Oct. 12, 2012
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Video Interview With B. Ferentz
WAVERLY, Mich. — It has been a busy and exciting week for University of Iowa offensive line coach Brian Ferentz . On top of preparing the Hawkeyes for their first Big Ten Conference road game of the season at Michigan State, he became a father Tuesday morning when his wife, Nikki, gave birth to their first child, Presley.
“It was a pleasant addition and she came at a pretty opportune time,” Ferentz joked. “She was about three weeks early, but she must have known we were coming off a bye and I had a little time here. It’s exciting and it’s nice.”
On the football field, Ferentz’s young offensive line has steadily improved over the first seven weeks of the season. He is quick to point out that the sport he coaches is a team game, and the offensive unit needs everyone working together.
“Anytime you have some success as an offensive football team, whether it’s throwing or running the ball, it’s a team game,” Ferentz said. “The key is 11 guys doing their job. We’ve been fortunate enough to be OK up front.
“We still need to improve and we have a long way to go in that regard,” Ferentz said. “But if we get 11 guys on the same page, like we’ve had them, I think we have a chance to have some success.”
That success can continue Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Iowa is coming off a bye week after a convincing win over Minnesota to open Big Ten play. Ferentz said the message during the bye week was pretty simple.
“Our focus was improving our football team,” Ferentz said. “Getting better at the things we know we are going to be doing all season and for years to come. The key is improvement; working with some younger guys to bring them along, and getting older guys healthy and feeling better.”
While the team was improving and working on fundamentals, Ferentz added that the bye week allowed the staff to get a start on preparing for the Spartans.
“You would be remiss if you didn’t pick up a few extra days of preparation on your next opponent,” Ferentz said. “It’s a great chance to get a head start. We are excited to go out there and see the fruits of that labor.”