Good-Timey Radio Hour

Hi, everybody.

Gary Dolphin sounds chipper. Man has a ton of energy. Good Dubuque County, fella.

This is your weekly Kirk Ferentz radio show highlight show post. It's stream of consciousness. Just know that going in.

Wait for my iOS 8.0 to finish.

Pitt O-line huge. Coached by Jim Hueber, who coached Wisconsin's really great O-lines when Paul Chryst was the OC there under Bielema. About a third of Pitt's assistants are former Badgers coaches. Pitt's O-line is sort of Badger-like with the center and right guard clocking in at 335 pounds apiece.

Chryst's strength staff is all Wisconsin people, including a couple of former players. This is Sconnie-East.

OK, check back for more stuff. Kirk Ferentz starts talking at 7:30ish.

Dolph: Think of this as a confessional tonight.

[He doesn't mean that.]

Craig from Sioux City, hello!

Wants to know about RB Jordan Canzeri, wants to know about rotating backs.

Dolph said Canzeri was fine at practice today. Said he hurt his foot on the kick return. Dolph said he is fine and is running with the 1s and you will see him at Pitt.

Opposing teams are stacking the box, sending LBs through the A and B gap. Is Iowa predictable? Dolph says yes if Iowa can throw defenses off the line of scrimmage. Have to open up offense, make defense respect passing game.

Jim, he's a trucker going through Ohio.

Rudock, Rudock, Rudock. We need to switch QBs!

First time, I've heard that this week, Dolph quips. Not dismissing the question. Acknowledged the pick was an overthrow. It cost Iowa 7 points. Rudock sacked four times, that's a lot.

Oh, the CJB question is, maybe, waiting for KF when he shows up. (We asked Tuesday, KF answered in five words. Here are those five words: 'We'll keep talking about it, yeah. We'll see.” OK, eight words.)

Buzz from Rock Valley, hello!

Need to get back to the pounder RB. Why no CJB? Is that Davis' call?

Another CJB question. Dolph said that's KF's call, BTW. Davis calls the plays, but KF makes the yes or no on the QB thingie. Dolph said KF doesn't interfere with OC or DC headset. (He does occasionally interject, but not often.)

Jim from Waterloo, you're on the air!

KF indicates Powell and Willies don't know the playbook and that's why they're not playing. Why not simplify?

Dolph saving that one for KF. (We asked three different times Tuesday. Ferentz said they have things they still need to prove. Read into that what you will. 'Nothing against either of those guys. It's just where they're at right now. They've got growth to make,” KF said.)

Dolph acknowledges Willies' impact. Reminds folks that WRs have to do a lot of blocking. Riley McCarron is coming, Dolph says. Jet speed there.

Not just Willies and Powell, he said. It's an assortment. Kind of like the RBs.

Dolph on Carlo O'Kelly's shrimp menu: There's nothing shrimpy about it.

Also said shrimp deeblo.

Chris from Marion, welcome to broadcasting!

Said Rudock was playing not to lose. Thought pick got in his head. Talking running game, 3 yards a carry not going to cut it. Liked first half ISU and second half of BSU.

Dolph wants more Tevaun Smith and Willies. That's a good call.

PW from Burlington, talk now, right now!

Sky isn't falling and thinks the sun will come up tomorrow (please, get me a notary).

Season not as planned. Not that many years ago and references the 2002 team. Take a deep breathe, and trust KF (T-shirt!).

Plea for support from PW. Standing O from COK audience.

Golf team plug. (And it is a really strong program. I need to write about it more. Scott and I talk about doing more small sports stuff, but we get sucked in by football vortex. See ya on the #oniowapod tomorrow!)

Gary from Waukee . . . He's asking if coach is there.

How are the LBs doing on pass defense? Singles out Spearman getting beat by ISU back Nealy. (A little pressure on the QB there would've gone a long way.)

Tyler from Spencer, you're on the air!

What's up with the defense. Calls for a change at the helm. Notes KF's contract. .500 after that, frustrating as an Iowa fan to watch the coach get paid that much and not win.

Dolph points out that the defense is ranked top 10 this week. Tyler said, 'Not good enough last week.” Dolph notes the stats. Tyler should volley back here, but I think Tyler's call has been dropped.

Dolph said that KF is the same coach as he was when he started here. (I think the first pact was $200,000.) FWIW, I agree with Dolph. I'm not one to turn over all the rocks. One theory, though: Recruiting net has seemed to narrow by quite a bit.

KF in the hizzy.

No Hawk Talk on the bye weeks, FYI. (Yay!)

Beathard over Rudock. 'No.”

Where are the disconnects, deep passes. 'Not playing well enough. End of discussion.”

Powell and Willies. 'Are these repeat questions? I would hope people would have faith. Watch practice, film practice. Typically try to get the best out there. Way it's been operated for 15 years.”

On Canzeri: 'Doing OK. Has had ups and downs since August.”

Pass defense and LBs, Spearman on Nealy: 'Pay attention to what we do, it's happened historically. It's part of the game. They get matched up on backs, no way to avoid that. Have to rise to the challenge. It's part of the job.”

Brent from Edwardsville, Ill., talk on the radio now!

Brent doesn't think the lockerroom has been lost. Very positive gent. Everything positive and then asks for passing to the tight ends.

Players do care and do invest. Great group of young people. Good work ethic. No guarantees or promises. Confident it will be a good team. Weren't good enough in the second half last week. That's over, KF said.

Ben from Sioux City, speak!

Fans are being disloyal. Sees a lot of good things. Have faith.

KF agrees. Didn't play good football in the second half. No one in their camp is claiming otherwise. It's not a hopeless case. No one knows the answers. Banking on what he sees. Lots of good things that haven't surfaced yet.

Craig from the QC, speak!

Sky isn't falling. Everyone loves the Hawks. L at the end, all disappointed. Coach, you were so frequently talked about with pro jobs in early and middle years and even still from time to time, you stuck with us. Can't thank you enough for being the coach of the Hawkeyes. Proud you're with us.

KF thanks and credits the crowd in Kinnick. Energetic, vibrant. Don't take it for granted.

Dolph brings up rush game (3.1 yards per carry).

KF: Have to improve execution. If they want to win, it has to be better. Not clean enough. Lots of little things. Consistency.

Brandon Scherff played the whole game. Beat on an inside move, Dolph said. How did he come through?

Two guys, KF said, Scherff couldn't walk well Sunday and Monday last week. Not a lot of snaps in practice, outstanding game depsite that. DE Drew Ott hit by a car. Not full speed, but wasn't coming off the field. When you see that, you believe things will work out eventually.

Big moment from Marshall Koehn. Had a great Tuesday in practice, KF said.

KF on taking a drive through the Iowa countryside during a Sunday morning, 'Some people might give me directions to another state.”

Chad from Omaha, speak! Speak!

Wants to clarify something Dolph said. Sky falling. Schedule reference. Rambling here. I'm lost. I need directions to another state. Whoa daddy, GPS. Land this, Chad. Land this! For the love of God . . .

Why call the zone stretch run? Specifics on cleanup?

'That's what we do. We're going to run what we run. Gets down to execution. Not trying to push off. Have this discussion annually. Why do we do this? It's what we do.”

I sense that KF spun some emotion back in on that one.

QB and receiver disconnect for reference. Lots of moving parts. Zone stretch and inside zone are Iowa's two base plays. You'll see them a lot in the future.

Stacking the box, front two gaps, Dolph references call from earlier. QBs have done the 'check with me” at Iowa for a while.

LECTURE TIME!

Watched a film on Pitt from last year. Three plays made, team beat Pitt with above-and-beyond plays. When you win, a lot gets overlooked.

Experts, here we go. People accountable to no one. World we live in. KF could care less about the dissection.

Wipe it off, move along.

Some guy, speak into the phone and be on the radio.

Still supporting the Hawks. 35 games in a row. That's pretty studly.

Theme during press conference, putting stuff behind. How do you know if the players put the game behind them.

KF: People have no idea what the players put into it (absolutely, you have to respect that). Such respect, so invested. When you invest, it's not easy to flip the page. If someone can easily brush it off, you don't want him on the team. Can't let it be two losses. Have to shake it off.

Something something Pirates.

Greg from Dubuque, speak now or forever . . .

The intensity question. KF isn't intense enough. Greg wants him biting the heads off chickens.

KF handles this well. Have to give him real credit here. I would've been crazy hot. 'I don't know if I've changed dramatically.”

LECTURE TIME!

When you lose a game, a lot of things come up. You can talk coach personality, but players win games. KF believes intensity if there. 'I don't have a meter for my intensity level.”

So, this rock has been turned over.

'People have no idea what you do. We don't broadcast everything on social media, and I don't think it's everyone's business quite frankly.”

Three TEs question.

'Part of the thoughts. It is something we feel comfortable with. Graduated CJF. We lost a really good player and he was a big part of that. You might see that not only this week but the rest of the season.”

This is my last one of these.

Seven minutes. I'm icing myself.

Paul from CR, do some talking. (I don't know Paul, FWIW.)

Other teams know Iowa's playbook. Cues might be giving.

'Don't think it's much different from years past. . . . Most good teams are. Counters have to be called at the right time.”

Execute.

Dan from Moville, hi.

Keeping backs fresh. Execution. Believer in sticking with one guy. Pounding, chemistry.

KF says it's time to squeeze that down.

That's a wrap. I am outta here.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@sourcemedia.net