backup QB Alex Padilla moving forward.
Iowa OC Brian Ferentz says he has confidence in both Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla, and took accountability, saying the problems all end with him. He felt his QB had enough time to throw.
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) September 7, 2022
Brian Ferentz says he has faith in Alex Padilla should Iowa turn to him: “I do. I have faith in both players. I do. That’s unwavering. Even after Saturday, I feel strongly about both guys.”
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) September 7, 2022
Ferentz also admitted he was “surprised” by the first appearance of the season. He went on to say the “gut reaction is to panic” but knows the Hawkeyes cannot do that as they work to fix the issues.
On Zoom, Brian Ferentz said the opener was "frustrating, disheartening."
“Frankly, I'm surprised and disappointed by our performance out there. I didn’t feel like that was reflective" how how they prepared.
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) September 7, 2022
Brian Ferentz: "The gut reaction is to panic. But we can't do that." Stresses that it's a long season. Says Petras struggled when fundamentals wavered, that his performance was not a reflection of practice since March.
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) September 7, 2022
Hopefully, the offense looks better with a rivalry test against Iowa State this week. Iowa is currently riding a 6-game winning streak over the Cyclones but will need the offense to be much better to get a win this time around.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.