Locked On Hawkeyes - Daily Podcast On Iowa Hawkeyes Football & Basketball - What's the upside? Brian Ferentz comments & Ohio State up next

Episode Date: October 17, 2022

After the bye week for the Hawkeyes, Trent Condon is back with the latest edition of the Locked on Hawkeyes Podcast.Trent opens the show with a deeper look at the comments from Brian Ferentz last week and what he could possibly mean by his "what's the upside?" comment. And what could Brian possibly be talking about when looking at backyard football.Also some thoughts on 2014 season and the similarities between the two years and some bad comments from the coaching staff.Wrapping up with a look at Ohio State as Iowa is a greater than 4 touchdown underdog to the Buckeyes.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!SweatBlockIf you or someone you love is experiencing embarrassing sweat or odor try Sweatblock. Save 20% with promo codeLocked On at sweatblock.com. Also available on Amazon.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.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!UpsideDownload the FREE Upside App and use promo code Locked to get $5 or more cash back on your first purchase of $10 or more.Underdog FantasySign up on underdogfantasy.com with the promo code LOCKED ON and get your first deposit doubled up to $100!SimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnCollege to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today's Locked On Hawkeyes podcast, we take a look at the bye week. Iowa was off this weekend. What did we learn? Oh, a whole heck of a lot. Backyard football and a whole lot of other quotes from Brian Ferentz last week. We'll talk about the embattled Hawkeye offensive coordinator. And what's the upside? A famous quote that might be known in a long time in Hawkeye circles.

We'll do that. And of course, get ready for Ohio State. It's Hawkeyes, Buckeyes this week, all coming up on today's Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Our Locked On Hawkeyes, your daily podcast on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. I'm Trent Condon. This is the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. Thanks for making Lockdown Hawkeyes your first listen each and every day.

Available wherever you get podcasts. You can also find us on YouTube. Just search Lockdown Hawkeyes. You can find us there. Thanks to all our viewers on YouTube. And while you're around, if you could hit that subscribe button, we would greatly appreciate it. So the Hawkeyes, of course, on a bye last weekend. That means it is Ohio State coming up this week.

We will talk a lot about the matchup against the Buckeyes, where Iowa are currently more than a four-touchdown underdog against Ohio State. We will get into that, but one final look back at last week, and I want to talk a little bit more about Brian Ferenc. Brian Ferenc, of course, the offensive coordinator, Kirk's son, and in battle. This offense has been absolutely brutal this year. We're halfway through the season, and a lot of disappointment that came out of the press conference. So we touched on this last week, myself and Biz, during our podcast towards the middle of the week after that one came out. Just want to go a little

bit deeper into this and some of the things that came out of there and a lot of the frustrations that continue. So I want to take you back to 2014. That was a season where there was a lot of disappointment for Iowa, a good team, and of course, we know what came out of it, right? After that, 2015, the undefeated regular season, the first run to the Big Ten championship game where Iowa lost that heartbreaker against Michigan State and, of course, went on to the Rose Bowl that season. But during 2014, the ups and downs of that season, and like this one, there were a lot of question marks, certainly about the quarterback position. That was one of the big similarities. The Hawkeyes

finished that year 7-5 in the regular season. They go and take on Tennessee in the Gator Bowl and just get absolutely blitzkrieg in that game against Tennessee. One of the uglier games of the Kirk Ferentz tenure. But throughout the course of that year, a lot of the same things came up. First of all, that was before this season. That was the first time that Iowa lost a game to Iowa State. Iowa had run off, of course, six straight wins in that series and had dominated at different times, but always found a way to get a win. We know this year that was not the case.

10-7, even with short fields, even with two block punts, Iowa could only score one touchdown on the first drive of the game, and that was not enough as they fell 10-7 to Iowa State. They lost that season to ISU. Also, later on that season, the wheels started to come off a little bit. They lost to Maryland. Frustrating game, 38-31. They get blown out at Minnesota, 51-14. That may be something we're going to see similarities to, but the biggest one was at the end of the season is Iowa Falls in overtime to Nebraska speaking Nebraska also the last time that the Cornhuskers beat the Hawkeyes was back in 2014 and after the game Kirk Ferentz the Hawkeye head coach at press conference it was

divisive it was some arrogance that we've talked about in the past that tends to pop up from time to time with Kirk. And we saw the same things there, where during that, Kirk Ferentz, he was left and said, that's football. It's a quote that has lingered around the program now over the last eight seasons. And when something goes bad, people will bring that up again and just say, well, that's football and not in a positive way, in a very flippant way. The frustration that certainly came out of that one, that lingered for a long time.

Now, 2015 obviously cured a lot of those ills, and people certainly changed their perspective on things, but it was ugly. And this Iowa football season is certainly as ugly as we've seen since 2014. Has there been frustration? Absolutely. My most frustrating thing over the last five years, great getting back to Indianapolis that year, winning the division title, but it feels like there could have been more.

And there could have been more if you had a competent offensive coordinator. We've talked about the numbers. They are nothing short of brutal. Brian Ferentz is an offensive coordinator. He's bad. He's bad at his job. And there's no way to slice this at this point.

What's Iowa's identity the last six years? Well, we know what it's supposed to be, right football running the ball those are the things that is supposed to be Iowa football but that's not been the case you know the 2015 team that had that undefeated regular season they won the Joe Moore award that is given out in college football to the best offensive line group in college football is an absolute joke it really was that was well Joe Moore being a mentor of Kirk Ferentz I think that had a lot to do with it. But you couple that with when you look through and you go down what they were as a season. That was not the best offensive line in college football. That was a favor, if you will, maybe being thrown in there. So you got that part

of it. But you go through and you look at this group and you look what Brian has done as a coordinator. And one thing that really does continue to bother me is people say, well, it's just Kirk's offense. Nothing's going to change. I understand there are fundamentals of Kirk Ferentz that is not going to change. He's not going to evolve. He's not going to adapt. We'll talk about that obviously a little bit more as we'll take a look back at the week that was in college football and some of the things. But there's a quote that continues to linger. And I put out a couple of quotes over the last couple of days on Twitter, a couple of tweets. And there has been a couple of things that continue to just linger. What's the upside?

So the question was pondered, and it was brought up a lot, about the quarterback position. was pondered and it was brought up a lot about the quarterback position. And we have seen through six games, Spencer Petras be statistically the worst quarterback in college football this year. After the first two games, after the loss to Iowa State, Kirk mentioned that he wanted to see what this offense looked like when he got a fair shake, right? Didn't have the full complement of the offensive line. That was still coming together. It was very young.

And of course, the wide receiver question that lingered. Okay, well, he's had that. He has had that now is it great no he has not had keegan johnson outside of a few snaps what 15 snaps against nevada and that's it his most talented wide receiver but he's had guys out there these are guys that you recruited these are the guys that you brought in these are the guys that you decided we're good after charlie jones left and did not look at the transfer portal. This is what you put on the field. This is what you recruited. And this is what you get. A fair shake. He's gotten a fair shake now. And you have a backup quarterback.

Go back and watch the Minnesota game from a year ago. Just watch one play. The one play being what turned out to be the game winner in a throw to Charlie Jones that Alex Padilla made. He rolls right in the pocket, steps up, fires the football down the field. Yes, down the field. It's a touchdown. Iowa wins the football game against the Gophers. Spencer Petras make that play? No, he doesn't.

You have a backup quarterback that is competent. You have a backup quarterback that has done things at the Big Ten level. A Big Ten quarterback that has won games for you. Alex Padilla is not great. Drops were a problem for him last year. Statistically, you look at the profile, it's not great, but he can move around. And to respond to a question with what's the upside, here's the upside. You're not the worst offense in college football. Again, after a week here, they are still the worst offense in college football. It's not even close. What's the upside? That is your response. I mean, talk about tone deaf, no clue what is going on. It is absolutely brutal that that is how you respond to a question like that. What's the upside? Well, the upside is you're not the worst in the country.

There's nowhere to go but up. That's the upside. Look, if this offense was okay, you know, they're 70th in the country and we're still having these questions. I understand the way that I was built. Complimentary football. Yes, you can make that argument. But when you're the worst in college football

and your response is, what's the upside? Tone death, but shouldn't come as a surprise to Brian Behrens. Big weekend in college football. One other thing Brian mentioned, we don't want to have backyard football. Backyard football. It's another tone death response by Brian Behrens. We'll talk about what we saw this weekend in college football. Get ready for Iowa State.

Oh boy, this one was ugly. That's all coming up as we continue on the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. The numbers don't lie. In the last decade, over 4 million people have chosen SimpliSafe home security to protect their home. You don't earn the trust of that many people without doing something right. At SimpliSafe, your security to protect their home. You don't earn the trust of that many people without doing something right. At SimpliSafe, your safety is the only thing that matters. I know because I use SimpliSafe in my own home.

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Trent Conner back with you on the LockedOn Hawkeyes podcast. Brian Ferentz, of course, at the forefront of the news, the embattled offensive coordinator for the Hawkeyes in a week off yet that continues to dominate the conversation it's Ohio State this week we'll finish up with that and a quick look ahead to the Buckeyes coming up on Saturday 11 o'clock central kick that'll be the big noon kickoff so one other quote that really bothered me for Brian Ferentz over the weekend and that was what Brian had to say about backyard football backyard football so look across college football this weekend of course the biggest story of the weekend was Alabama against Tennessee Hendon Hooker making plays he was a guy that I campaigned for to Iowa get involved with he was a guy

that at least had an Iowa offer coming out of high school as he was leaving Virginia Tech of course he ended up in Tennessee. And good for him because his team is ranked in the top five in the country and getting number one votes coming up this week. You see him moving around and making plays. You watch that game. You see Bryce Young moving around and making plays. You watch NFL Sunday, the big game of the weekend, Sunday afternoon. Bills Chiefs.

You see Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen moving around, making plays. Backyard football. Come on. Backyard football? I mean, talk about just having this simplistic view of football. I get Tom Brady, right? Tom Brady, he is at the top. He is going back to

his career throughout the Patriots and now what he is today, even in a loss yesterday. He didn't get the two-point conversion. But Tom Brady doesn't move around a lot, but that is, I guess, that's the apple of the eye of the Iowa staff, right? Ryan's connections to the Patriots, of course, going back with Bill Belichick and Kirk Ferentz coaching together in Cleveland 30 years ago. All those things make a whole lot of sense.

But backyard football, to think that that's backyard football, to have a guy with some mobility, that not an absolute absolute statue in the pocket a guy that can actually move around and make some plays and not only that but can move around in the pocket it's not just about a guy that can scramble out and make plays with his feet and pick up seven yards and do those kind of things it's not just that it's an ability where spencer petras because of his lack of mobility and his lack of athleticism, he's a guy that just can't move in the pocket or has no ability to do that because he hasn't been coached up because you have a meathead offensive line coach that knows nothing

about quarterbacks that is now your quarterback coach, as I would double down this year. To call it backyard football, it is just so simplistic. It is this view of football that is so outdated, so antiquated, it makes absolutely no sense. But that's what we have right now. The numbers, well, they don't lie. We talked about that with Simply Safe, and the numbers don't lie here. Statistically, what this Iowa football offense is, not just this year, but going back, look at the numbers in the past. Look at what it was under Ken O'Keefe. Look at what it was under Ken O'Keefe. Look at what it was under Greg Davis. I was no Greg Davis fan, and I knew from the get-go.

That first game in Soldier Field against Northern Illinois, said of the guys we were with and the couple that we were watching the game with, I said, half in, I already hate the Greg Davis offense. It did take a whole lot to understand that his horizontal passing scheme, coupled with the zone-blocking scheme of Iowa, wasn't going to be a great marriage by any means and the hope that it was going to improve from what we saw under Ken O'Keefe that was dead on arrival it got okay there was a possibility and how did that get at its highest level oh yeah he had a quarterback that could move around they had a quarterback that could make plays with his feet and C.J. Beathard now we know by the end of the career of C.J. Beathard,

as the injury started to mount up for him, that he was not the same quarterback and physically he was not the same guy with his feet, but at minimum, he could make plays with his feet. Helicoptering in the end zone against Indiana. Those plays that continue to step out. How about the play backed up in their own end zone against Iowa State? Without that play, they don't win that football game, I don't think, against the Cyclones.

Making plays with your feet. Backyard. Football. Come on, Brian. You got to give your head a shake here. This is just absolutely simplistic thinking. And you look around college football. You look around the NFL.

You look at the quarterbacks that play at the highest level right now. That is not to say Alex Padilla is any of these guys because he's not. But some kind of mobility. You have to have it. And Iowa refuses. Six games, one quarterback has taken every snap with the worst offense in college football. It's absolutely unthinkable. Yet here we are at this spot. They doubled down on themselves this year and doubling down has not worked out very, very well. As we continue here on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast, we take a look forward. It's Ohio State this week.

The Buckeyes also idle this week. They'll be coming in off a bye. We remember 2017. It's a great memory. 55-24, and one of the craziest nights in Kinnick Stadium history as Iowa demolished the Buckeyes in that one. This one has no chance to be the same. The offense is not close.

The defense, they're going to have to score a whole lot to even have a chance in this football game to keep it within four touchdowns. That is the point spread. Four touchdowns. That is how much I was an underdog about. We'll talk about that as we continue here. This is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast.

About that as we continue here, this is the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Bet Online is your number one source for football betting information this season. Find all the latest player developments, team matchups, news, podcasts, and in-depth articles and analysis on every game you can find. As always, Bet Online remains your continued source for your sports wagering information with live betting, up-to-the-minute scores for every sport out there. The easiest and fastest way to check in on your favorite games and events, including baseball with the playoffs upon us as we get close to the CSs.

Coming up tonight, we got a game five with Cleveland and the Yankees. That should be fun. Boxing, MMA, golf, basketball, and hockey are starting up. You got a lot going on. Head to BetOnline or use your mobile device to learn more. BetOnline, where the game starts. Trey Conner with you as we wrap up on the Lockdown Hawkeyes podcast. So as we finish here today, a couple of things.

Looking ahead to Ohio State. So I put this tweet out and gained a lot of traction yesterday as the point spreads were starting to come out. So Iowa right now, they are a 28.5, 29-point underdog depending on where you're shopping. Of course, the Hawkeyes, it has not been pretty at this point, and you understand that number. So first of all, the look-ahead line this summer.

Two places that I really respect put out lines during the summertime. They call them their games of the year. One of them is at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas. My buddy, Chris Andrews, the sports book director there. And Chris put that number out at 21 this summer, Iowa, a 21 point underdog against Ohio state. And I showed you how good Ohio state was going to be, but some questions about the Iowa team coming into the year. 21, a big number against anybody in the way that Iowa is built, but that was the number. And then it comes out late Saturday night. I saw the first official line that you could bet, and that number had moved significantly. A couple weeks back, we talked about some lines here in the state of Iowa from Elite Sportsbook. They had that about the same

number, 21. That was the number that was pretty much out there, three touchdowns. And now Iowa is an underdog, a monster underdog, 28 and a half. I'm seeing some 29s out there right now. Just a huge, huge number in this football game. And I put out this tweet and it shows you where this Iowa program is currently. Iowa will be the largest underdog it has been since 2000, coming up this Saturday at Ohio State. The last time Iowa was a greater than four touchdown underdog was September of 2000. That would be year number two of the Kirk Ferentz regime

when the Hawkeyes were a 41.5-point underdog against Nebraska. That was in the program. It course still growing building year two. We saw some positive signs by the end of that season and gave us hope going forward. Where's the hope right now? It doesn't feel like there's a whole lot out there. And that shows you about this team, Ohio state, they can move the football up and down the field. This offense is prolific. And Oh, by the way,

they got one of those backyard quarterbacks, CJ Stroud. Yeah, he can move around a little bit. That helps. They have an offense that continues to put numbers up. They are going to be an incredibly difficult matchup for this Iowa defense. Riley Moss, Cooper Dajin, I mean, they got to be ready to go, but you have to find something offensively to think that Iowa is going to be able to win this football game, or at least to find a way to hang around 2017, 24-20, something in that realm. It's completely unrealistic because the offense, A, has not shown the signs that they have the ability to do that. Coupled with, your defense is going to be on the field a whole lot. They run fast. They run tempo. They're going to be up and down the field. They're running the football at a high level, and they could beat you in a couple

of different ways. People love to talk about C.J. Stroud and what he is, and that compliment of receivers from Marvin Harrison Jr., who has about as many touchdowns as Iowa does as a team this year. I mean, how sad is that? Not even their best wide receiver, as Jackson Smith and Jingba has been injured this season, has only played a few snaps overall. We'll see if he's going to be healthy and ready to go. But they also have an ability to run the football. You go back to that first game of the year against Notre Dame. That

offense had some struggles early on. They were not certainly at the same level that what we saw and what we were anticipating coming into the year. I think the injury to Smith and Jigba was a part of that, but that's what you had. And what happens? Iowa, now they have to find a way to try to play like Notre Dame did that wasn't great Notre Dame team we've seen them lose to Stanford last weekend they have a loss against Marshall you know can you come up with a game plan like that I don't know that was game one game ones are different this this feels nearly impossible I hate to say impossible right we've talked about the upsets we talked about it before the Michigan game, this Iowa program. When things are at their lowest under Kirk Ferentz,

they have found a way to dig themselves out. Now, I'm not so sure. I just don't have the positivity that there is any way, not to win this football game. That's not even what I'm talking about here. Safe face, be solid, have a chance. That is the impossibility that it feels like we're dealing with right now.

It is a sad, sad place that we are, but that is where we are. That'll do it for today's Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. We got LaShawn Daniels. He'll be stopping by later this week. We got Jace Bisgard. He'll be stopping by. My buddy Jason, we will break things down and get ready for it. Stat Boy, he'll be to work.

He'll bring some great information, as he always does, during the bye week and leading in to the next matchup against Ohio State. And of course, we're going to break down basketball a little bit more, get deeper and deeper into that. A busy week coming up here as we get ready for Hawkeyes and Buckeyes. Keep an eye out each and every day. And of course, you can also keep locked on Big Ten with the Locked On Big Ten podcast. Nate Dickinson takes you around the Big Ten in 30 minutes each and every day. Check out Locked On Big Ten and make Locked On Big Ten your second listen every day. I'm Trent Cotta.

This has been the Locked On Hawkeyes podcast. Go Hawks!