Iowa, coach Kirk Ferentz not buying into rankings hype

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•10/10/21•

Jonathan Wagner

Iowa is rapidly rising in the latest rankings after defeating Penn State in a top five matchup on Saturday. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 2 in the latest AP top 25 Poll following the win. After the win over Penn State, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz talked about Iowa’s rise, saying that there is a lot of football to be played.

“So these rankings are still kind of — there’s a lot to be decided,” Ferentz said of Iowa’s rapid rise in rankings.” But, nonetheless, these were two good teams today. And it’s true all the time for us, but especially in a game like this where, you know, the competition is about as good as it’s going to get.

“For us to have a chance, it sure helps if we’re hitting and complementing all three. And I think that’s what ended up happening today. So that was really huge. That’s where I go back to — I was teasing Jason Baker. He really changed field position in 2000. It was the same thing with Tory today. A little different, but he was really pinning them in there and making them go the long field.”

Ferentz: Iowa fans made a difference in Saturday’s win

Following Iowa’s win over Penn State, Ferentz gave a big thank you to Hawkeyes fans. Ferentz said that the fans impacted the game, which helped the team go out there and execute at a high level.

“They were so good from the start,” Ferentz said of Iowa fans. “And one of the points I made back on Monday with the team was that we knew we could count on that. Just absolutely knew we could count on that. But, again, it’s still for the players’ job to play the game. Fans would love to come out on the field. And they did afterward. I got a great escort. You talk about some good blocking there.

“That’s like the flip of it. We were on the road a couple of weeks ago in a tough environment. The flip here is that the fans aren’t going to get it for us. They’re not going to deliver it. They want to help you, but you’ve got to play. And our fans are so good. It goes back to 30 plus years of history. And they know when it’s a big game too.”