Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - The Kirk Ferentz Press Conference Disaster

Episode Date: February 2, 2023

Trent Condon is back to talk about the Kirk Ferentz press conference. No changes are expected in the Iowa football coaching staff and Trent doesn't handle the news well.Plus the Iowa Athletic program gives it back to the Illinois student section the Orange Krush as they prepared to make their way to Iowa City.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Kirk Ferentz press conference. What a crap show that was. Our Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey, welcome in. This is Trent Condon, and welcome to the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day. We're available wherever you get podcasting. You can also find us on YouTube.

Hit that subscribe button as we work to get that number up. Helps us get in front of more Hawkeye fans and lets you know each and every time we have a live show for you. Glad to have you aboard with us here today. We got Kirk Ferentz press conference from yesterday. One that left me viscerally upset listening through and watching that one and just what turned out to be a lot of head scratching moments from that. Not only that, we got a little duel. Well, a big basketball game on Saturday

between the Hawkeyes as they welcome in Illinois. The Orange Crush though, the student section, they're not welcomed in. We got some details on that one as well. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of Lockdown. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash Lockdown today to get started. Well, let's get started here today with what we heard and saw yesterday in the press conference. So this is a scheduled press conference that happens every single year. Signing day comes and goes.

Now, signing day, of course, is a lot different these days than what we've seen in the past. Signing day, when there was only one signing day, we didn't have the December one. February, it was a big time. It was something huge on the national calendar. It was something to get excited about. Not the case anymore. It's just not at the same level that it once was. So open things up. Kirk gave a statement, brought Tyler Barnes up there. Tyler talked about, as the recruiting coordinator, the class, the questions. But then we got back into the nuts and bolts, and Kirk went up there, and he talked about the team. Now, what we care about is obviously offensively. This program has gone from, over his 24 years, good defense to an elite level defense.

They've had years where the defense wasn't as good. They've had years where it's been great. But it has gone the last couple of years to an elite level. Special teams have been outstanding. LeVar Woods has done an incredible job. And the question remains about this offense. Look, we understand complementary football. I think anybody in this fan base understands what Kirk is trying to say

when he talks about complimentary football and everything working together. Look, if you're going to play at a fast pace, it's going to put pressure on your defense, those kinds of things. We don't get that. But what they have done, not just during the time of Brian Ferencz, but overall, yes, complimentary football football makes sense but it has absolutely cratered and the thing that was the most frustrating yesterday from kirk is he wasn't telling the complete truth he was using half truth he was he was talking in ways to try to make that

this program is at a level that it just isn't yes Yes, two years ago, they won the Big Ten West. It's the worst division in college football. It's not close, and it's going away. We're not going to see the Big Ten West as we currently know it after next season. After 2023, there is no more having to beat Minnesota and Nebraska and Purdue and Illinois and Northwestern Wisconsin. That's not what it's going to be going forward. It's going to be different, and Purdue, and Illinois, and Northwestern Wisconsin. That's not what it's going to be going forward. It's going to be different. And if they completely do away with divisions, you're going to have to finish in the top two now of a 14-team conference just to get to the Big Ten championship game.

It's changing. It's evolving. It's being different. And yet, we continue to hear the same tired trope. You throw out the stat. When Iowa scores 24 points, they're 55-3. Actually correct. But it doesn't tell the whole truth. During that time period, almost 40% of the time, they have failed to score 24 points.

Yes, when they get to that number, they're really good. They're really good because the defense is elite. The special teams are outstanding. The other thing is there was a lot of talk yesterday for both Kirk Ferentz and Gary Barta about points per game. Points, right? Points. That's what you're trying to score. I get it. Absolutely. But when you dive deeper into the numbers, you also realize when you get into those numbers, you see that complementary football works out well and the offensive numbers are helped by great field position because of that great defense, defensive scores.

Iowa, one of the leaders year after year after year in defensive touchdowns, special teams, the way that they score on that level, those things all work together to push up the points per game. He didn't talk about offensive points per game. You know why? Because it's garbage. It's bad. Any way you slice it, it has been bad. And it's gone from bad to even worse. Under Brian Ferenc, bad. Worse than it's ever been before.

I hear this all the time. People continue to say, well, it doesn't matter who the offensive coordinator is. That's garbage. Ken O'Keefe, a lot better than Brian Ferenc. Greg Davis, who sucked. He was better than Brian. Brian is a terrible offensive coordinator. There is no way, no way you can spin the numbers and come up with anything other than he is bad at his job. Is he a good line coach? Is he a good tight ends coach? I don't know. What I do know is that

any metric that you measure offensively, he is bad at his job. And yet they're going to run it back again. Last year, the conversation was, we're going to double down on ourselves. That's what Kirk said a year ago. We're doubling down on ourselves and it didn't work. He finished 130th out of 131 teams in the country in total offense. You went eight and five with a team that should have been a whole lot better than that. You gave away games against Illinois, against Iowa State, that they should have no business losing those football games with the defense, the way that they played in those games, but they did because you were incompetent. You were a play away from losing to South Dakota State in the first game of the year.

You are closer to cratering to going to 4-8 than you are competing at the highest level because that's the other part. We have seen this team at the highest levels and they can't compete in today's environment. And throwing out old numbers and talking about, we've had success in the past. Yes, you have.

And talking about the numbers. The other thing, Gary Barta, he brought up early on in Brian's tenure. Offense was pretty good. We averaged 29 points a game. Again, that goes back to the conversation. You also are not putting in the numbers that the defense, A, set up with short fields, turnovers, and the scores that they scored along with special teams.

You don't make that part of the metric. You know why? Because the numbers are bad, even when when you think here's the numbers the numbers offensive rank 117th in the country and brian's first year 92nd in 2018 99 in 2019 88 the high water mark they finished 88th in the country that's the high watermark in total offense in 2020. 121st last year and this past season, 130th. Those are the numbers. They don't lie.

Talk about win totals. Talk about those things. Here's the other part. We talk about win totals. I completely get what Kirk is saying, but there's a whole lot more to it. We're going to get a whole lot more into it here. We continue the conversation. Blood pressure is rising. We're fired up here.

We continue here on Lockdown Hawkeyes. Today's episode of the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast is brought to you by our friends at FanDuel. This year the only app you need at your Super Bowl party is FanDuel. It's, the only app you need at your Super Bowl party is FanDuel. It's America's number one sports book.

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love that. Join FanDuel today at FanDuel.com slash locked on to claim your no sweat first bet on Super Bowl 57. Again, FanDuel.com slash locked on. Make every moment more with FanDuel, official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Trent Conant back with you on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Again, thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day, your team every day. That's what we do here on the Lockdown Network as we continue the conversation from yesterday. The frustrating parts about this, I respect Kirk Barron. I believe in what he does. I believe that he absolutely deserves

credit for what he has done with this program, but it's not a meritocracy. He's not the king. There needs to be guardrails in place. Well, there's reasons that there are rules. This is a public athletic department, and this is something that you and I and everybody out there, you spend tickets on, buy tickets, and you're buying the gear, and you're supporting the team, and you're giving the money to the program, and you're doing all these things, and maybe you're also helping out with Iowa Swarm. You're doing all the things you're supposed to do as a fan, and yet to continue in this charade that is having your son as the offensive coordinator when he's not good. It's incredibly frustrating. And that's where I continue to go. So the last point,

Kirk's brought up when I would during the last five years, third most wins of the big 10 behind Michigan and Ohio state. Absolutely. You're not competing with them. You're not playing at that level. So, okay. You're the, you're the best of the rest. It's great. And for Iowa's football program, absolutely. That is something to absolutely be excited about. With this program, with the wrong coaching hire, it can go the other way. It can happen quickly. We saw what happened to Iowa basketball. Make a mistake in Steve Alford and then a worse mistake in Todd Licklider. Things can get bad in a hurry. I completely get that that and that's one of the reasons I certainly respect Kirk Ferentz and what he has done and what he has built but when you put it this way this is what I

always come back to he talked about after the Illinois game and he goes to David Eichold who asked a very pointed question a good question in the press conference after the Illinois loss Colt, who asked a very pointed question, a good question, in the press conference after the Illinois loss. He asked something, and Kirk, very flippantly, very arrogantly, which the arrogance is coming out a lot more as his years go on, says, well, we won 10 games. I don't know if you knew that, to paraphrase. I mean, it's just, he wasn't being a nice guy in that moment wasn't being respectful and he likes to talk about respect he wasn't respectful in that moment and he did he won 10 games in 2021 it's true true statement he also got blown out by michigan in the big 10 championship game there were games that you couldn't compete because your offense is incompetent and that's what we come back to. What more could this be?

If you just put somebody in charge, that was good. You don't have to completely change what you are. Schematically, you can be a power run-based team. You can do a lot of the things that Kirk Ferentz believes, how football games are won. You can do those things, but do them with somebody that knows what they're doing. There's no a driver reason for what Iowa does offensively. They do not marry what they do in the running game and the passing game, the passing treats and the routes that they run. But people know football a lot better than I do will tell you it's bad. There's no way to slice it. It is a bad offensive system.

The other part, and yeah, you went 10-4 two years ago. Good offense, 11-2. How about this past season? You go 8-5. You had a good offense. What were they? At minimum, they win 10 games. They beat Iowa State and Illinois with just an average offense. Or even a below average

offense. Because this wasn't even below average. This was awful. 130th in the country. This was awful. Kirk in the country this was awful kirk continues to double down and double down about his team and about what they are and the questions were very good from the beat writers they asked 40 questions very direct a question i believe were from sc Dockerman of The Athletic. What does Brian do well when it comes to breaking down a game and calling plays? Pointed.

This is what we want. A direct question about your son, baby Huey, Brian Ferencz. And what does Kirk do? He deflects. Well, when you deflect questions, it means that you don't have a good response. Because you know what? Kirk Ferens, the head of this program, he cannot give a truthful answer

of what Brian does well. Why? Because he doesn't do well as it pertains to breaking down a game and calling plays. He's not good at that. It's a huge part of the job and he's not good at it.

And Kirk couldn't answer. This is what Kirk said. Well, I'll lump him and fill together. BS. That is garbage. You don't lump them together. It is a pointed question. Answer the question, Kirk.

Yet he won't. This is how it opens. Coaching staff update. As I stand here today, I anticipate no changes in our staff moving forward. That's my plan, sir. You have a month to evaluate. And your evaluation comes back, nope, we're going to try it again. We're going to get better players.

We're going to make excuses about a banged-up offensive line, though that is your background. That is your son's background. You have an offensive line coach that you believe is doing a good job, and you walk away and say, nope, not us. It's not us. It's them. It's them. It's the players. We had injuries on the offensive line. We had to play guys before they were ready. Excuse after excuse after excuse. This was a staff that came together last year when they were doubling down on themselves. And they thought Spencer Petras is the guy. Look, that's bad evaluation. There is no way to slice it other

than that. You're bad at evaluating quarterback talent if you believe, after seeing two years of Spencer Petras, that he was going to be the guy. He didn't. That's on you. You put together an offensive system that Charlie Jones said, you know what? I don't have a chance at the league playing in this system. I'm going to Purdue. That's on you. You have an offensive line. Were there injuries? Absolutely. But you also evaluated. And did you go to the transfer portal? Did you work to get guys in there to help out a young offensive line last year after losing Tyler Linderbaum? No. Double down. That's on you. Enough with the excuses. And that's what these are. These are excuses.

Time in and time out. Why your son is bad at his job. Enough. Stop peeing on our heads and tell us it's raining. And this is what Kirk continues to do. Frustrating. Incredibly frustrating of what this continues. Statistically, it's all about winning and losing.

That's right. We lost five games last year. We lost four games the year before. Those are the numbers. Yes, you can compete in the Big Ten West. Is that enough? Just get an average offense. Maybe Cade McNamara and the additions on the offensive line, Seth Anderson at wide receiver, and Eric Hall at tight end.

Maybe this is going to be enough to make them competent. They're never going to be great, and I'm fine with that. With that defense, you don't have to be. Play complimentary football, but stop being untruthful about how we got here. Year number seven of Brian Ferentz. If I put the over-under at 100 in total offense in the country right now, what are you taking?

Over-under, 100. Got a real high bar. 131 teams. I think they'll be a tick better than that, but history shows us that's not exactly the case. Back in 2006, after Iowa had the great run, 2002 through 2004, of course top 10 teams in the country

each and every year at the end of the season. 2005, huge expectations coming into the year, preseason top 10, and they didn't deliver. Took a step back. Then 2006, it went down another level. And during that time, Kirk Ferentz talking about his players,

talked about fat cats, that they were fat cats, that there was a sense of entitlement inside the Iowa program. Well, as we sit here today on Groundhog Day, running it back once again, there's a sense of entitlement, but not with the players, With the coaches. With Kirk. With Brian. That's where it is. The sense of entitlement. We talk about entitlement. Coach's kid. Absolutely. That's where the entitlement is. Batcats are back in Iowa football. Unfortunately, with two coaches. We continue here on Locked On, Hawkeyes, in a moment.

When we come back, there is more hysteria brewing in Hawkeye athletics. This time, it pertains to basketball. That's as we continue on Locked On, Hawkeyes. Trent Conant back with you one final time on Locked On, Hawkeyes. Thanks for making Locked On, Hawkeyes. Thanks for making lockdown Hawkeyes. Your first listen each and every day. Lockdown is heading to the senior bowl. They're right now.

Get inside analysis from the host that covered the NFL's next generation in college and find out which NFL draft boards. These players will be climbing all one location. Subscribe to lockdown NFL draft for nightly shows from the senior bowl happening again here this evening at 8 o'clock Central Time. That's Locked On NFL Draft. As we put a cap on things here, basketball. Huge one for Iowa women tonight.

Be back with you tomorrow with an instant reaction. Podcast of that one against the Terrapins. Top 10 matchup. Just been crazy this week watching what we have seen with ESPN every time flip on SportsCenter, watching a game, watching the Iowa State game the other night

up a little corner. Do-do-do-do. And you see a little chyron that comes up with the Iowa-Maryland women's game. The way that they're pushing this game. And there is one team in the Big Ten

that Kaitlyn Clark has not beat as an Iowa Hawkeye. Those Maryland fans. Get it tonight beat as an Iowa Hawkeye. Those Maryland Chargers. Get it tonight, ladies. Iowa men against Illinois. Great rivalry game. We have seen this rivalry ratchet back up. For you old-timers like myself, you remember the Deion Thomas saga.

You remember some of those great games of the 80s and into the early 90s. You had Lou Du Henderson over on the sideline. You had the flying Illini with Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill in that group. And just how much fun those games were. The huge comeback win for Iowa when they were ranked number one in the country in the 86-87 season.

Just great games. The unfortunate one, Eddie Kaufman hitting a shot to beat the Hawkeyes at the buzzer. Just on and on and on. So many fun games. Great rivalry for people in the Quad Cities. I know what a big, big matchup this is for the people over there. Hawkeyes at the buzzer, just on and on and on. So many fun games. Great rivalry for people in the Quad Cities. I know what a big, big matchup this is for the people over there.

Now, the Orange Crush, that is a student section over there. It's also a nonprofit entity. They make a road trip every single year. This year, it is going to be to Iowa City or was going to be to Iowa City. Here's the problem. To get their tickets and to get a group rate, they said that they were part of the Illinois Boys and Girls Club. Not true. And Iowa found out. And Iowa voided their tickets. Now, this has created a lot of hysteria, a lot of people that are fired up about it. People are mad online on both sides of the equation. Hey, this is a rivalry.

It's kind of fun right illinois the orange crush they get a kick out of going in i remember when in the alford regime they made their way there had a huge section up at the top of the arena they all came in wearing jackets and then they right as the game was getting ready to tip off they rip off their jackets and they're all wearing their ugly orange shirts And then after the game, Steve Alford was asked about it. And his wife, Tanya, from the back of the room, hollered out that it was embarrassing. That's a different conversation for another day.

Well, we've already had our diatribe for today. We'll save that for another day. And they're not getting in. Good for them. And the University of Iowa caught them. And they were lying. And your tickets are voided. They'll be fine.

They're going to be all right. For college kids, this is the worst thing that happens to these young people. You're in for a really good life. They're going to be okay. We'll break down the game a little bit tomorrow. Difficult matchup for the Hawkeyes. This Illinois team has played a lot better since they got rid of Sky Cark. They have taken it to another level.

Most people believe they are the second best team in the Big Ten right now behind Purdue. We'll break that one down. Instant reaction to Iowa-Maryland on the women's side coming in your feed tomorrow morning. We will also get you ready for that Iowa-Illinois game. Should be a fun one. I'm getting ready to depart

heading over to the Iowa City area. Going to Coralville. That's why I'm dressed up here today. Yeah. I'm getting ready to depart heading over to the Iowa City area. Going to Cornville. That's why I'm dressed up here today. Yeah, I'm going to call a little. Girls State Wrestling here at the high school level. So I'll be over there. Hey, if you're in attendance, stop by say hello. I'll be calling some matches there Matt's side at two at night.

We'll be back with you. Also get ready for Iowa Minnesota on the wrestling mat. A lot going on. A busy time and I'm sure I'll have a few more things to say about Iowa football. Thanks for joining us here on Locked On Hawkeyes and making Locked On Hawkeyes your first listen today. For your second listen, check out our brand-new podcast. It's Locked On College Basketball with our experts,

Isaac Schottie and Annie Patton. They're bringing you everything you need to know in college hoops. Hear from the big-name players, coaches, all throughout college basketball, and the big landscape. It's Locked On College Basketball, available on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts. We'll talk to you again tomorrow. Let's get it done.

Go Hawks!