Iowa offense scoring looks better than yardage, but still not rosy picture under Brian Ferentz’s leadership

IOWA CITY — Kirk Ferentz is “well aware” of Iowa’s offensive dysfunction during the 2022 football season, he told reporters Wednesday in his first news conference since the Music City Bowl in December.

“We own it,” said Ferentz, the Hawkeyes’ head coach who staunchly defended his offensive coordinator and oldest son Brian Wednesday. “Nobody is running from that by any stretch of the imagination.”

The 2022 results would not be easy to run away from.

Iowa finished 130th out of 131 FBS teams in yards per game and 129th in yards per play. It’s a level of offensive ineptitude rarely seen at the Power Five level.

With 251.6 yards per game, the Hawkeyes had the worst offense of any Big Ten team during Kirk Ferentz’s 24 seasons as head coach.

No Power Five team has finished below Iowa’s 2022 mark since a 3-9 Wake Forest team averaged 216.3 yards per game in 2014.

Ferentz and athletics director Gary Barta are trying to change the narrative, though, from Iowa’s yardage — or lack of yardage — to Iowa’s points.

“Statistically, it's all about winning and losing,” Kirk Ferentz said. “At the end of the game that's really what counts. The two things that contributed to that the most are scoring points and stopping points.”

Iowa’s points per game was not much better — 123rd — in 2022, but it historically paints a brighter picture of Brian Ferentz’s offenses than yards per game does.

Iowa’s best finish in yards per game during Brian Ferentz’s tenure as offensive coordinator was 87th. The best finish in points per game, on the other hand, was 40th.

The points per game picture still has not necessarily been rosy.

Brian Ferentz’s offenses peaked in 2020 when the Hawkeyes averaged 31.8 points per game. That season comes with a significant asterisk, though.

Iowa only played eight games because of COVID-19, rather than the typical 13 when including a bowl game.

The shortened schedules across the country led to several abnormalities, including Indiana breaking into the top 10 of the Associated Press poll and North Carolina going to the Orange Bowl.

When excluding the bizarre 2020 season, Iowa’s offense has regressed in points per game every year since 2018.

The unit ranked 43rd in points per game in 2018, 88th in 2019, 99th in 2021 and 123rd in 2022.

In the five years before Brian Ferentz took over as offensive coordinator, Iowa ranked 111th, 80th, 68th, 54th and 90th.

“Kirk’s offense … has had success, but it’s never been in the top 10 or top 20 or top 30 in the country,” Barta said.

As for what Brian Ferentz does well in his father and head coach’s eyes, Kirk said he and the other coordinators “operate at a real high level.”

“Well, I'll lump him and (defensive coordinator) Phil (Parker) together,” Kirk Ferentz said. “And (special teams coordinator) LeVar (Woods) has learned to do the same thing. Phil has learned to do the same thing, too.”

Barta also defended Brian Ferentz’s resume, including him as an “integral part” of Iowa’s staff during “arguably one of our best decades in Hawkeye football.”

“To indicate that Brian’s not qualified simply is — that’s a bad narrative,” Barta said. “I would indicate he’s uniquely qualified. He grew up here around this program. He played offense in this offense.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com