Brian Ferentz Era, What Happened?

[bluroptimo]

The Hawkeyes were looking good and at times really good with the Ferentz/Ferentz coaching combo.

2018 Iowa finishes 25th with a 9-4 record and an offensive points per game ranked 31st/133.
2019 Iowa finishes 15th with a 10-3 record.
2020 Iowa finishes 19th with a 6-2 record and an offensive points per game ranked 40th/133.
-then-
2021 Iowa finishes 10-4 but the offense is starting to lag. Finished 99th/133 in offensive points per game.
2022 and 2023 that weakening trend continues. And here we are.

So Iowa is looking good to really good in 2018, 2019, 2020 with Brian as the OC and that includes having a good to really good offense in points per game. Then things start to slide during the 2021 season, what happened?

Honestly, I'm pretty surprised all the BF haters are so quick to forget the string of success especially because Iowa was trending in the right direction from 2018 to 2021. 40th to 33rd in offensive ppg....what happened?

 

[LIV4GOD]

I know he became extremely predictable. It got to the point where the guys I watch with would virtually in unison often say what they next play would be.

 

[Bank of Hawk]

I hear you OP. Something happened towards the end of the 2020 season and the off season between 20-21. Maybe Brian was able to stave off Kirk’s extremely major ultra conservative philosophy for the first few years. Maybe Kirk “evaluated” the big picture and saw too much risk with the offense and made sure the offense was dialed back to the Stone Age.

 

[bluroptimo]

I know he became extremely predictable. It got to the point where the guys I watch with would virtually in unison often say what they next play would be.

Predicable can happen when you don't have many options, i.e. not much OL talent, receiving corps talent, etc. Was there a talent drop off in 2021? And why would that happen? Their offense was looking really good til that point.

 

[hoffmkr]

Online failures.
Either recruits transferred or failed to develop.
That put pressure on QB which led to WR failure, transfers and recruiting.

 

[Steamboat529529]

Spencer Petras. Now Deacon Hill. Offensive Line.

 

[im4hawks50595]

Cement footed qbs with a bad o-line and throw in outdated offense you get some very bad point total results.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

He coached the only style he ever knew and what his dad insisted on.

Likely NIL making transferring easier hurt as did the trend towards “more offense”.

Old head coach and offense labeled as “boring” doesn’t make recruiting difference making athletes easier.

 

[bluroptimo]

Yeah, but there's literally a point at which a very positive trend reverses course and becomes a very negative trend.

What happened in 2020/2021? Something had to derail that train.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Yeah, but there's literally a point at which a very positive trend reverses course and becomes a very negative trend.

What happened in 2020/2021? Something had to derail that train.

It's called a boiling point, as in the underlying issues were always there simmering underneath.

You want I should finally go over our glorious stretch of almost, what coulda woulda shoulda beens on offense in conference play during Brian's run at OC?

Your pants can only hold so much poop before they start to fall down (i.e. 2021 Purdue).

The reason I don't illustrate it here and now is because (especially in retrospect) its pretty easy to see why things didn't work.

P.S. It also doesn't help when you get further and further away from putting your motto of complimentary football into actual practice.........

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Kirk 3.0 reverted to Kirk 1.0 with his play not to lose philosophy and he has gotten worse with each passing year.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

This isn't rocket science. BF was living off of the recruiting and player development (especially QB) of his predecessors for a few years, then when he was in total control with all "his guys," they started to suck.

 

[jonesy5960]

The Hawkeyes were looking good and at times really good with the Ferentz/Ferentz coaching combo.

2018 Iowa finishes 25th with a 9-4 record and an offensive points per game ranked 31st/133.
2019 Iowa finishes 15th with a 10-3 record.
2020 Iowa finishes 19th with a 6-2 record and an offensive points per game ranked 40th/133.
-then-
2021 Iowa finishes 10-4 but the offense is starting to lag. Finished 99th/133 in offensive points per game.
2022 and 2023 that weakening trend continues. And here we are.

So Iowa is looking good to really good in 2018, 2019, 2020 with Brian as the OC and that includes having a good to really good offense in points per game. Then things start to slide during the 2021 season, what happened?

Honestly, I'm pretty surprised all the BF haters are so quick to forget the string of success especially because Iowa was trending in the right direction from 2018 to 2021. 40th to 33rd in offensive ppg....what happened?

A lot has changed since 2017 when Brian took the job. New oline coach. Copeland was brand new. Doyle left. Maybe the biggest change in terms of impact to Brian was KOK leaving after the 2021 season. The last 2 years it's been the Kirk and Brian show with no other real influences.

 

[kegan]

A lot has changed since 2017 when Brian took the job. New oline coach. Copeland was brand new. Doyle left. Maybe the biggest change in terms of impact to Brian was KOK leaving after the 2021 season. The last 2 years it's been the Kirk and Brian show with no other real influences.

Timing of Doyles exit and downfall of O is interesting.

 

[Hwkfn1]

The lack of quality receivers since 2021 has killed the offense. In 2017-2020 ISM and crew were very good. The one thing I won't ever understand is why the offense we saw in the Holiday Bowl against USC was never shown again (think the various ways they got the ball to their playmakers).

 

[Bohawk]

It's an interesting question because the offense has always been conservative, but we could run the ball and had enough balance with the passing game that the team was successful for the most part. However, the last couple years have been something i don't think many of us could have imagined.

Losing Doyle hurt, Spencer Petras hurt, and then the cut blocking rule change prior to the 2022 season put us over the edge.

 

[jonesy5960]

Timing of Doyles exit and downfall of O is interesting.

It could certainly be a factor, but Doyle had nothing to do with QB's, wide receivers, and the OC himself. In terms of efficiency, the offense has been trending down for 5 years straight, so it's not really just the last 3 years.

 

[Capeto]

The lack of quality receivers since 2021 has killed the offense. In 2017-2020 ISM and crew were very good. The one thing I won't ever understand is why the offense we saw in the Holiday Bowl against USC was never shown again (think the various ways they got the ball to their playmakers).

this...someone else mentioned that along with Ism and Brandon Smith we also had a young Laporta and Beyer. think Goodson was also a good wr out of the backfield . think all 5 have made a roster in the NFL at some point. after the injuries this yr, cannot see many if any of our skill people making the NFL.

 

[large78]

This isn't rocket science. BF was living off of the recruiting and player development (especially QB) of his predecessors for a few years, then when he was in total control with all "his guys," they started to suck.

Exactly what I was going to say.

 

[BHCrusader2010]

The Hawkeyes were looking good and at times really good with the Ferentz/Ferentz coaching combo.

2018 Iowa finishes 25th with a 9-4 record and an offensive points per game ranked 31st/133.
2019 Iowa finishes 15th with a 10-3 record.
2020 Iowa finishes 19th with a 6-2 record and an offensive points per game ranked 40th/133.
-then-
2021 Iowa finishes 10-4 but the offense is starting to lag. Finished 99th/133 in offensive points per game.
2022 and 2023 that weakening trend continues. And here we are.

So Iowa is looking good to really good in 2018, 2019, 2020 with Brian as the OC and that includes having a good to really good offense in points per game. Then things start to slide during the 2021 season, what happened?

Honestly, I'm pretty surprised all the BF haters are so quick to forget the string of success especially because Iowa was trending in the right direction from 2018 to 2021. 40th to 33rd in offensive ppg....what happened?

Played a shitty weak schedule. Beat some crappy teams by 1 fluke score. Won a couple of toilet bowls. Nothing really has changed by now losing to same crappy teams by 1 score.

 

[DutchyFunStar]

When did the Ken O'Keefe training wheels come off for BF?

 

[Thunderlips71]

Recruiting and player development have tanked, but let’s not pretend Brian was ever setting the world of college football on fire:

 

[BHCrusader2010]

It's an interesting question because the offense has always been conservative, but we could run the ball and had enough balance with the passing game that the team was successful for the most part. However, the last couple years have been something i don't think many of us could have imagined.

Losing Doyle hurt, Spencer Petras hurt, and then the cut blocking rule change prior to the 2022 season put us over the edge.

Ya losing a meat head, roid pushing racist ... really hurt. Some strength coach, guy looked like a big fat ugly meatball.

 

[auntie_fah]

So you are saying BF did a good job when other people’s players were in there and started to slide when he started to get his players in?

Weird

 

[General Tso]

Simple - talent

 

[HawkLogic]

Tristan Wirfs/Alaric Jackson were the top OT duo of BF time. Wirfs got drafted in 2020 and Alaric Jackson graduated season after that. IKM and Mississipi kid were pretty good WR duo...they left. Stanley left. Petras and
the OL decline were all on BF watch. Its the recruitng/evaluations which all fall on BF/KF and then postive feedback from declining/boring offense making it harder to recruit. Budamyr must be good sales guy to get a gig at Iowa and have KF/BF believe he was the secret sauce.

 

[sdschroe]

Brian and the Iowa offense had a ton of stinkers from 2017 to 2020. Scoring 10 points at Michigan State and Northwestern in 2017, scoring 0 offensive points and gaining 66 total yards at Wisconsin in 2017, scoring 13 offensive points against a 7 win Purdue team with a mediocre defense at home on Senior day in 2017, scoring 10 points against a mediocre Northwestern defense in 2018, scoring 3 points at Michigan in 2019, etc. He had some good games too, but 2017-2020 had a decent amount of talent - Wadley, Hock, Fant, Wirfs, Linderbaum, Smith-Marsette, etc.

I'm not sure the number, but I bet it is less than 10 teams that in college football that had 4 offensive players taken in the first round from 2018-2021 seasons like Iowa did.

 

[destro72]

Poor QB recruiting & development.

 

[HawkMachine]

If I had to choose ONE thing it's probably the offensive line.

Just been TERRIBLE lately.

 

[Farleyhawk]

I hear Doyle brought up a lot, but why did that only affect the offensive line and not the defensive line, which has been very good.??

 

[parker01]

I hear Doyle brought up a lot, but why did that only affect the offensive line and not the defensive line, which has been very good.??

Former OL in college and OL coach for a couple years. Spent a lot of time working with the OL in the off-season when only S&C staff are allowed player access. He had an inordinate impact on the OL compared to the rest of the position groups. Went well beyond the weight room.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

stanley graduated

 

[ottumwan in tx]

Former OL in college and OL coach for a couple years. Spent a lot of time working with the OL in the off-season when only S&C staff are allowed player access. He had an inordinate impact on the OL compared to the rest of the position groups. Went well beyond the weight room.

and they made up crap that wasn't true and fired him. i figured kf would leave at that time

 

[uihawk82]

The Hawkeyes were looking good and at times really good with the Ferentz/Ferentz coaching combo.

2018 Iowa finishes 25th with a 9-4 record and an offensive points per game ranked 31st/133.
2019 Iowa finishes 15th with a 10-3 record.
2020 Iowa finishes 19th with a 6-2 record and an offensive points per game ranked 40th/133.
-then-
2021 Iowa finishes 10-4 but the offense is starting to lag. Finished 99th/133 in offensive points per game.
2022 and 2023 that weakening trend continues. And here we are.

So Iowa is looking good to really good in 2018, 2019, 2020 with Brian as the OC and that includes having a good to really good offense in points per game. Then things start to slide during the 2021 season, what happened?

Honestly, I'm pretty surprised all the BF haters are so quick to forget the string of success especially because Iowa was trending in the right direction from 2018 to 2021. 40th to 33rd in offensive ppg....what happened?

Brian took over as Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson started to shine at OTackle and they got Linderbaum to cement that line. Those players fueled those really productive offenses

Brian and the other coaches did not fill the OLine with great recruits. Kallenberg iirc dropped football and there were a few injuries and others didnt pan out. This has mostly been an OLine problem which lead to poor running attack and therefore too much pressure on avg QBs and WRs. TEnds and running backs have been very good but no OLine and that is on Brian, the OLine coach and on Kirk who is the guru, Was Kirk too hands off these last 4 years on OLine recruiting and development??? Probably

 

[QChawks]

how many ex-Iowa (non-TE) offensive players have played a game in the NFL in the last 6 years?

 

[IAHUNTER]

This isn't rocket science. BF was living off of the recruiting and player development (especially QB) of his predecessors for a few years, then when he was in total control with all "his guys," they started to suck.

I truly don't think Brian knew how to motivate players

 

[iowalawhawk]

Nathan Stanley appears to have been super underrated. He didn't set the world on fire completion percentage wise or anything, but was able to use his feet to extend plays that others since him haven't.

 

[squeezebox]

how many ex-Iowa (non-TE) offensive players have played a game in the NFL in the last 6 years?

Linderbaum, Wirfs, ISM, Brandon Scherff, Ike Boettger, Alaric Jackson....To list a few. Plenty more, but too lazy to list all of them.

 

[uihawk82]

how many ex-Iowa (non-TE) offensive players have played a game in the NFL in the last 6 years?

Linderbaum, Wirfs, ISM, Brandon Scherff, Ike Boettger, Alaric Jackson....To list a few. Plenty more, but too lazy to list all of them.

There are a few as sqeezebox listed but most of them were not recruited when Brian was OC. McCarron was a WR on the 2016 team as was CJB and they played a good bit in the NFL.

I would say few offensive players from 2020-22 have made the NFL. Goodson and Linderbaum about it

 

[herkhatescy]

Played a shitty weak schedule. Beat some crappy teams by 1 fluke score. Won a couple of toilet bowls. Nothing really has changed by now losing to same crappy teams by 1 score.

There you go again yapping off at the mouth. The schedule is the schedule that we are given every year by the Big10. Iowa athletic department has nothing to do with the damn schedule. Why can't you get that through your thick ****ing skull.