Emotional Kirk Ferentz gets choked up following wild, last-second win over Nebraska
Iowa kicker Marshall Meeder gave the Hawkeyes their 10th win of the season with a game-winning boot from 38-yards out at Nebraska.
Following the 13-10 win, Kirk Ferentz couldn’t help but let the emotions out regarding his team’s effort Friday. To start, he spoke with CBS about the decision to run Meeder out for his first kick of the season and what turned out to be one of the biggest kicks of Iowa’s year.
“He has done a really good job in practice, he has been very consistent,” Ferentz said. “We just felt like he had the best chance today.”
It was at that point that the tears flowed from the Hawkeyes’ leader as he thought about his team. The three-point win in Lincoln was, in his eyes, the perfect reflection on what his guys are all about and how they get their jobs done.
“Just really excited for our guys. They’ve been really resilient. (Ethan) Hurkett gets a pick, the defensive lineman gets a pick. And then an unsung guy comes out and kicks a field goal. It’s kind of representative of this team,” said a teary-eyed Ferentz. “Somehow, someway, we’ve won 10 games and it’s pretty good.
“It’s hard to win – first and foremost. It speaks to the kind of kids we have,” Ferentz contined. “These guys are really fun to work with. They believe in themselves, believe in each other, care about each other. So it’s just really special.”
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Now, with their third double-digit win campaign of the last six years in hand, Iowa will turn their attention to the Big Ten Championship game. However, that will start with finding out who they will play once No. 3 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan finish up The Game on Saturday.
“I don’t watch much TV but I’m actually going to watch that one. Normally I wouldn’t but a little vested interest this time,” Ferentz said. “I know we’ll have to be good – I know that.”
Marshall Meeder nails game-winning kick for Iowa in Lincoln
Iowa had issues with kicks all day in their regular season-finale at Nebraska. That’s why, with the game on the line, Ferentz took a gamble – one that paid off – in the form of Marshall Meeder.
After three seasons at Central Michigan, Meeder hadn’t taken a kick this fall after transferring to Iowa. In the end, though, he actually made as big of a kick as the Hawkeyes had put in all season as, on his first attempt of the year, he gave Iowa a 13-10 victory over the Cornhuskers in Lincoln.
This call came after Drew Stevens went 1-3 on field goals on the day with both of his misses coming because of blocks.