Video: Kirk Ferentz on Cade McNamara and more ahead of season-opener
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz discusses a variety of topics ahead of the Hawkeyes’ 2024 season-opener vs. Illinois State.
IOWA CITY — Long before he prepared to steer his team on the sideline of Kinnick Stadium during Saturday’s season opener, Illinois State football coach Brock Spack was in Iowa for a different reason.
Spack, now 62, was once a high school football prospect, taking his first official visit, which just so happened to be at … Iowa.
Hayden Fry was the Hawkeyes’ head coach at the time. Spack attended multiple Iowa games during his recruiting process. Though Spack ended up choosing Purdue, where he became a prolific tackler at linebacker for the Boilermakers, he looks back at being recruited by Iowa as “an awesome experience.”
Spack’s familiarity with the Hawkeye program doesn’t stop there. Following his playing career, he spent multiple stints on the Purdue staff. Spack considers Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker a friend. Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett used to work on Spack’s staff at Illinois State.
The connection between Spack and the Hawkeye program will again intersect on Saturday when Iowa hosts Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium. The last time the two programs faced off was 2015 — a matchup in which Iowa prevailed, 31-14.
The 2024 iteration of this meeting, though, has some unique circumstances. Head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr will serve a university-imposed one-game suspension for recruiting violations stemming from impermissible contact with Cade McNamara in 2022. That throws a slight wrinkle into the game’s storylines.
“There are times when we (coaches) maybe do something that’s helpful, but overall, it’s how the players play,” Ferentz said. “It really is. They’ll do great. We have a good leadership group here, and they’ll do great. There’s going to be some challenges, there’s no question about that. And there are going to be some things that we don’t expect. We have to stay centered and stay on course here.”
Though Ferentz and Spack won’t be facing off in person on Saturday, they are connected in other ways. Ferentz, entering his 26th season as Iowa’s head coach, and Spack, entering his 16th season as Illinois State’s head coach, mark the type of longevity that is not often seen in modern college sports.
“I’ve known Brock for quite some time,” Ferentz said. “Lot of respect for him as a player back in the ’80s when he played at Purdue. Outstanding player for them there. And he’s had a great career in coaching.”
Spack told the Register: “I’ve run some things by coach Ferentz, particularly in the COVID stuff that we were all dealing with. And he was very, very, very good to me. He’s always been very, very good to me. So just really high on him. Always had a deep, deep respect for him and the University of Iowa.”
Coming off a 6-5 season, there are some legitimate expectations surrounding Illinois State entering 2024. It’s best to take preseason rankings with a grain of salt, but Illinois State checks in at 20th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
The Redbirds’ quarterback situation is unresolved. Spack said it’s likely that Illinois State will give two quarterbacks a shot against Iowa — returner Tommy Rittenhouse and Kansas State transfer Jake Rubley. Rittenhouse is more of a threat with his legs while Rubley possesses serious arm talent.
Iowa’s defense should present a major roadblock for whoever is back there. The Hawkeyes could have a defense even better than last season, featuring star linebacker Jay Higgins and hard-hitting defensive back Sebastian Castro. Not to mention that the reigning Broyles Award winner Phil Parker is calling the shots.
“It’s simple, you can see it, the philosophy is there, but they out-execute everybody they play,” Spack said of Iowa’s defense. “They’re really good at what they do. That’s what they’ve been since coach Ferentz has been there, since I remember when coach Fry was there. You know what to expect. You know what you’re gonna get. But can you out-execute them? That’s the name of the game. And they’ve been excellent. Not good but elite at doing that.”
Video: Jermari Harris on TJ Hall: ‘It’s all coming together for him’
Jermari Harris speaks with media ahead of Iowa’s 2024 season-opener against Illinois State.
The dynamic surrounding Iowa’s offense is drastically different.
The Hawkeyes are set to embark on a new era under offensive coordinator Tim Lester. But much like Iowa, Illinois State has some stalwarts in the middle of the defense who will try to ensure that gets off to a rocky start. Linebacker Tye Niekamp was last season’s Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year. Another linebacker, Amir Abdullah, was an All-MVFC First-Team selection last season.
On various levels, there is a sense of unknown about Iowa’s offense. Not just because it’s the first game of the season, but also because this is Lester’s Iowa offensive coordinator debut. There is literally no film of him calling plays with Iowa’s offensive personnel. But Illinois State did play Western Michigan in 2021 when Lester was the Broncos’ head coach.
“You base it on maybe some things he’s done in the past you’re hoping,” Spack said. “That’s the angst all of us have. If you ask football coaches, especially college coaches, the thing they worry about the most are first games. Even though you know Iowa. Like I said, you have a feel that they’re going to run the football but they’ll have new tweaks in their armor. Will there be a lot of motion? Will there be little adjustments to blocking schemes? Will there be little adjustments to routes that maybe they’ve done or maybe at places where coach (Lester) has been before?”
Spack added: “But you really can’t chase ghosts. You’ve got to rely on the staples of what you think their offense has been and what they show on tape. That’s about all you can do.”
Video: Cade McNamara provides insight ahead of 2024 season-opener
Cade McNamara speaks with reporters ahead of Iowa’s season-opener vs. Illinois State.
For Iowa, this is the dawn of a season of great hope. The Hawkeyes’ aspirations of reaching the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff is in the realm of possibilities, at least for now. But that means taking their first, official step without their head coach against Illinois State.
“These guys have worked hard,” Spack said of his Illinois State team. “I think they’re putting themselves in a good position to have a good season. But we’re biting off a big test here with the Hawks. We know this will be a very tough game for us.”
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
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Publish date : 2024-08-27 23:50:00
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