Post Spring Game Kirk Ferentz Video & Transcript

[Blair Sanderson]

Opening Statement

First off, thanks to whoever was in charge of the rain today. Great job on that. And it was really neat coming off the field to see on the jumbotron to see the beam going up on the Children's Hospital. What a neat partnership that is and we are just thrilled for everyone involved with that.

In a nutshell, I think we have had a really productive spring and we are happy with the way the guys have worked. You saw some good things and some bad things out there today, which is typical of a spring game. I think overall for the most part, we have made some positives strides. Bigger pictures wise it really goes back to January when we showed up after school got started. The winter program and then this 15 day period and then going into continued training and it's a process, certainly that we are going thru right now. I think we are making progress, but clearly we have a lot of work to do, which is again, typical of spring practice. The biggest thing, and you have heard me say this before, our older guys have to play their best and they really have to continue to improve if we are going to have a good football team. The guys that are moving into starting positions or where they are going to be contributing, they have to get used to the tempo and execute at the pace that is necessary and the guys underneath them have to continue to move forward. It is imperative for us, if we are going to have a good football team, to have everyone improve. Again, I think so far so good. It's been a good spring, overall, and the big thing is we continue to do well, so we have to continue training and finish up the school year well academically and then turn our sights to the summer program once that happens.

With that, I will hit on a couple of things quickly with a couple of position changes. You probably noticed, John Kenny jumped back over to linebacker in the middle part of spring and then Joshua Jackson slipped over to wide receiver from defensive back. Those are two swaps that we made about ten days ago. As I think most of you know, Jake Duzey, unfortunately, was injured in practice on Wednesday. It is a significant injury that is most likely going to require surgery. We will probably know a little bit more after Monday and based on what I have heard I think it is realistic that we will get him back for the season. It may not be right off the bat when we get started in August, but hopefully we will get him back during the season. We will know more about that on Monday. It was a tough blow, but the good news is I think he has a chance to get back with us and that's something we are going to keep our fingers crossed for. That being said, I will throw it out for questions.

Q: Today it appeared that your defense is ahead of your offense. Is that accurate?

FERENTZ: Yeah, I think so. I think after 15 days our defense might know or offense better than our offense does. That happens in camp too when you work pretty extensively against each other. That is nothing to be alarmed about. I would be more concerned about some of the drops that we had and things like that, the fundamentals that we are going to have to clean up. Ball security wasn't a huge issue, but we had two turnovers that counted and those are things I am more concerned about than some of the familiarity issues.

Q: What is it that you like about your defense? Your line looked liked it played well. The secondary played good and your line was good at the end position.

FERENTZ: I think overall we are growing and at linebacker, we are certainly more veteran than we were a year ago at this time and that's a good thing. Right now we actually have five guys and it's almost flip a coin with those five guys in terms of who the starters would be. I just want to emphasize that Cole Fisher and Travis Perry both had really good springs. The three guys that are on the younger side have done a really nice job and that's a good starting point there and we have to build from there.

I think the defensive line has had a good spring. Both of the ends are good players and then right behind them, you talk about guys that are coming up the ladder like Matt Nelson and Parker Hesse. We need those guys to keep pushing it. Then I think we have three guys in Jaleel Johnson, Nate Bazata, and Faith Ekakitie, those guys give us a good core. Kyle Terlouw is coming along. We have to keep pushing them forward and keep going.

In the secondary, it is starting to clear itself out a little bit, but we still have some work to do there.

Q: Were you impressed with Tyler Wiegers this spring?

FERENTZ: Yeah, this has been a huge spring for him. Started out the first couple three practices and it was interesting, but that is what you would expect. It's one thing to sit in a meeting room and watching other guys perform, but when you are out there taking the snaps and calling audibles and things we ask our quarterbacks to do, it's different. I think in the last third of our practices, the last five practices, we have really seen him start to take off. The big thing for him is that this will really serve him well this summer when he can look at the film and it will mean more to him. He has gotten a lot of really quality work and he is a really quality young guy. He has a good head on his shoulders and he's intelligent, very dedicated and works extremely hard. I think this has been a really good period for him.

 

[Blair Sanderson]

Q: With a year under his belt at safety, Jordan Lomax seems like the leader back there.

FERENTZ: Yeah, last year he was just learning how to play and there's a big difference. It's kind of like the linebackers too, where you are just learning to play versus knowing a little bit more about things. You can project a little bit more than just being a good football player. I left this out, but if we are going to be a good football team, we need leadership on any good team, so Jordan has to be part of that equation and we are counting on that and he has embraced that.

Q: Have you been able to gauge the running game this spring?

FERENTZ: Yes and no. The good news is we are doing better than anticipated. LeShun Daniels has lost weight. You guys know about that and I think he has really improved. Jordan is healthy again and looks like a D1 football player again and that's good. I have really been impressed with Derrick Mitchell. He transferred in there and I really didn't know what to expect and he has done a lot of good things. He has improved with each week of practice and looks more confident than I thought he would and he ran pretty well today. He's not there yet, but he's on the right track. I think Akrum is doing some good things as well. He still runs a little bit like he is in high school and we have to tell him that when it's there you have to hit it instead of trying to make a big play. Four yards is a big play too. That will get there and he's making progress as well. With those four guys we have something to work with.

Q: What was the reasoning behind why Mitchell was moved to running back?

FERENTZ: We got back from the bowl and we went thru our entire roster and one thing you always talk about is do we have this player in the right position. The defensive coaches were really impressed with him in the fall. We played a bus full of good running backs last year and near the end of the year he imitated a couple of the running backs in November and the defensive guys said he really looked good running the football. We talked to him about it and he's a big guy at 215 pounds. So to have a guy that can run the football and have good ball skills and then the question was could he do it fulltime in the offensive structure and so far so good. He has really responded well and I am real excited about where this has a chance to take him.

Q: Have you made any decisions at punter?

FERENTZ: We will just take that one into camp. Right now if we were playing a game tomorrow Dillon Kidd would be the starter at that position. Marshall Koehn has entered the race, which he wasn't previously. We will probably judgement on that and let them keep competing. I think we have made some progress. The key thing there is consistency. We are capable, but we aren't consistent.

Q: What are your thoughts on strong safety right now? You seem to have two pretty good prospects there in Miles Taylor and Brandon Snyder. Then at corner, you have four guys who have played quite a bit.

FERENTZ: The safety position right now is still kind of wide open. Miles has gotten the most work with the first group. We have let both Snyder and Gair flip flop. What were are going to try and do is figure out 1-4 and have our bases covered, so whoever the third guy is can backup both spots. Again, the second half of spring is when you kind of see some things from guys who haven't played. I think all three guys who haven't played have shown some signs of improvement. We will go thru the month of August before we put something in ink there, but I am pleased.

At the corner position, I think we have three guys that have kind of separated themselves a little bit and then Sean Draper and Malik Rucker are probably the next two guys. We just have to keep bringing those guys along too.

Q: Tight ends takes a hit without Duzey. Do you expect Krieger-Coble to be ready to go?

FERENTZ: Yeah we do. Henry has been doing a lot of things. He didn't do anything today. He's not supposed to be in contact, but I swear he has been on the ground more than anyone on our team. He's been doing 7 on 7 drills and not that anyone has been hitting him, but he has been laying out for balls and making some really nice catches. The good news is we will get him back in the mix and Henry is a really understated player. He is a really good football player. Again, I am optimistic that we will get Jake Duzey back. He may not be game ready in September, realistically, but hopefully by late September or early October he can get back and be a real helpful player for us. I think the good news there is one of the more improved players this spring is George Kittle, he has done a nice job. We had no idea how that was going to shake out, but it turns out to be an opportune time for him.

Q: What is it that you and your coaches are going to do between now and August? Are there specific things that you want to go done?

FERENTZ: There are and it all goes in phases. The biggest thing that has changed in college football is the time we spend on recruiting. In the next four weeks we are going to be on the road, starting on Monday. The guys will be out in schools, so the focus kind of shifts over there for a block of time. Then we will get back in here and doing the things we did in February and March actually studying what we are doing and researching and talking about things we might do to do things better. You are always recruiting. That never stops, but the focus will change a little bit. In June, it will be combination of that, camps, and recruiting again. Then we will be ready to get ready for camp by the time June ends. There is always something. I have said before, you could have a staff that does nothing but recruiting and a staff that does nothing but coach football, but you have to find the right balance and that is something you are always trying to find and reflect upon.

Q: Does this team kind of ride on how well the offensive line does in the fall? It could be the biggest growth area for this team.

FERENTZ: Yeah, I think that is a focal point. It is not the same, but it is similar to our linebacker situation last year and it's the same with the defensive tackles. It's like anything, any time you have good players, someone has to step in go. I think back to 2010, I think it was, and we had Zusevics and Gettis jump right in on the right side and I think James Ferentz for three guys in a row and they played pretty well. They didn't play as well as they did the next year, but they played pretty well. We won some pretty good games that year and I think that's what we are looking at. It's kind of a changing of the guard there. All you can do is evaluate your players versus the guys that you have seen play in your program and I think the two guys that are starting right now and Cole Croston have the right attributes, but now it's just a matter of them continuing to grow and understanding it's a hard road. They get schooled by two pretty good ends at times and they are two pretty good players and they don't know it, but that's good for them.

Q: Is it hard to gauge their growth when they are going against two pretty good defensive ends?

FERENTZ: Yes and no. It doesn't always show up, but all of us who are watching have seen them make incremental steps. The big thing is they are not there yet, but realistically they can be there and I think they will be there. Part of the reason that I am confident is the way they are wired and the way they think and their approach. That really helps to reassure you.

Q: How would you assess Beathard's growth this spring?

FERENTZ: It has been good. He has made a lot of progress. This has allowed him to grow a little bit and it has empowered him to be more of a leader and I think he has embraced that. For us to be a good football team, he will need to do that and he is aware of that. I am really pleased by what I have seen and there is more to follow. His upside is really good and it's all part of the process. A lot has been written and said about him, but the bottom line is he has not played a lot in games over the last couple of years. Getting out on the field and actually playing is going to be great for him. The good news is I think he's prepared for that. If we were playing tomorrow, he would be ready to go and that's a good thing.

 

[Blair Sanderson]

Q: You said back in January you wanted to refocus on some things. What have you done different in the last four months compared to the last few years?

FERENTZ: Just trying to be more cognizant of my calendar and not saying yes to everything and everybody. I have to make sure I take care of first things first and that starts with our players and coaching staff. It's like I said earlier about the recruiting and the football part about finding that balance. Those are the first two things that I need to make sure that I am taking care of. There are certain things that I have to do, like the I-Club circuit and things like that. Those are important and necessary. I think it has gone really well since January and when recruiting ended. I just have to be more aware of what I am doing.

Q: When you look at Marshall Koehn's progress, you go back to the ISU game where he was rushed in there and kicked it and it washed away some of the early struggles. What has his progress been at kicker and can you apply that to punter?

FERENTZ: It's kind of representative of every player. You usually go thru some up's and down's and you experience some bad moments and that is part of playing college football. The key for any player is can they fight thru that thing and can they endure it. It's one thing to tell a guy that it is going to happen. It's one thing to have it happen. It's another thing on how they respond. Marshall is a pretty mentally tough guy and he's kept his focus where it needs to be. He is very committed and doing a good job. You could say that about a number of the younger players and that is part of that process where you realize that you are getting knocked down a little bit or go thru some disappointing experiences. There are only two ways to do when that happens. Do you compete and try to learn what happened and how to improve. Most of the good players here, that has been their history here. They didn't just start on third base. They had to work their way around here. That is certainly the case with Marshall and he has done a really nice job.

Q: Did you freak out a little bit when Beathard threw that pick and he throws a shoulder on the tackle?

FERENTZ: Yes I did. (laugh) That was a little unnecessary and if I had a whistle, which I never do, I would have blown one if I had one. I should have coached him better on that.

Q: You talked about being on the I-Club circuit. What is your stump speech going to be this spring?

FERENTZ: I'm still working on that. (laugh) If you go to Des Moines on Tuesday, you will find out. I am still gathering my thoughts. In a nutshell, it's pretty much what I told you back in January. None of us walked out of the stadium happy, be it in Jacksonville or in Kinnick in our last ballgame. We were disappointed and neither of those games are representative of what we want to be or who we want to be. We can talk about that all we want, but our focus has been on let's do something about it and let's do something to change things, get better, and improve. That's really where our commitment has been and what we are focused on right now.

Q: When Gary Barta said it was a disappointing season and went thru that in the season ticket renewal letter, did that change anything as far as changes that you have made?

FERENTZ: We have had disappointing outcomes before. This is not the first time. I guess if you stay at something long enough you are going to go thru that experience and we certainly did at the front end of my career here. That was no walk in the park. I don't think the keys to success really change. The good thing about being here when you talk about ticket sales is I remember coming here in 1981 and being totally confused about how a place that had 19 straight losing seasons when Barry Alverez picks me up at the airport in June for the interview and says we are sold out in June. I thought he was trying to recruit me and I was thinking I will take the job if I can get it. I didn't understand that coming from a pro town, I guess. The fans at Iowa want to support the football team. I don't think that has changed. It is our job to give them a reason to support it and that is where our focus is. We have to put a team out there that they can be proud of and that they are going to enjoy watching. I don't think that has ever changed here, but that is our responsibility. We have to go out and do a better job.

Q: What do you think would make next season successful?

FERENTZ: Just the things I talked about. Putting a team out there on the field that our fans can embrace and feel good about. Most importantly, make us feel good about with the players and the coaches involved. When you leave things out there on the field….I don't think anyone needed a road map to explain why Nebraska was a disappointing game for us. The ironic thing about that, if we could have only given up one punt return for touchdown, we win the ball game and it's a whole different world. There's something sick in that too, just don't give up one touchdown. You can't give up a touchdown in the kicking game. That's a huge play in any ball game and two, forget about it. You might as well go home. Just the basic stuff, performing better. We have good teams here and that has been our trademark. Those little things are the big things that we have to get accomplished if we are going to have the type of football team that everybody can embrace and feel good about.

Q: You talked about the progress that George Kittle has made. He was flexed out a few times. He's almost a bulked up wide receiver. Do you see that as an advantage?

FERENTZ: Yeah, I know Brian talked about that a little bit, we will do more of that with all of our tight ends, I think moving forward. The thing I am happiest about with George is he has blocked better this spring than he ever has and a lot of that is concentration and that's the other thing I am happy about with him. I think he is concentrating a level that is much higher than he ever has for a period of 15 practices. It is kind of like today, it was a bit of an abbreviated appearance and the games are going to be a lot longer than what we did today. The intensity and concentration that a player has to bring to the field is a learn thing a lot of times and I think we are seeing that with George. He's starting to show that he's getting that idea because when he does concentrate, he's a pretty good football player. When he doesn't, he's just another guy. Another guy that can run well and catch balls. He has made a lot of strides in his game.