Notebook: Iowa Letting QB Competition Play Out

Hawkeyes Could Wait Until Friday on Decision on Starting Signal Caller

Iowa quarterback Alex Padilla warming up before a game against Iowa State on Sept. 10, 2022 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The decision hasn’t been made on who will be Iowa’s quarterback for Saturday’s game against Northwestern at Kinnick Stadium.

Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla were listed with an “OR” on the depth chart released Monday, and coach Kirk Ferentz didn’t take that designation away during his Tuesday press conference.

Ferentz said both quarterbacks had practiced with the No. 1 offense, but the decision on who will start could be made as late as Friday.

Petras and Padilla played in last Saturday’s 54-10 loss at Ohio State. Petras was 6-of-14 passing for 49 yards, threw two interceptions, and was sacked twice. Padilla, who came into the game at the start of the second half, was 5-of-10 passing for 32 yards, threw an interception, and was sacked three times. Both lost one fumble.

“Really wasn't much good Saturday, in general,” Ferentz said. “Didn't matter who was in there.”

Everything, Ferentz said, will be used in the evaluation of the quarterbacks.

“What we saw in practice, things we saw on Saturday and the past,” Ferentz said. “Keep pushing forward. It's not like we have a scientific formula. We'll see how the week plays out.”

Ferentz said it would have been unfair to judge Padilla just based on how he played in Saturday’s game, given the circumstances of the game and how the Hawkeyes were down 26-10 at halftime.

“I said the same thing about Spencer too,” Ferentz said. “It's complicated. And when you evaluate any player, there's pretty much a lot of circumstances and things around what their responsibility is that factor into things.

“Basically everything affects everything. For quarterback play, it's really complex. So it's not a simple equation. Those guys out there are just humming, but usually if a guy is humming it means he's getting good teamwork and good help around him too. There's a lot that goes into good quarterback play, just like every position.”

Ferentz said any option is possible, including playing both, although he didn’t seem to like that idea much.

“We're not planning on rotation at this point, but anything's possible,” Ferentz said. “Not going to rule it out. But preferably wouldn't want to do that. And whoever starts hopefully (won’t be) looking over their shoulder. We also have to get it going offensively and show some production, too. So hopefully whoever is in there can help us do that. That's the team goal.

“And there's I guess a balancing act that goes on with it because you don't want to make a decision based on one play. Something like that. We'll kind of see. Make a decision and ride with it for a little bit.”

THE FINAL FIVE GAMES

The Hawkeyes, at 3-4 overall, need to go 3-2 in their final five games for bowl eligibility.

Ferentz, though, isn’t into long-range thinking.

“I'm not thinking about the offseason, I can assure you that,” he said. “The goal right now is the same as back when we started out. Our goal is to win every game. Right now we've got five games left. Our guys are aware of that. I cover that every Sunday, big picture. But it really gets down to we can't win five if we don't win one. So that's really all that matters at this point.”

SENSE OF URGENCY

Ferentz was asked if the Hawkeyes’ sense of urgency has changed considering they’re on a three-game losing streak.

“I hope not,” he said. “I hope everyone has a sense of urgency, purpose, whatever. I prefer to call it purpose. That's something that we try to encourage all of our players to have each and every time we're practicing, whether it's a light workout or a heavy workday like today. If you're going to get something accomplished, you better have something on your mind you're trying to get done.

“So I don't think it changes. I hope it doesn't change. And just to tell you this, one thing that doesn't change too. Losing. Losing doesn't feel good. It affects you. There's nothing good about it. I can say the converse about winning. Everything is pretty good when you're winning. Hopefully our guys, hopefully everybody involved in this organization is tired of losing. It's just not fun.”