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For as dramatic as Iowa's win over Michigan at the Big House was last weekend was, Kirk Ferentz's celebration was very even-keel. 

The 71-year-old Ferentz spent a few moments with his brother and sister before hoping on the flight back to Iowa City. He answered as many text messages as he could before arriving home, after which he turned on the late-night Big Ten clash between Minnesota and Washington in Seattle before going to bed and diving back into the grind on Sunday. 

Ferentz's excuse for orchestrating a quick turnaround is valid. His 14th-ranked Hawkeyes  are entering one of their most important home games in years on Saturday – a date with No. 5 Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium. 

Ferentz met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to preview the matchup. Here are some of the most notable things that came up. 

Respect For Ryan Day 

Ferentz clearly has a lot of respect for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Though Day is 85-13 and has won a national championship as the Buckeyes' head man, the intense scrutiny he often receives from the Ohio State faithful has sometimes overshadowed his impressive achievements. 

Ferentz praised the Buckeyes for being "a well-coached team" during his opening statement, and when asked further about what stands out to him about a Day-coached team, he told the local press that it's the fact that the Buckeyes rarely beat themselves very often. Ohio State is tied with Iowa in the Big Ten for the seventh-least number of penalties committed this season (23). 

Ferentz is also aware of the strong criticism that Day gets, and he can't seem to understand why that's the case. 

If they don't win by 20 every game, then I guess that's a tough thing. They do that a lot, and he's just an excellent coach, great person," Ferentz said.

Preparing For Jeremiah Smith 

Iowa will have its hands full with this entire Ohio State team, but one of the main focal points of its defensive game plan is probably going to be star Buckeye wideout Jeremiah Smith. Not only is Smith regarded as the top wide receiver in college football, he's also regarded by some as the best overall player in the sport. 

The numbers prove it, too. Smith leads the Big Ten with 617 receiving yards and seven touchdowns – four of which came last week against Illinois. There's no question that Smith is capable of doing the same against an Iowa defense that allowed struggling Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood to throw for 276 yards, but how will the Hawkeyes prevent Smith from racing behind their defense all day? 

Ferentz is pleased with what he's seen from scout team receivers Apollo Payne and Xavier Stinson, but he admits that it won't be easy to contain Smith. 

"It's hard. We have to work on our technique. Sometimes you can have him perfectly defended and he'll still make a play," Ferentz said. "That's what puts him in a really separate category." 

How Iowa Wins Games Despite Lopsided Stat Sheets 

Statistics don't always tell the full story in college football, especially at the University of Iowa. Ferentz's team has developed a reputation for finding odd ways to win football games, and last weekend's dramatic win at Michigan was no exception. The Wolverines out-gained the Hawkeyes by 144 yards, but Iowa managed to hang around long enough to steal the victory with a 91-yard touchdown drive. 

Ferentz was asked how the Hawkeyes are able to win those types of games every year, and his answer was simple – he's learned the ropes from his predecessor and former boss (Ferentz was Iowa's OL coach in the 1980s) Hayden Fry. Though Fry dressed in a flashy manner (white pants, aviator sunglasses), Ferentz is quick to point out that Fry won some of his biggest games – a 9-7 win over Michigan in 1981 and the memorable 12-10 win over Michigan in 1985 – in the same manner, as did fellow former Fry assistants Bill Synder and Barry Alvarez during their long tenures at Kansas State and Wisconsin, respectively. 

"We're not in the entertainment business; we're trying to win," Ferentz said. "We're trying to find a way to win, and that's where statistics are important, but which ones really matter and which ones really count." 

How To Fix Struggling Running Game 

One area of potential concern for the Hawkeyes on Saturday is their running game. It wasn't a major concern entering the season, but through two games against Power Four competition, Iowa has tallied just 151 yards combined (75.5 average per game). 

That's not going to be acceptable for Ferentz's run-first offensive mindset, and he knows it. While he would prefer to have over 200 yards each game in a perfect world, he says his team needs to just keep progressing through the early struggles. 

How will they do that? By doing the little things. 

"It usually takes a little better blocking and a little better running. That's everybody. There's no mystery to it," Ferentz said. "There's ebb and flow in every season. That's where I talk about statistics. It's week to week" 

Injury Updates 

Though defensive back Tyler Brown looked to be limping during the Michigan game, he was available to the media on Tuesday morning. That's usually a promising sign to see if a player will play in the next game, but Ferentz's comment on Brown's injury wasn't a very optimistic one. 

Brown has been battling a soft tissue injury since the summer, and it appears he's not back to full speed just yet. 

"We'll see how it looks like. He's not fully back, but we'll see," Ferentz said. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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