11/15/2011: Kirk Ferentz teleconference transcript (premium)
Posted on 15. Nov, 2011 by admin in Iowa Football
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
Below is a written transcript of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s teleconference on Tuesday with the Big Ten media:
Ferentz’s opening statement:
“We had a tough loss here on Saturday. Michigan State played very well. They’re an excellent team and really played well against us, so they certainly deserved the win. You know, we’ll go back to work today. We have another real challenge having to travel over to Purdue, who is coming off a big win. From our vantage point, it looks like they’re improving with each week every time out on the field, so it’s going to be a real tough challenge for us.”
On what he sees from Purdue that makes it a challenging opponent:
“A couple of snapshot moments. We were getting ready for Minnesota a couple of weeks back. That was one of the films that we used as a primary source, and just very impressed with the way they played against Minnesota. The other snapshot I’ve got goes back. We haven’t played Purdue in a couple of years, but going back to the ’09 season and using that film for our Ohio State preparation. They played a great game. That was Coach [Danny] Hope’s first year and it was an indicator of what kind of team they could be the way they were capable of playing.
“I think we’ve seen much of the same here with the last couple of weeks. They’ve got very good skill guys on offense. They’re very aggressive. Their defense, I think, is very aggressive and playing really well, and they’ve got some dangerous players there. That starts up front, certainly. Then special teams-wise, they can hurt you in a lot of ways. Their kickoff return team, certainly, their field goal kicker has got to be one of the best in the country, if not the best. They’ve got a lot of things going for them.”
On what he sees from Purdue’s QBs and whether he expects to see more of Robert Marve after he closed out its win over Ohio State:
“I don’t know. I think my answer to that is they have both depth and production. Their quarterbacks are really playing well. Robert Marve came in and he did a great job in a tough circumstance. It was a high-pressure situation. I know he’s not an inexperienced player, but his experience and leadership really showed through and he did a great job of leading them to the win.”
On the academic accomplishments of players such as Steve Bigach, James Vandenberg and Tyler Nielsen:
“All three of those guys are tremendous young guys. We’ve been very fortunate. Julian Vandervelde, Jeff Tarpinian, some other guys last year. All three are really good players and have played well for us. Steve’s hoping to go to med school down the road. James Vandenberg wants to be a chiropractor or go to medical school, and Tyler has already graduated from our business school. They’ve been great students all the way through. All three of them have great attitudes and do a good job in the classroom.”
On some of the stresses of being a college football coach:
“Yeah, I guess it’s probably like any job. Some days are better than others. I think the one obvious difference between our jobs and many are, you know, what we do, our work if you will, is out there a little bit more to be discussed or critiqued, that type of thing. Times have changed, just like recruiting has changed. There are more critiquers and more watchers than maybe 30 years ago or whatever. Maybe not so much more, but there’s just more ways to communicate. But it’s a great job and sometimes maybe you enjoy that stress, if you want to call it stress, I guess.”
On the role he plays in making sure his assistants stay healthy:
“Again, it’s probably like any job. When you’re trying to accomplish something meaningful, you have to try and stay balanced. It’s easier said than done, particularly in season. But I think at the end of the day, you also have to realize that all you can do is all you can do. So you work at it every day and just try to keep things at a healthy balance.”
On what comes to mind when watching Purdue’s Kawaan Short on film:
“They’ve got a lot of good players up front. Again, we haven’t played them for a couple of years, but I know he played very well last year and they had a good front a year ago as well. He’s just a guy that’s a big, physical guy, that’s obvious. But he also can move well. Very strong, knows how to play good technique. He’s a veteran player that I’m guessing is one of their leaders. Not only up front, but for their entire football team.”
On Marvin McNutt’s performance against Michigan State and this season:
“Well you know, Marvin has done a great job certainly. A couple of weeks ago, he set the touchdown record moving past Danan Hughes and Tim Dwight. Now he goes with the yardage moving past those same two guys and Ronnie Harmon. Ronnie’s one of the guys listed in that deal as well. All three of those guys went on to have great pro careers. It’s a real tribute to Marvin’s work ethic. He moved from quarterback, that’s pretty well-documented, back in 2008.
“I think the most accurate thing and the best thing I can say about Marvin is we’re seeing him improve each and every week. Not that his game’s perfect, and he’s the first one to tell you that, but he’s improving with every outing out there. I think he has improved dramatically this year. As a receiver, he has always been pretty productive, but he’s playing really at a high level and that’s something we’re all really excited about. As you might imagine, it sets a great example for all of the guys on our team.”
On whether he expects Keenan Davis to play this week:
“Yeah. You know, this has been our year for ankles, for whatever reason. What he’s going through is pretty much what the other guys have experienced, James Morris being the most notable, maybe Tom Nardo. When they’re coming off those things, it’s very common for them to re-aggravate it, and the good news is it’s more of a temporary setback than the original injury. Unless you just sit out for eight weeks, that’s just part of the process. It’s not much fun, but he’s doing fine.”
On whether there are any other injuries:
“I think we’re doing O.K. for this time of year. Obviously, Alvis is out. He had surgery. But everybody else has been doing O.K.”
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