Iowa OC Brian Ferentz Was Asked Blunt Question About His Job Security

The Hawkeyes rank near the bottom of the country in almost every offensive category.
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Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz spoke with media for the first time since Week 2 to talk about the team’s offensive struggles this year.

Ahead of Week 7, Iowa ranks dead last nationally in total offense and 127th out of 131 schools in scoring offensive. On top of that, the Hawkeyes sit near the bottom of the country in almost every offensive category and have scored seven offensive touchdowns through their first six games.

At one point during Ferentz’s press conference, he was asked if he considered stepping down based on the team’s offensive issues so far this season.

“There’s two options in life in any situation,” Ferentz said, via 247 Sports. “You can surrender, and if you surrender, then I think the results are pretty much guaranteed. Or you can dig in, you can continue to fight, and you can try to improve and do things better. I will always choose option A. Done it in my personal life. Done it in my professional life. I wouldn’t be able to go home and look my children in the eye if I wasn’t an option B person. I think I said option A. I started with option surrender, right? That’s not me. Let me be crystal clear about that. That’s number one.”

The roundabout answer makes it sound like Ferentz plans to “continue to fight” for his job and the team.

The offensive coordinator was also asked if the fact that he’s the son of head coach Kirk Ferentz impacts him keeping the job. He deferred the question to his father, per The Daily Iowan.

The younger Ferentz also deflected any notion of making a change at quarterback. Spencer Petras has started in all six games, totaling 87 completions for 940 yards and just two passing touchdowns.

“What’s the upside?” Ferentz said, per 247 Sports. So, it sounds like Petras will be staying in the role for now.

The Hawkeyes are 3–3 through six weeks. And although the offense was struggling mightily in a 9–6 loss to Illinois last week, it sounds like Ferentz will try to turn things around himself.

More CFB Coverage:

For more Iowa coverage, go to Inside The Hawkeyes.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.