Kirk Ferentz Back for Saturday's Cy-Hawk Game

Iowa Coach Not Fan of Watching from Home

Sep 10, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell (left) and Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz (right) talk before the game at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Kirk Ferentz had to be a spectator for Iowa’s season opener against Illinois State last Saturday.

No, the coach said, there was no tailgating.

Ferentz, serving a one-game university-imposed suspension for a recruiting contact violation, couldn’t be at Kinnick Stadium for the Hawkeyes’ 40-0 win, so he had to watch the game on television from home.

It was, he said Tuesday, “really different.”

“You can see better. That's one thing,” Ferentz joked. “I had a nice surface to write on, which was the second thing. So I guess those are two upgrades.

“But outside of that, there wasn't much good about it. It's sterile, and you're pretty much helpless. Not that I do a lot during games anyway, I'm not playing, but you have a total feeling of disconnection, so it was really strange.”

Ferentz couldn’t be with the team from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 12:01 a.m. Sunday. He joined the team on Friday night at its hotel for meetings and the pre-game meal and snack, but had to leave.

“Left the hotel Friday night, which was strange, and then sleep in your own bed that night, that's strange,” he said. “And then basically wasn't sure what to do all morning, and then the game came, and then I really wasn't sure what to do at halftime. It was kind of interesting.

“But it all worked out. Then it's even stranger after the game because either it's a really good time emotionally or a bad time, and those highs and lows make it really special, so you miss out on all those things.”

Ferentz said he had scrambled eggs on Saturday morning with his grandson before watching the 11 a.m. game.

“It's just a totally different experience. You feel totally disconnected,” he said. “I thought about that a little bit. Like if I were retired, the difference is you're not invested the way you are if you work here every day or are with the guys every day.

“The closest thing would be like one of our kids' games. You're kind of invested, you're a parent, but it's still not the same as when you coach and work with people on a daily basis in a really intimate environment. And that's what we get to enjoy, and that's the best part of coaching is just that — at times when we get to shut the door and just do what we do or practice and all those kinds of things.”

Ferentz said his wife, Mary, joined him to watch the game.

“We talked civilly. We were very civil with each other,” he said, smiling. “She gave me a little distance at halftime. I walked around at halftime, came back, and then she gave a “Yeah!” or whatever when we made a play. She was sitting about 20 yards away from me.

“We got along fine. No problems.”

Ferentz joined the team for their usual meeting the following day, but admitted even that was odd.

“It wasn't the same seeing everybody on Sunday,” he said. “It's just that time gap in there that's a little bit different.”

“He was very proud of us the way we handled the game, and he didn't want us to make it any more than what it was,” cornerback T.J. Hall said. “And so when he got back, he just told us how proud he was now that we were able to enjoy the win, but now we’ve got to focus this week.”

Ferentz will be back on the sidelines for this Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. against Iowa State at Kinnick.

“It's over, and hopefully something I'll never experience again,” he said. “We'll see how it all goes.”