Kirk Ferentz took the press conference podium for the first time this year, his normal Tuesday afternoon get together in season. These two items are complete transcripts of everything he had to say this week leading up to the Tennessee Tech game:
Ferentz Updates Injuries, More | Hawkeye Nation
Kirk on the Side 8/30 | Hawkeye Nation
Some items that jumped out at me:
-Tennessee Tech returns 21 of 22 starters, not counting specialists. Ferentz said this might be the most experienced team in that way that he has faced at Iowa..you rarely see teams return so many players. I believe Boise State and Oregon were close to this last year. Sure, Tennessee Tech is an FCS team, but that is a lot of experience, a lot of people on the same page. They also play a fast tempo, which is easier to do with players who are familiar with teammates to their left and right. The offshore line for this game is Iowa -40.5. That seems like an enormous number...it would not surprise me if Iowa were not out of the woods until the fourth quarter, due to so many question marks on defense and all of the first game rust that you can see.
-Jordan Bernstine may be back returning kicks with Keenan Davis. Ferentz said this of Bernstine: "Jordan is enthusiastic and eager to do it. That’s part of being a good kick returner, too. I’ll single Jordan out. He’s just had an exceptional camp of all the guys that have improved and shown major steps, we just talked about Matt, I’d single Jordan out, too, I think he’s playing at a higher level than he has at any time. We’re excited about that. Hopefully he can help us out on special teams as well."
-Matt Tobin will start at left guard. Ferentz: "Brandon Scherff missed some time in camp. Matt Tobin took advantage of that opportunity. Right now Matt will start the game. He’s done a good job. Unless he blows up this week, which I don’t expect him to do, he’ll probably start the ballgame. We’ll probably play both of them at some point."
-Ferentz said they are toying with playing between "6 to 9' true freshmen
-AJ Derby is the backup quarterback. Given that John Wienke seems to now be the team's backup punter, and was taking some reps back on the 8/13 open practice, it's not a shocker. Ferentz said they hope to be able to redshirt Jake Rudock this year. He said nothing is for certain, but the only way I think Rudock sees the field is if James Vandenberg could not go for a significant amount of time.
Here are some more links from around the web related to Tuesday's media gathering:
A Number of Videos from Rob Howe
Scout.com: Hype Train
QB Vandenberg ready to lead | Hawk Central
Peterson: Iowa football — beyond the obvious, etc | Hawk Central
Scherff ready for his O-Line debut | Hawk Central
Harty: White happy to be part of the Hawkeyes | Hawk Central
Tennessee Tech-Iowa: Lore is highly unlikely | TheGazette
The list of former Tennessee Tech players in the NFL | TheGazette
VIDEO: Ed Podolak | TheGazette
6 to 8 try to add up to 4 | TheGazette
UI to honor Tumilson, all fallen public servants | TheGazette
Iowa AD: School could add permanent Kinnick Stadium lights ‘at some point’ | TheGazette
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