Iowa Hawkeyes' Coach Cites Baltimore Ravens Example In Stern Lesson

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz has used a Baltimore Ravens play to teach his players an important lesson.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz cheers after the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown against Boston College on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017. / Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz has taken plenty of heat over the first few weeks of the 2024 season, as his team has looked rather rusty out of the gate.

However, Ferentz has turned to an NFL example in order to teach his players an important lesson.

In Week 1 of the 2024 NFL campaign, the Baltimore Ravens fell to the Kansas City Chiefs thanks to tight end Isaiah Likely failing to get both feet inbounds on what would been a touchdown catch. His toe landed about an inch out of bounds.

Ferentz showed his players the video of the play.

“Inches, right?” Iowa center Logan Jones said, via Chad Leistikow of The Des Moines Register. “If you can minimize those little mistakes, those are the things that make the difference in the game.”

The little things certainly matter, and Iowa has found that out the hard way early on. That was part of the reason why the Hawkeyes blew a double-digit lead in a loss against the Iowa State Cyclones in Week 2, and it was also a culprit for Iowa falling behind 14-10 to the Troy Trojans at halftime last weekend before emerging with a victory.

It definitely has not been easy for Iowa over the first three weeks of the season, and some have already been calling for Ferentz's job as a result.

But the good news is that Iowa has an opportunity to re-establish itself when it begins Big Ten conference play on Saturday.

The Hawkeyes will take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road Saturday night.