Ferentz: Another Tough One

Oct. 11, 2005

• Black Out Saturday
• Ride the Rails: Hawkeye Express Information
• Game-Day Parking and Road Construction Information
• 2005 Hawkeye Huddles
• Follow the Renovation of Kinnick!
• The Schedule: 2005 and Beyond
• Listen to the Hawkeyes on XM Radio
• Watch and Listen to Kirk, the Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes carry a two-game winning streak into historic Kinnick Stadium Saturday for an 11 a.m., Iowa time date with the Indiana Hoosiers. Coach Kirk Ferentz told the media assembled today for his weekly visit that win No. 22 in a row at home for his squad won’t come without continued improvement and another strong effort by a team that seems to be finding a rhythm.

“We’re playing a very good football team that, rightfully so, has to be feeling pretty good about itself,” Ferentz said of the Hoosiers, who bring a 4-1 overall record and a 1-1 Big Ten Conference mark into Iowa City.

“They’re playing well. They’re veteran and experienced and have a handful of newcomers contributing. We expect another tough game,” he added.

Iowa’s head coach drew a parallel between Indiana and Notre Dame. “Both teams have new head coaches with talented staffs who inherited veteran teams and they’re experiencing some success.”

Ferentz said Iowa’s victory at Purdue was satisfying for lots of reasons, but perhaps most because the Hawkeyes “responded.”

“We responded to what was in front of us,” said Ferentz. “We dealt with being on the road, we dealt with their first drive and on and on.

“The interception was a key play,” Ferentz said of Edmond Miles first pick as a Hawkeye. “It’s a six point game at that time and ready to go either way.”

Ferentz said it will be near impossible to replace injured wide received Ed Hinkel, who had successful surgery on his right arm Monday and is likely sidelined for a number of weeks.

“You don’t replace a guy like Ed Hinkel. He’s a leader. He’s a performer. He’s a big game guy,” said Ferentz. “He’ll be at practice and on the sidelines with us, but you don’t replace what he brings to the team both as a performer on the field and as a leader.”

Ferentz likes the direction his team is headed.

“We’re getting the effort and the leadership. We just need to keep it going. We’ll see,” he said.

Ferentz said the 2005 Big Ten Conference is making all of the league’s head coaches appear to be much smarter than the average bear.

“We all kind of agreed back in August that this was going to be a tough league and it’s proving to be just that. It’s likely to continue to be interesting each and every week,” he said.

Iowa’s first game on the gridiron against Indiana in three years will be televised live by ESPN Plus. For a complete list of the television stations and cable television systems that will broadcast the game, click HERE.

A limited number of tickets are available for Saturday’s game against Indiana and the Hawkeyes’ 2005 home finale, Nov. 19, against Minnesota in the annual battle for Floyd of Rosedale. Click HERE to purchase your tickets online. Fans can also call 1-800 IA-HAWKS to place an order or they can make a purchase at the UI Athletic Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena or the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau Information Center inside Coral Ridge Mall.