Brian Ferentz not satisfied with Spencer Petras’ Week 1 production, but won’t be ‘juggling’ QBs

IOWA CITY — After a football game that had as many Iowa punts as first downs and most points coming via safeties, many questions loom for Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz.

On Wednesday, the sixth-year coordinator had some answers.

“My responsibility is to stand in front of you guys and be accountable for what we do,” Ferentz told reporters via Zoom Wednesday. “So there’s really nowhere to hide, in my opinion.”

Perhaps the biggest question is at quarterback after Spencer Petras went 11-for-25 with one interception. Ferentz, who is in his first year coaching quarterbacks, “did not think it was reflective of what I’d seen in practices dating back to spring.”

The Iowa staff has been reluctant to make a change to backup quarterback Alex Padilla yet. Ferentz referenced the large “body of work” that comes with a “12-game season.”

“You’re not talking about 70 plays, you’re talking about 840 plays,” Ferentz said. “You’re not talking about 25 attempts, you’re talking about 300 attempts.”

When looking at Petras’ body of work since last year’s Purdue loss, it hasn’t always been ideal. In that span, he has one touchdown and eight interceptions.

“We’re trying to go with the guy that we feel gives us the absolute best chance to win right now at this moment,” Ferentz said.

Ferentz said he doesn’t “want to be juggling guys” at the quarterback position in games although he also has “unwavering” faith in Padilla.

“I don’t think it’s like being a pitcher in baseball, where some days you just don’t have your stuff,” Ferentz said. “I don’t know if I view the quarterback position that way, where you just pull a guy to grab some confidence.”

Ferentz’s support of Petras as the starting quarterback shouldn’t be confused with support for the way he played Saturday, though.

While the offensive line was far from perfect, Ferentz did not use it to excuse Petras for completing just 44 percent of his passes and missing open targets.

“If you’re the quarterback and your job is to deliver the football on time and in rhythm, then we expect you to do that,” Ferentz said. “Whether the right tackle is blocking the heck out of that defensive end or not, it shouldn’t matter.”

Petras, Ferentz said, had “ample opportunity in the pocket to deliver the ball.”

“Is the protection perfect? No,” Ferentz said. “But if you’re waiting around for perfect protection, you’re going to be sorely — you’re not going to be happy with it ever.”

The quarterback issues were just part of a dysfunctional offensive day. The rushing attack averaged 1.6 yards per carry and had a red-zone turnover. The offense as a whole averaged 2.7 yards per play.

Ferentz said he was “frankly surprised and disappointed by our performance out there.”

“I didn’t feel that was reflective of the preparation that we had leading up to the game or practice, dating back to April,” Ferentz said.

It might not be so surprising for fans, though, after Iowa finished 114th in completion percentage, 110th in third-down conversion percentage and 122nd in red zone offense in 2021.

Iowa’s receiving corps has been decimated by injuries. Keagan Johnson, Nico Ragaini and Diante Vines are all out for Iowa’s upcoming rivalry game against Iowa State.

Brody Brecht has been healthy, but he’s had to catch up quickly after missing substantial offseason time with injuries and baseball commitments.

“As unfortunate as it is — and it is unfortunate — it’s football,” Ferentz said. “It’s a tough, violent game. … Hopefully we’ll get the cavalry coming at receiver at some point, but that’s no guarantee that more injuries can’t happen in that position or other positions.”

Even with all the injuries — only two scholarship wideouts participated in warmups against South Dakota State — it’s clear the receiving corps wasn’t necessarily the problem in Week 1.

Ferentz’s game plan found ways to involve No. 1 tight end Sam LaPorta and No. 1 wide receiver Arland Bruce IV heavily.

Bruce and LaPorta combined to account for 17 of Iowa’s 25 targets.

“You have to figure out who your best players are, find ways to get them involved, get them targeted,” Ferentz said. “That was one thing that I was pleased with coming out of last week.”

But the throws to them were often off the mark. Petras was only 7-of-17 on his throws to LaPorta and Bruce.

It’s a problem Ferentz can’t hide from, but again, not the only one.

“We all need to do our job better at the end of the day,” Ferentz said. “And that's really what we're focusing on right now.”

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