Harsh reality Tuesday

IOWA CITY -- Tuesday is the first time Kirk Ferentz talks after Saturday's game.

You know what happened last Saturday. An Iowa team favored by nearly a touchdown went into Jack Trice Stadium in Ames and fell, 44-41, to Iowa State in three overtimes. And with that, the last traveling trophy in Iowa's lobby marched out the front door of the Hayden Fry Football Complex.

So, there was that going into Tuesday's news conference. There was the game management. Those questions came. There was a surprise appearance by former Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. Not the actual receptions and receiving yardage record holder himself, but a question about why he didn't make it into an NFL camp.

It's a good question, according to Iowa's media guide, since 2002, 72 of 82 senior starters under Ferentz have been selected in the NFL draft or signed an NFL free agent contract. Some of the mystery, however, dissipates when you consider Johnson-Koulianos' December drug-related arrest, which was plead down to marijuana possession but did lead to his dismissal from the team before the Insight Bowl.

"Don't you think they look at everything," Ferentz said, referring to NFL scouts and their due diligence with player personnel. "When people ask me questions, I answer them."

Johnson-Koulianos wasn't invited to February's NFL combine, wasn't drafted and wasn't signed as a free agent.

That was then. The now part? There is plenty for the Iowa coach to be anxious about with his team. Those questions came up, too.

The Iowa State loss was illuminating for the Hawkeyes (1-1), who face Big East Conference foe Pittsburgh (2-0) this week at Kinnick Stadium.

Let's run one more time through the late-game clock management, the decision to go into overtime with possession at Iowa's 20 with 1:17 on the clock and two timeouts and passing on a fourth-and-1 in the third overtime and instead kicking a 34-yard field goal for a 41-38 lead that wouldn't last long against Iowa State and quarterback Steele Jantz.

Five of Iowa's seven OT games under Ferentz have come on the road. Is his idea to play for overtime on the road? (Of course, this notion is shot with the comeback victory with no time on the clock at Michigan State in '07.)

"Our idea is to win the game, typically," he said. "That's what we're thinking, home or away."

The fourth-and-1 decision was driven by the fact that a null possession in OT is certain death. Of course, you could argue Saturday that Jantz and Iowa State having the ball was certain death.

"Obviously, I was banking on us being able to keep them out of the end zone," Ferentz said. "Knowing what I know now, I'd have done it differently for sure, yeah."

The notion of contain in the defensive sense is still on the first page of Ferentz's to-do list. Last week, Jantz escaped to the edges of Iowa's defense and took advantage of defenders being caught in no-man's land. Jantz consistently extended plays until something broke open.

That came down to containing the quarterback, Ferentz said. He added that it's a relatively simple concept. He added that with some oomph.

"It's stuff you learn like when you're in junior high school, typically," Ferentz said. "Well, used to in the old days. I'm not sure anybody is learning it anymore.

"But anyway, I will say good high school and junior high school teams understand guys have to contain. I think most of us learn that growing up, and we're not doing a very good job of it, so we're going to have to coach it better and just get it accomplished somehow."

You don't even need to read between the lines with that statement.

Then there's kick coverage. After allowing 31.8 yards a return against ISU, the Hawkeyes are ranked 103rd in the country, allowing 26.54 yards a return.

It's been two years of struggles on kick coverage, which again features true freshmen in prominent roles. That set off Ferentz almost as much as the contain.

"I'm concerned about our kickoff team right now, mainly because we've been riding a roller coaster," Ferentz said, "it seems like forever, but it's been at least going back to last year.

"When we hit, we hit pretty well, but when we miss, we miss badly. And with the work that we have to do defensively right now, to think that we can let somebody start with the ball on the 40, 45, 50 or the other side of the 50 week in and week out, it's just not very realistic. We're going to have to try to figure something out there and do a better job certainly."

This was a "harsh of reality" Tuesday for all concerned. Points were made. Bridges were burned. And we may or may not be talking about football.