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11/22/2011: Kirk Ferentz teleconference transcript (premium)

Posted on 22. Nov, 2011 by in Iowa Football

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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:

“Just to follow up on what you just said [about the Heroes Game], we’re proud and honored to be associated with such a great concept. I think the thought behind the trophy is really, I think, extraordinary, and we appreciate Hy-Vee being involved in that, so that’s a great thing obviously. On our front, we’re real happy to get a win Saturday, whether it be on the road or at home. But being on the road made it that much tougher. I thought both teams competed hard. I’m just happy to get the victory, and now we’re right back to it. We face a real challenge traveling over to Nebraska and playing a very, very good Nebraska team. So we’re back at it and trying to get ready for a tough game.”

On his reaction to not seeing Marvin McNutt on the list for the Biletnikoff Award:

“Well, first of all, I didn’t know it came out. Secondly, I didn’t know he wasn’t on it. So I’ve got to be honest, I don’t pay real close attention to those lists. I don’t really know. I know the guy at Oklahoma State is having a heck of a year, but I haven’t really paid too much attention nationally to what’s going on. But I can just tell you Marvin’s playing really well for us. I think he’s a great story in that he has pretty much set just about every record you can set around here. As I said last week, three of the players that he moved beyond — Tim Dwight, Danan Hughes and Ronnie Harmon — all went on and had great careers in the NFL. I think the interesting part is if you look at the per-catch, Marvin’s a full yard ahead of anyone in that group, and those are three outstanding players. So I can only speak to the players who have played at this school. You know, he certainly has done a great job of distinguishing himself. I think the biggest compliment I can pay Marvin is that he’s improving with every week. He just continues to work hard and has done a lot of great things for us. He certainly gives us a lot of energy out there on the field.”

On how much interests NFL scouts have shown in McNutt:

“Well, I think they’re looking at a lot of our seniors. I think the thing I would just say is I don’t know where he ranks on the boards or anything like that, but I know he has probably helped his cause, which is the whole idea about playing well throughout your career. Hopefully you improve with each week, and I know that’s something NFL people like to see, and Marvin has done that.”

On Mike Daniels’ performance at Purdue last weekend:

“Yeah, Mike has been nicked up a lot this year, unfortunately, and I think that has affected his performance. But he had a great week of practice last week. It’s probably the first week in quite some time where he really felt 100 percent from start to finish, and it showed up on the field. He played with a lot of energy. He has really been working hard, and he’s a really good football player. That was a big part of us playing well Saturday was some of the energy that he has and our other veteran linemen. Broderick Binns did a great job, too. So having those two guys leading the way up front really helped us.”

On Marcus Coker and how he continues to grow:

“Yeah, I think that’s a key point. He is a young guy. I think he started 4-5 games for us last year and had a slow start this year. We just talked about Mike Daniels. Marcus caught some injuries, too, during camp, and I think finally has become pretty healthy. He has just done a great job. He’s a consistent guy, a really hard-working guy, and again, a player that’s really respected by everybody on our team and the coaching staff just because of his work ethic and his production out there on the field.”

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