Iowa Coach Brutally Rips Into Team After UCLA Loss

Iowa Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz spoke out with a brutal take about his team after losing to UCLA.

Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on the sidelines during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes had a huge opportunity on Friday night against the UCLA Bruins. While it was a tough game on the road, they had an opportunity to pick up a big win and improve to 7-3 on the year.

Unfortunately, Iowa was unable to get the job done.

When the final whistle blew, the Hawkeyes ended up losing by a final score of 20-17. Nothing went right for Iowa and the team looked bad on both sides of the football throughout the game.

Due to their poor performance, Ferentz spoke out harshly about his team after the loss. He did not hold back from making his disappointment in the way the team played clear.

“In football, you get what you deserve. And we certainly didn't play well enough to expect to win tonight, basically in any category. Disappointing. Nothing really clicked for us, nothing really looked great.”

He may have been brutal with his take about the team, but he's 100 percent correct. The Hawkeyes did absolutely nothing well and they deserved to lose.

Offensively, Brendan Sullivan and the offense could not get things going. He completed six of his nine pass attempts for 157 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. He wasn't horrible, but the two interceptions were a major killer.

Kaleb Johnson had a really rough game as well, picking up just 49 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Defensively, the team was able to force two interceptions. They did limit UCLA to 20 points, but they were unable to get key third-down stops all night long.

All of that being said, it was a disappointing all-around game that led to a rough loss. Iowa dropped to 6-4 on the season.

Next up, the Hawkeyes will hit the road for a matchup against the Maryland Terrapins on November 23rd. Hopefully, they'll be able to come out strong and bounce back with a win after this week's disappointment.