“Certainly is great to be back in Kinnick itself, this is the first time we’ve been there this spring, and even better to be there with fans. It’s great to have live people in the stands,” Kirk Ferentz said. “That provided a little bit of electricity for everybody. I think certainly we’re hopeful it’s a sign we’re moving in the right direction as country.”

The biggest storyline heading into the first of two open practices was the competition at the quarterback spot between Deuce Hogan, Alex Padilla and incumbent starter Spencer Petras. Petras got the run with starters first, throwing a dart of a completion and an interception before tweaking his left knee evading pressure in the pocket. Petras did return a short time later and was highlighted with long completions to Tyrone Tracy under pressure.

Out of the three quarterbacks today however, it appeared Alex Padilla gave the most consistent performance. Seen by many as the third quarterback behind Petras and Hogan, Padilla threw two touchdowns on the day (one was called back due to penalty) and scrambled for another in the controlled scrimmage. Even with the struggles with pass protection from the offensive line, Padilla consistently found receivers in rhythm and ran when necessary.

Deuce Hogan, who has become a fan favorite without ever playing a down of game action, showed flashes of his moxie in the scrimmage portion of today’s practice as well. The freshman made some throws that impressed, with a deep crossing route to Quavon Matthews and an on-the-run throw to his left to Alec Kritta. However, it appeared that Hogan still faces some issues that all young quarterbacks face, making one or two reads then using his legs, touch on passes, and so on.

“Spencer [Petras] still has a clear advantage from experience and he’s doing a nice job. After that, it’s wide open, we’ve rotated pretty liberally and we may talk about that rotation moving forward here,” Ferentz said. “I’d probably say Alex [Padilla] and Deuce [Hogan] are probably the closest to each other at this point. It’s way too early to call it.”

Another area that many have keened in on is the battle for both starting offensive tackles spot. With Alaric Jackson off to the NFL and Mark Kallenberger retired, the competition to protect the edges is the most wide open it’s been in quite sometime under Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes stuck with Pella-native Nick DeJong at right tackle and junior Jack Plumb at right tackle. Others that are expected to compete are Mason Richman, who played at left guard with the starters Saturday morning, and Cody Ince, who is out for the remainder of the spring with a lower leg injury.

Perhaps the unit that played it’s best ball on Saturday morning was the defensive line, especially impressive for a group that is replacing stars such as Davyion Nixon and Chauncey Golston. Earlier in the spring season, defensive coordinator Phil Parker said he believed that Iowa’s defensive line could go 10 deep, and with the play of reserves such as Lukas Van Ness, Jake Karchinski and walk-on Louie Stec, that vision could become a reality.

“Louie is getting work and has been getting work all spring, he’s an extremely tough guy,” Ferentz said. “He’s taken good advantage of the opportunity he’s gotten and he’s working hard, he’s not the tallest guy in the world, but he’s got good leverage and is tough to move.”

Wide receivers have also been a big question mark for Iowa throughout the 2021 spring practices as the Hawkeyes look to replace Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith, a pair of four-year starters who helped reignite the Iowa offense under Brian Ferentz. Tyrone Tracy is the bell cow of the group, but after Nico Ragaini, it’s a rather young group for Iowa.

“After Tracy and Ragaini, it’s really interesting. It’s a land of opportunity for everybody, including the two newcomers,” Ferentz said. “We saw some flashes from guys today, they don’t have that consistency in their play yet, but they’ve shown they’re capable of helping our football team.”

Iowa’s next open spring practice will be on Saturday, May 1st at 9:30 AM, with the gates opening to the public at 8:30 AM.

The post Iowa Spring Practice: QB’s duel, youth arrives, and defense shines appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Four years later, the Hawkeyes came back into Carver-Hawkeye Arena with a ranking of #4 in the country, looking to snap a four-game losing streak against Matt Painter’s Boilermakers. In fact, the Hawkeyes haven’t come close to beating Purdue in the four meetings since January 2017, with an average margin of defeat of 21 points in that streak.

“My first two years, they’ve embarrassed us. Every time I’ve played them they’ve outhustled us, they’ve destroyed us on the glass,” junior guard Joe Wieskamp said. “This was one we really wanted to send a message against a good Purdue team, and we did a good job.”

Wieskamp continued his high-level of play on Tuesday night, as he poured in 17 points and nine rebounds just three days after dropping 20-9-4 against top-ranked Gonzaga in Iowa’s 99-88 loss to the Bulldogs at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

The Hawkeyes also enjoyed another 20+ point performance from Luka Garza, as the senior post recorded his 17th straight Big Ten game with 20+ points. His streak matches the 17-game streak that former Ohio State star Dennis Hopson went on back in 1987.

Garza buried four threes in the contest, the final giving Iowa a 12-point lead with 2:28 to go in the game and the image of Garza making the shot with gauze up one of his once-bloodied nostrils served to be more than popular on social media.

“I thought tonight, we had open looks because he loaded people up. In and out. He made good decisions when he shot it,” Fran McCaffery said about Garza. “He was really good defensively and on the glass. Sat for a little bit with that third foul, and we got him back in there and he was able to finish.”

Iowa’s win against Purdue was the first time the Hawkeyes had begun the Big Ten slate 1-0 since 2015, when it beat then-#1 Michigan State at Carver to start a meteoric rise that saw that year’s squad rise to a #3 ranking at one point during the conference slate.

The Hawkeyes were ranked #3 when they took on #1 Gonzaga on Saturday in Sioux Falls. But, while Iowa fell to the nations top-ranked team and slid to #4 in Monday’s AP Poll, Fran McCaffery was not worried about his team’s ability, or inability, to avoid an emotional let down against the Boilermakers.

“We don’t let it linger. Let’s say make we won the game. Last two days we would’ve been ranked No. 1, everybody would’ve been saying how great we are. And we’ve got to battle Purdue,” McCaffery said. “

“We know what playing Purdue is like. They kicked us twice last year. So I think a team’s ability to understand that is going to be the key to success for the rest of the season.”

Perhaps the biggest key in the Hawkeyes win on Tuesday was their performance defensively. Following facing a Gonzaga offense that ripped Iowa’s defense to shreds, the Hawkeyes held Purdue to 55 points on the night. In the four previous matchups, Purdue averaged 88.5 points in those contests.

“It was by far our best effort on the glass and defensively,” Fran McCaffery said. “I thought we were pretty good — really good actually — against Carolina. We were locked in.”

With the performance, Iowa’s adjusted defensive rating went from 83rd to 62nd in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy. The rating is by far the worst for any team in the AP Top 10, but with the #1 Adjusted Offense in College Basketball, a rating in the mid-60s is all Iowa needs to be an elite basketball team.

Iowa will hit the road in Big Ten play for the first time this season as they take on border-rival Minnesota at Williams Arena in a Christmas Day matchup. The Hawkeyes were 2-0 against the Gophers in 2019-2020.

The post Iowa snaps four-game skid to Purdue, 70-55 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

No one thought they would see what they saw on the first Saturday of November in Kinnick Stadium.

The Hawkeyes put together a complete performance, reminiscent of an Iowa blowout of a then-#5 Michigan State in Kinnick Stadium back in 2010. It was also Iowa’s first win against the Spartans since 2012. Iowa’s 49 points were the most they had put up in a game at Kinnick Stadium since their 55-24 drubbing of Ohio State four years ago this week.

“I thought we got off to a strong start and then we just kept playing complementary football, it certainly feels good to win today. We needed a win. We needed to play well,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Our guys really responded and did a great job today.”

With the win, Ferentz moved into sole possession of fourth-place in wins in the history of the Big Ten with 163, surpassing long-time Penn State coach Joe Paterno. Other coaches included on the list are Michigan’s Bo Schembechler, Ohio State’s Woody Hayes, and University of Chicago’s Amos Alonzo Stagg.

The day started for Iowa with back-to-back, old-fashioned Iowa drives. The Hawkeyes marched 75 yards in eight plays, punctuated by a three-yard touchdown run by Tyler Goodson. Their second series went 74 yards in 10 plays following a Jack Koerner interception, and was finished with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Petras to Brandon Smith.

“I would like to say, being 0-2 is not a good start. But, this team was very eager to come out and dominate this game. The first drive definitely gave us the confidence to be able to push through the whole game and go drive-for-drive,” Tyler Goodson said.

Goodson was the catalyst for the Iowa run game, leading all rushers with 113 yards on the day, three yards shy of his career-high of 116 yards. Both Goodson and senior Mekhi Sargent scored a pair of touchdowns each, and Iowa rolled up a season-high 226 yards rushing, despite missing Coy Cronk and Kyler Schott on the offensive line.

Iowa’s defense also saw a return to form on Saturday as they made life a living hell in the pocket for Michigan State quarterback and former West Des Moines Valley prep Rocky Lombardi. The junior quarterback from Clive finished the game 17-of-37, for 227 yards, zero touchdowns, and three interceptions. The last of these was returned 54 yards for a touchdown by Iowa corner and former CIML rival, Riley Moss.

“We were in cover two, one disappeared and two was vertical so I sank, and it was a perfect throw to me, and I just took it back,” Moss said, who picked off the final pass of Lombardi’s high school career. Safety Jack Koerner and linebacker Barrington Wade, who each got their respective second interceptions of the season.

Lombardi’s counterpart, Spencer Petras, had a much less stressful day in the pocket. The redshirt sophomore bounced back from a disastrous second half against Northwestern with an efficient performance: 15-for-27, 167 yards and the touchdown pass to Brandon Smith in the first quarter, as well as no interceptions.

“[Playing spotless football] was a point of emphasis this whole week. We’ve seen the last two weeks how we can play turnover-free, as well as penalty-free. That starts with me,” Petras said. “Last week we had three turnovers from myself, so it was a point of emphasis to play clean football and I think we did that today.”

Perhaps the player that stole the show in Iowa’s thrashing of the Spartans was true freshman punter, Tory Taylor. Taylor, a 23-year old Australian who hails from Melbourne, gave the limited crowd of friends and family a punting exhibition. An average 45.9 yards per punt on the day and Taylor punted for more total yards than Michigan State gained on offense for the entire game.

Another player who made his mark on special teams on the day was junior walk-on receiver Charlie Jones. The one-time Buffalo transfer averaged 21 yards per return on punts, including a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown to give Iowa a 28-0 lead in the second quarter.

“The call was actually a ‘return middle’, I took that first step and saw the left side was wide open. There was great blocking on the left so I quickly went left with it,” Jones said. His punt return for a touchdown was the first for Iowa since Kyle Groenenweg returned a punt 61-yards for a touchdown against Illinois back in 2018 in a similarly decisive game.

With the Hawkeyes moving to 1-2, it sets up an interesting showdown on Friday night against Minnesota, who also holds a similar 1-2 record after beating Illinois on Saturday. Iowa has won the last five matchups in the battle for The Floyd of Rosedale, including a 23-19 upset over the eighth-ranked Gophers in 2019, which ended Minnesota’s perfect season.

The post Hawkeyes Vent Frustrations Against Michigan State, 49-7 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa has always hung its hat on attention to detail, and that attention seemed short in Iowa’s 24-20 loss to the Boilermakers, their third loss in four years to Purdue. Iowa fumbled the ball three times and lost two of them. Both lost fumbles happened deep in Purdue territory.

Sophomore running back Tyler Goodson fell victim to one of those fumbles. This fumble was actually self-inflicted, as senior guard Cole Banwart knocked the ball out of Goodson’s hands in an attempt to push him forward.

“Ball security is emphasized in practice daily, we take it day-by-day. But, it’s been awhile since last August, but that’s no excuse for fumbling the ball. We’ll go into next week and keep working on ball security,” said Goodson.

Critical fumbles were signs of impending doom for Iowa last season. Mekhi Sargent fumbled on the opening play of the game against Michigan in 2019 and three fumbles against Penn State also doomed the Hawkeyes in Kinnick.

Penalties were also a critical problem for Iowa, as the Hawkeyes were flagged ten times for 100 yards in penalties. A majority of the penalties were of the personal variety: holdings, personal fouls, etc. Many of these penalties stalled out promising Iowa drives.

“False Starts are only five-yard penalties, but they’re really momentum killers. It just makes it tougher to sustain rhythm offensively and it makes the hill that much taller to climb,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said.

“The ten-yard plus penalties, obviously they affect the game a great deal, including that last one, the hands-to-the-face, that got them 15 yards closer to the goal line. All those little things add up in the course of the game, we typically have done a good job with that, but the lack of live work probably hurt us.”

Iowa did not have a game of 100+ yards of penalties in 2019, the highest yardage being 60 yards in penalties against Michigan…and Purdue.

In the 2019 game against the Boilermakers, freshman receiver and one-time Iowa recruiting target David Bell had a breakout performance against the Hawkeyes. In 2020, Bell followed up with another monster performance against Phil Parker’s defense.

With Purdue’s superstar receiver Rondale Moore out of action on Saturday, Bell finished the game with 13 receptions for 121 yards and all three Purdue touchdowns and was targeted 21 times. The only other Boilermaker receiver targeted double-digit times was Milton Wright with ten targets.

“We weren’t real focused on the defensive side, we needed better communication,” said senior cornerback Matt Hankins on the defenses lack of containment on Bell.

Iowa’s defense also struggled to contain Purdue running back Zander Hovarth, who was filling in for an absent King Doerue. Hovarth wore down the Iowa defense in the second half as the Mike Alstott look-alike rushed for nearly 100 yards in the half, and 136 yards in the game overall.

Offensively, Iowa still moved the football better than most Hawkeye teams have in season-openers in recent memory. The Hawkeyes offense totaled 460 yards of offense, with 195 yards rushing and 265 yards passing.

Tyler Goodson looked quicker, stronger, and more decisive in his first game of his sophomore campaign. Saturday saw Goodson rushing for a team-high 78 yards, averaging just under 5 yards per carry. Senior halfback Mekhi Sargent finished with 71 yards on 11 carries as well. Iowa’s offensive line looked like it was in harmony for most of the game as well.

The rhythm of the Iowa offense was impressive at times, especially when you consider that it was still breaking in new starting quarterback Spencer Petras. After a shaky start, Petras begin throwing the ball with confidence. While he still finished 22-for-39 passing, Petras maintained a command of the Iowa offense that matched his predecessor, Nate Stanley.

“I was definitely nervous to begin the game, but we were able to get in a rhythm, we were able to run the ball effectively, and that makes it easy,” Petras said. “We can get the ball to our playmakers, it makes my job easy. We were getting good protection too, it really helped me settle down.”

For all that went wrong, there as still a lot of good Iowa could take away from their season-opener. However, no college football program praises moral wins, and especially not in a program with such sustained success as Iowa.

Whether it’s a refocusing of goals and of what’s important, or simply following the “one game at a time mindset”, Kirk Ferentz would tell you they’re focused on Northwestern, and that his players have shifted their focus to the Wildcats as well.

The post Uncharacteristic Mistakes Doom Iowa Against the Boilermakers appeared first on KRUI Radio.

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Iowa’s linebacking was already taking a hit in losing a senior leader in Kristian Welch’s graduation but took two more hits prior to their first game. In June, sophomore linebacker Dillon Doyle transferred to Baylor after his father resigned as strength and conditioning coach. In early October, linebacker Djimon Colbert announced he would be opting out of the season due to concerns over COVID-19.

Despite the apparent attrition in terms of experience at linebacker, Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker praised his linebacking core during the coaches media day.

“Defensively, the strength of our team is our linebackers right now, even with the opt out of Dijmon this year, I really believe the linebackers is our strength,” Parker said.

Iowa’s depth chart currently lists Jack Campbell and Nick Niemann at the MIKE and WILL linebacker spots. Senior linebacker Barrington Wade is listed CASH linebacker, a hybrid linebacker/defensive back spot which was occupied by Dane Belton for a majority of 2019.

With Belton currently listed as the Hawkeyes starting strong safety on the depth chart, Parker said that the door could be open for some other notable defensive backs to slide in and play the CASH spot if needed.

“If we are going to go in the direction of having Dane at strong safety, we might pull in a Riley Moss, Matt Hankins can play there as well,” Parker said. “So we have some other guys that have opportunities to go in there if we decided to make the change full-time.”

Jack Campbell now faces the task of taking over for a player who was Iowa’s “glue guy” in the 2019 season. The difference between having Welch in the line-up and having him out of the line-up was very noticeable to those who looked closely at the Hawkeyes defense.

Campbell, a native of Cedar Falls, explained that he learned a lot from the now-departed linebacker.

“Last year, Kristian kind of took me under his wing and helped me get to the mental side of things, he was always watching film with me, talking to me about he sees things, and making different checks. That was very beneficial to me,” Campbell said.

Nick Niemann is now not only one of the senior leaders in the linebacker room, but is also replacing Djimon Colbert at WILL linebacker with Colbert’s opt-out. Niemann says that while he’d take snaps at both MIKE and WILL, he believes he’ll stick at WILL for the time being.

“I’ve been at WILL more recently, so I think everything is going well there. Obviously it’s not my first time being in there, so I was already fairly comfortable in there,” Niemann says. “It wasn’t a huge adjustment for me, but it’s been nice being there everyday in practice for some consistency.”

Niemann, who had 32 tackles and a pick six in Iowa’s Holiday Bowl win over USC, also spoke highly of redshirt freshman linebacker Jestin Jacobs. Jacobs, who has gained some notoriety for his improvements throughout the abbreviated fall training camp, is currently listed as the backup WILL linebacker.

“He’s a really talented guy, not your average Joe when it comes to physique,” Niemann said. “I think he’s doing well, he’s coming along. Just like Jack (Campbell) he’s more comfortable in the defense, he’s able to make more plays now being able to play with confidence.”

The post Iowa Football Media Days: Depleted Linebackers Look to Lead in 2020 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

McCaffery answered many of those questions, leading off with what Iowa’s schedule would look like for the 2020-21 college basketball season.

“We’re gonna play 27 games, which means we’ll have our own MTE ..[Multi-Team Event].. if we didn’t we’d only be able to play 25. I feel pretty good about the [Big Ten/ACC] Challenge, I feel pretty good about Iowa State,” McCaffery said.

The news of an Iowa-Iowa State matchup on the basketball court should quench some of the thirst from the absent fall gridiron. Iowa is also looking at a top-tier matchup in this season’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge as well.

McCaffery pushed back on the notion of Big Ten teams playing in a bubble this winter, as he states there is only one true bubble in the sports world at the moment.

“The only bubble is what the NBA is doing, and they spent 170 million dollars, no one else is doing it. There is no such thing as a bubble. All it means is you’re going to one location, you sequester in a hotel and the clean the arena extra well,” McCaffery said.

The ability to test and test well for COVID-19 is what McCaffery believes is most important for college basketball, as is currently being shown.

Talk then turned to the squad McCaffery is putting on the court in 2020-21. It is a team with a great chance to win not only a Big Ten Championship, but contend for a national championship as well. Injuries ravaged Iowa’s roster in the 2019-20 season, but McCaffery did offer positive news on players who are looking to be healthy.

“CJ [Fredrick] looks really good, as we thought he would, so does Jack [Nunge], but Jack has not been fully cleared yet for full activity. He does a lot of what we do, but I’m excited for those guys,” McCaffery said.

Fredrick battled various ailments to both of his legs last season and Jack Nunge was lost early in the non-conference schedule to a torn ACL. Their return gives Iowa two starters and greater depth for the 2020-21 season.

McCaffery talked at length about Iowa’s freshman class, a class that includes Ahron Ulis, Tony Perkins, Josh Ogundele as well as twins Keegan and Kris Murray. It was emphasized that McCaffery felt comfortable playing all five of his freshman this season.

The last question was saved about Iowa’s star player and reigning Big Ten and National Player of the Year: Luka Garza. McCaffery praised his superstar’s efforts during the offseason, especially with all of the COVID restrictions in place.

“I think you’ll see him be even more versatile, because he’s a guy that keeps working on his game,” McCaffery said. “His game keeps evolving, shooting more threes, putting the ball on the deck more. Luka Garza’s really put the time in. He hasn’t rested on his accomplishments, he’s hungrier than ever.”

The post McCaffery talks schedule, COVID, and expectations appeared first on KRUI Radio.

From 2001 to 2016, Iowa’s rushing attack averaged below four yards per carry five times: 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. The 2004 season was due to a bevy of injuries to Iowa’s running backs and 2009 showcased two freshman backs. The Hawkeyes combined record in 2007, 2011 and 2012 is 17-20.

Since the 2017 season, Iowa has failed to average above four yards per carry in the last three seasons. Iowa’s record hasn’t suffered however, as Iowa is 27-12 in that stretch. The Hawkeyes have adapted to be successful without a particularly strong running game, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t a vital part to the team’s identity.

Last season saw a number of different offensive line combinations up front due to injuries, poor performances, and bad combinations. Those returning from last year’s squad are not focused on the ups and downs of 2019.

Football, especially at a high level like the Big Ten, is a brutal game. The physical demands placed on players—particularly linemen grinding in the trenches—can lead to long-term wear and tear that goes far beyond the end zone.

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“I don’t like to compare from years before, every year is unique. Especially this year with everything going on,” sophomore center Tyler Linderbaum said. “I wouldn’t compare it to any other year, to where we are closer or not, but I know it’s a good group of guys, the unique thing about us is we keep pushing each other.”

Linderbaum was the constant force in the interior of the offensive line in 2019, starting all 13 games at center, which was crucial in a year where Iowa’s guard situation was like a merry-go-round. The Solon-native is a hot pick to be a breakout star in the Big Ten this season.

Senior guard Cole Banwart, who is coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2019, gave praise about the unity of the offensive line room heading into the 2020 regular season.

“I think we’re the closest we’ve ever been in the five years I’ve been here. Everyone is working hard every day, trying to be better as a person and a football player,” said Banwart. “Every guy is out there working hard and really pushing to be their best, just in case anyone is going to be out.”

Banwart’s comment stuck out to many as he was on the Iowa roster in 2016. This was the year the Hawkeyes offensive line won the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line unit in the country. Competition at right guard will be between Banwart and Bettendorf-native Mark Kallenberger.

The member of Iowa’s offensive line headed into the 2020 season will be senior left tackle Alaric Jackson, who decided to forgo the NFL Draft and return for his senior year. Jackson, who also debated opting out when the season was punted by the conference, spoke of his decision-making process.

“I was looking forward to the season, for the most part. Instead of opting-out, I was just waiting to see what happens from a football standpoint,” said Jackson. “That was a big-deciding factor.”

Jackson, who switched to a vegan-based diet in the offseason, says he’s still weighing in at 320 lbs he is listed at and says he has noticed a difference with his body since switching to the diet.

“It’s a cleaner lifestyle, for the most part. Talking to the coaching staff, they thought I could lose some pounds in body fat,” Jackson said. “It’s made a lot of difference for me, so it’s been pretty good for the most part.”

Whoever gets the starting nod on the offensive line in 2020 will have the pleasure of blocking for one of the more promising young running backs in the Big Ten, Tyler Goodson. Goodson talked of his growing relationship with his blockers upfront.

“I worked last season to gain trust in the coaches and gain trust in the offensive line, so our relationship has definitely grown,” said the sophomore running back. “I’ve also became closer with each and every person up front blocking for me, I think it’s important to have a relationship in order for me to be successful.”

Goodson, who took over the starting role at running back last season in the Minnesota game in mid-November, also gave a strong statement about how he feels on this Iowa team. To ensure a top-notch environment for the team, it might be beneficial to hire contractors from https://runningtrackresurfacing.uk/ for any necessary running track maintenance and improvements.

“Honestly, I believe I can see this team going on to win the Big Ten Championship,” Goodson stated. “If it happens to go further, we’ll go further.”

The post Iowa Football Media Days: Offensive Line Looks for More Consistency in Run Game appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A majority of these stories spotlighted former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle as the perpetrator but the Ferentz assistant of 20 years was not the only one indicted.

Names that were also brought to light included offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and linebackers coach Seth Wallace. While they were not mentioned in nearly the volume Doyle was, their appearances were cause for alarm in the Iowa program.

Four months have passed since the summer turmoil surrounding Iowa football began. Ferentz and Wallace were heard for the first time since the allegations were publicly made against them this past Thursday.

“Starting in June, a lot of former players began sharing their experiences within the program and their thoughts on our program. It was surprising, difficult, and at times very painful to hear those things,” Ferentz said.

“For any player that had a negative experience in our program, who didn’t feel valued or respected on a human level, I am deeply sorry, and I offer a sincere apology. My personal goal as a coach, is to have a positive impact on young people, and it’s painful to learn that I may have fallen short in that department. But I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow, and to improve.”

Ferentz, who joined his father’s staff at Iowa prior to the 2012 season as an offensive line coach, has been the Hawkeyes offensive coordinator since the 2017 season. He was named in some of the allegations made by players including James Daniels, Marcel Joly, and most notably Akrum Wadley.

“I love this program, I was born across the street, and for every one of my 37 years, Iowa football has been apart of my life, and it’s important to me,” Ferentz said. “But I feel that I have an added responsibility because my father is the head coach. I must be the very best coach and person I can be at all times, and I have been, I continue to be and will always be a work in progress.”

Seth Wallace’s case, the Hawkeyes linebacker coach since 2016, tied back to his conduct toward former Iowa player Jack Kallenberger. Kallenberger is the older brother of current Iowa offensive lineman Mark Kallenberger. Jack Kallenberger alleged that Wallace had coined the nickname “Simple Jack” for himself because of Kallenberger’s learning disability.

“What I read in the wake of everything that happened, it was eye-opening to see the sadness, to see the frustration, it was a good opportunity to grow,” Wallace said. “In this case, Jack and I have spoken, we had a very lengthy conversation with the both of us providing perspective on both ends and it was extremely positive.”

Wallace also noted he had spoken to Kallenberger’s father as well.

Members of the Iowa offense came to defend their offensive coordinator during their media day sessions with testimonies from sophomore receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr., and senior running back Mekhi Sargent.

“I respect Brian in every single way, he hasn’t done anything to me, he hasn’t said anything bad to me. The remarks that were said about him were very shocking,” Tracy said. “I went in to talk to him, we’re all on board and looking ahead.”

Mekhi Sargent went a step further, not only speaking about his experiences with Brian Ferentz, but speaking about his experiences with Chris Doyle, who resigned from Iowa on June 15th.

“Coach Brian is a great man, a great coach, I never had a problem with Coach Brian and I never had a problem with Coach Doyle,” Sargent said. “I can’t speak for the people who did have those problems, but for me personally, I’m from a diverse location, Key West, Florida. So I never had issues with the racial disparities.”

In response to the call for racial equality in the Iowa football program, the UI Athletic Department created the department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The department is lead by the former director of player development and Iowa defensive end, Broderick Binns.

The post Iowa Football Media Days: Revisiting the Summer Fiasco appeared first on KRUI Radio.

August 11th, the date everyone knows, was the day the Big Ten announced it was postponing all fall sports, including football. The decision was made by an 11 to 3 vote. The three who voted against the cancellation were Nebraska chancellor Ronnie D. Green, Ohio State president Kristina Johnson, and Iowa president Bruce Harreld.

“The ruling on the field is an incomplete pass.”

The criticism came from far and wide, and rightfully so. Many of the Power 5 and Group of 5 conferences had privately adopted a “wait-and-see” approach to the season, rather than flat out punting it like the Big Ten and eventually the Pac-12.

Fans, coaches, athletes, and athletes’ parents all challenged the conference, pushing commissioner Kevin Warren to find a way to play college football in the fall of 2020. Parents of football players went so far as to protest on the grounds of the Big Ten office in Rosemont, Illinois. A group of Nebraska football players also filed a lawsuit against the conference.

“The ruling on the field is under further review.”

Starting less than a week after the Big Ten, the now-infamous Sir Yacht began his series of tweets that lasted all the way until the conference’s decision on Wednesday. Many of the tweets were incorrect and some stirred more conversation than others. However, by the time the start of September rolled around the whispers had grown louder.

At this point, if it were a replay review, many would not be convinced the call was going to be overturned. There wasn’t enough evidence. As a matter of fact, there was much chatter about evidence that turned out to be completely false.

A Penn State doctor erroneously reported that studies of the university’s athletes showed that 30-35% of the student-athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 had contracted myocarditis, a minor heart condition linked to all viral infections. The national media took the ball and ran with it like a defensive end picking up an errant sideways pass.

That was until officials blew the whistle and called the play dead. Multiple Big Ten universities refuted the claim made by Penn State doctor Wayne Sebastianelli. Sebastianelli later walked back his claim and Penn State stated that he was citing “outdated information.”

Rumors were heating up that the Big Ten was close to deciding on an October 10th return date. Many felt it was a little too coincidental that the story broke as the rumors were beginning to heat up, as reputable reporters had begun to give merit to them.

*Camera shows the angle that starts to convince people it was a catch*

What began to turn people’s heads was the conversation that Kevin Warren had with President Trump regarding the use of saliva-based COVID tests that could give 97.1% accurate readings in a 15-minute span. All signs pointed that the meeting had gone well and that a fall Big Ten slate was foreseeable.

In the end, the Big Ten did not end up using the federal tests offered by the President, as the conference wanted to keep those tests available to the general public. Instead, the conference plans on using antigen-based tests that not only give lightning-fast results but can also trace the virus before the person can become contagious.

This debate is what began to shift the Big Ten’s thinking. Along with the avalanche of data that showed that the risk to student-athletes from myocarditis was not nearly as great as initially thought, which had been a driving force in the Big Ten’s initial decision to cancel.

The conference had no other choice but to reconsider, and from the sound of it, everyone was on board.

“After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field is reversed, the receiver did maintain possession, First Down, Big Ten.”

Many were relieved, many were condescending, a few were vehemently opposed, but in the end, nearly everyone is excited that Big Ten football is back. It has also appeared to have triggered a domino effect in college athletics.

Boise State head coach Brian Harsin released a statement on Wednesday stating that his players and coaches want to play, and the Mountain West appeared to hear their message, loud and clear.

Then, as of Wednesday night, it appears the USC and UCLA are spearheading a movement to put the Pac-12 in action by the end of October. The Pac-12 has always been the tougher sell in reversing their decision as the state governments of California and Oregon have had some of the toughest COVID restrictions in nation.

The Big Ten’s reversal was a giant replay review for college athletics. Those who wanted football and went ahead on football knew they were doing the right thing. Those who didn’t want football because of the pandemic disagreed and some threw temper-tantrums that would make toddlers blush.

In the end, it was right for the Big Ten to restart fall football. The fans needed it, communities need it, universities need it, and most importantly, the student-athletes need it.

And they got it.

The post Douglas: Big Ten’s Change of Course was a Replay Review for College Athletics appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Lute Olson grew up in the rural countryside of North Dakota where he became a star high school guard in basketball and eventually would play out his college days at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. Following his playing days, Olson spent over a decade in the high school coaching scene in Minnesota and Southern California.

Olson broke into the college ranks in 1969 when he was named head coach of Long Beach City College. At 35 years old and 5 children with his wife, Bobbi, Olson felt it was the right time to make the jump from high school to college coaching.

His success at the JUCO level prompted neighboring Long Beach State at the Division I level to offer Olson the great Jerry Tarkinian’s former position (who had recently left to become head coach of the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV). His one season as coach of the Beach brought a 24-2 record, but no postseason due to NCAA violations from the Tarkinian-era.

In the spring of 1974, Olson shocked many in the college basketball world by bucking Long Beach State for an Iowa program that had fallen on hard times just five years after winning a Big Ten championship under Ralph Miller.

“People didn’t go from Long Beach to Iowa, they went from Iowa to Long Beach,” Olson told the Iowa City Press-Citizen in 2015. “I thought, ‘well I’m just going to break that trend.’ I saw an opportunity.”

By his second season at the helm in Iowa City, he gave the Hawkeyes a winning record. Three years later, he brought Iowa a share of the Big Ten Championship with Gene Keady’s Purdue Boilermakers, and Magic Johnson’s eventual national champion Michigan State Spartans.

It was the following season, however, that is still talked about today by the Iowa faithful.

The winter of 1980 saw Iowa have an up-and-down Big Ten season with star point guard Ronnie Lester dealing with a recurring knee injury. By the time the NCAA Tournament rolled around, Lester was fully-healthy and ready to carry the load.

Iowa’s run to the 1980 Final Four saw them knock off Norm Sloan’s NC State Wolfpack, Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orange, and John Thompson’s Georgetown Hoyas in the Elite Eight. Everything seemed set up for Iowa to go on and win the 1979-80 NCAA Championship.

But in a horrible twist of luck and fate, Ronnie Lester re-injured his knee in the semifinal game against Denny Crum’s Louisville Cardinals and Iowa would go on to lose that game, as well as the consolation game with the Purdue Boilermakers.

That season is what helped Lute create a “monster” according to his late wife of 47 years, Bobbi, who died of ovarian cancer in 2001.

Expectations for Iowa basketball grew by leaps and bounds by each passing season, eventually wearing thin on Olson himself. His final campaign in 1983 saw the opening of the new Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the Hawkeyes return to the Sweet Sixteen, only to fall short to Rollie Massimino’s Villanova Wildcats by a single point.

Soon thereafter Olson accepted the head coaching job for the Arizona Wildcats, a perennial Pac-10 doormat at the time of his arrival.

It wouldn’t take long for Olson to find success in the desert. By year two, he had the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament. The following year, they were Pac-10 Champions. Olson would also mold dozens of future NBA stars, such as Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Mike Bibby, Jason Terry, Sean Elliot, Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Andre Iguodala, and Channing Frye.

After winning 15 combined Pac-10 regular season and conference titles, as well as the 1997 national championship, Olson retired as head coach at Arizona on October 23, 2008 due to health issues.

In his retirement, Olson made numerous trips back to Iowa City in support of Fran McCaffery and the Iowa men’s basketball program. Many times his trips were in support of former player Kenny Arnold, a member of the 1980 Final Four team who had been fighting brain cancer since 1985 until his death in 2019.

From someone who never saw a minute of Iowa basketball under Olson, I believe he was the man who brought Iowa into the modern age of college basketball.

His 1980 Final Four team still has an impact on the program and the state to this day. 40 years later, those who watched Ronnie Lester, Kenny Arnold, Bobby Hansen, Steve Waite, Steve Krafcisin and the others, still talk about them like they are superheroes.

If it weren’t for Lute Olson, the state might not have these superheroes to talk about, and Iowa basketball wouldn’t look nearly the same without his legacy.

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