Kirk Ferentz: Hawkeyes 'knew we could count' on Iowa fans

Iowa continues to rise in the polls after defeating Penn State in Week 6. Iowa came into the weekend ranked at No. 3 while Penn State was No. 4 entering the game. After the game, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz told reporters that the fans gave the Hawkeyes a huge boost in the win.

Ferentz: Iowa fans ‘are so good’

While Ferentz undoubtedly loved what he saw from the Iowa faithful, he also noted that it is still ultimately up to the players when it comes to winning games. While Iowa fans made an impact on the game, Ferentz said that it’s on the players to use that energy to help secure the victory.

“They were so good from the start,” Ferentz said of Iowa fans. “And one of the points I made back on Monday with the team was that we knew we could count on that. Just absolutely knew we could count on that. But, again, it’s still for the players’ job to play the game. Fans would love to come out on the field. And they did afterward. I got a great escort. You talk about some good blocking there.

“That’s like the flip of it. We were on the road a couple of weeks ago in a tough environment. The flip here is that the fans aren’t going to get it for us. They’re not going to deliver it. They want to help you, but you’ve got to play. And our fans are so good. It goes back to 30 plus years of history. And they know when it’s a big game too.”

Penn State lost starting quarterback Sean Clifford due to injury in the game. This resulted in Ta’Quan Roberson getting his first significant action in the hostile environment. Roberson struggled mightily in the game, as he was 7 of 21 for 34 yards and two interceptions. Iowa forced four turnovers in the game, all interceptions.

As Ferentz mentioned, Iowa fans did impact the game. Especially once Roberson entered for Penn State, the Nittany Lions struggled on offense due to the crowd. Penn State committed ten penalties in the game, eight of which were false starts.