Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa Hawkeyes’ coach, is under fire for a questionable decision he made against the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl. The Iowa Hawkeyes took on the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl on Monday, and during the first half, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz made a somewhat perplexing choice that has him completely ripped.
With the game tied 14-14 in the second quarter, Iowa faced 4th-and-2 at Missouri’s 40-yard line. Instead of going for it or kicking what would have been a long—but makeable—field goal, Ferentz chose to delay the game to set up a more accurate punt.
To say the least, that was an odd move, and that specific tweet was far more courteous than some of the other comments we’re seeing on social media (many of which contain profanity).
Ferentz is notorious for being conservative in his play-calling, which makes sense given that Iowa is traditionally not a strong offensive team.
However, in the first half against the Tigers, the Hawkeyes were actually moving the football, and on the other side of the coin, their defense was completely shredded.
As a result, it would have made more sense to believe that Brendan Sullivan could have made the first down or that Drew Stevens—who has a fantastic leg—might have connected on the field goal.
Nevertheless, Iowa returned the ball to Missouri.
The Hawkeyes entered the bowl game without their standout running back, Kaleb Johnson, who chose to miss the game to prepare for the NFL draft.
Johnson was Iowa’s primary source of offense during the regular season, leading the Big Ten in running yards and touchdowns. The Hawkeyes’ offense struggled with Johnson on the field much of the time in 2024, but not having him made the Music City Bowl that much harder. Ferentz’s team will face greater challenges.
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