Spencer Petras expected to start at QB for Iowa’s Week 3 game vs. Nevada

IOWA CITY — Iowa football is planning to start Spencer Petras again at quarterback for its Week 3 game against Nevada, head coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.

“That’s our plan unless something happens in practice,” Ferentz said. “We obviously have spent a lot of time looking at it, considering it, talking about it.”

Petras’ retention of the starting quarterback role comes despite completing just 45 percent of his passes for 201 yards through two games in 2022. He has two interceptions and no touchdowns.

“I think it’s really tough to get an honest evaluation right now,” Ferentz said Tuesday, referencing challenges at other offensive positions. “I’ve talked to Alex (Padilla) about the same thing. ... No matter who’s in there right now, we got some challenges.”

After trying to “improve on those” challenges, Ferentz believes he’ll “have a fairer way to assess” Petras and backup Alex Padilla.

Padilla has not yet taken a snap in 2022. In 2021, he completed 49 percent of his passes and had two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Ferentz historically has been reluctant to make abrupt in-season quarterback changes. Petras’ shoulder injury prompted the change from Petras to Padilla last season, and Ferentz switched back to Petras by the end of the season.

Ferentz has often pointed to Petras’ previous experience as a starting quarterback as a defense of keeping him in the QB1 spot.

“If, in fact, that quarterback has built up some credit, he's got an account going,” Ferentz said after Saturday’s Cy-Hawk game loss to Iowa State.

Since last year’s loss to Purdue, Petras has one touchdown pass and nine interceptions.

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