Kirk Ferentz on Michigan: 'It's tough to find any weakness'
Michigan Wolverines football is 13th in the country with 37.6 points per game and leads the nation at 10.3 allowed per contest. The Maize and Blue are 12-0 with only two games decided by one possession. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz‘s crew, meanwhile, went 10-2 with six one-score games in the weaker Big Ten West. The longest-tenured coach in the Big Ten is aware of the challenge his team has in front of it.
“Looking at Michigan, no surprise they are very talented at every position,” Ferentz said Tuesday. “Really well-coached and play extremely hard. It’s tough to find any kind of weakness or things that they don’t do well. It backs up the way they’ve played over the last three years.
“It’s been very, very impressive. A lot of good players. They do a good job defensive, offensively and special teams, an impressive group as well.
“Our players are excited about the opportunity to be in this game. I am proud of them for earning their way into it. It’s going to take our best football on Saturday to have a chance in this.”
Michigan is a 23-point favorite, a lock to reach the College Football Playoff for a third straight season. Ferentz and Co. are used to being the unerdog.
“Historically, that has kind of been the way Iowa is,” the Iowa head man noted.
“If you don’t embrace it, you’re probably going to be a loser. You may be a loser anyway or come out losing the game — not be a loser, but lose the game.
“You have to relish the opportunity, the challenge and understand just how significant the challenge is going to be, and appreciate that and respect it.
“That’s the great thing about sports, too. You just never know what’s going to happen. That’s why all the prognosticators, they get a little frustrated because you can’t predict even a regular season 100 percent, because people are people and a lot that could happen.”
Traditionally, Iowa has forced a lot of turnovers, but the Hawkeyes have only had 16 this season. They jump on mistakes — especially tips and overthrows, as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh noted this week — and don’t make a lot of their own.
Ferentz was asked what he believes will be the difference if he’s speaking next week about a win over Michigan.
“We’d have to do everything right and probably force a couple mistakes,” Ferentz said. “You can’t worry about all those things. You have to worry about what you can do and your performance. That’s what the week’s for. It’s us trying to know our opponent really well.
“I’m not too worried about us having the respect it takes to win a game, in this game. I’m not worried about that one, but just knowing our opponent, knowing what we have to do. And doing it with real precision, a real high level of precision. I think, too, when you get into a game like this with an opponent like this, it’s got to be right on the — [former NFL coach] Raymond Berry said, you don’t aim for the bullseye, it’s the center of the bullseye. And it’s really appropriate in a game like this, because if you’re off a little bit, chances are it’s not going to be good for you.
“A little bit of heightened awareness, I guess, and not so much appreciation but awareness and detail on what you’re doing — steps, footwork, eye discipline — all the things you have to do to be a good football player.”
Michigan and Iowa kick off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday night in Indianapolis.
