Video: Kirk Ferentz on Cade McNamara and more before the season opener
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz discusses various topics ahead of the Hawkeyes’ 2024 season opener against Illinois State.
IOWA CITY – Long before he prepared to lead his team on the sidelines of Kinnick Stadium in Saturday’s season opener, Illinois State football coach Brock Spack was in Iowa for a different reason.
Spack, now 62, was once a promising high school football player and happened to take his first official visit to … Iowa.
Hayden Fry was the Hawkeyes’ head coach at the time. Spack attended several Iowa games during his recruiting process. Although Spack ultimately chose Purdue, where he became a successful tackler as a linebacker for the Boilermakers, he considers his recruitment by Iowa “a great experience.”
Spack’s familiarity with the Hawkeye program doesn’t end there. After his playing career, he served on Purdue’s staff several times. Spack considers Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker a friend. Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett formerly worked on Spack’s staff at Illinois State.
The connection between Spack and the Hawkeye program will come to the fore again on Saturday when Iowa hosts Illinois State at Kinnick Stadium. The last time the two programs faced off was in 2015 – a meeting in which Iowa prevailed 31-14.
The 2024 edition of this meeting, however, has some special circumstances. Head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr will serve a one-game suspension imposed by the university for recruiting violations stemming from improper contact with Cade McNamara in 2022. That brings a slight twist to the game’s plot.
“There are times when we (coaches) might do something that helps, but overall it comes down to how the players play,” Ferentz said. “That’s really it. They’re going to do great. We’ve got a good leadership group here, and they’re going to do great. There’s going to be some challenges, no doubt about that. And there’s going to be some things we don’t anticipate. We’ve got to stay focused and stay the course here.”
Although Ferentz and Spack won’t face each other in person on Saturday, they are connected in other ways. Ferentz, who is entering his 26th season as Iowa’s head coach, and Spack, who is entering his 16th season as Illinois State’s head coach, share a longevity not often seen in modern college sports.
“I’ve known Brock for quite a long time,” Ferentz said. “I have a lot of respect for him as a player in the ’80s when he played at Purdue. He was an outstanding player there. And he’s had a great career as a coach.”
Spack told the Register, “I discussed some things with Coach Ferentz, especially with the COVID thing that we were all dealing with. And he was very, very, very good to me. He was always very, very good to me. I was just really, really taken with him. I always had a lot of, a lot of respect for him and the University of Iowa.”
After a 6-5 season, there are some legitimate expectations for Illinois State heading into 2024. Take the preseason rankings with a grain of salt, but Illinois State is ranked 20th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
The Redbirds’ quarterback situation is unclear. Spack said it’s likely Illinois State will give two quarterbacks a chance against Iowa — returner Tommy Rittenhouse and Kansas State transfer Jake Rubley. Rittenhouse is more of a threat with his legs, while Rubley has serious talent in his arm.
Iowa’s defense should pose a major hurdle for whoever is back there. The Hawkeyes could have an even better defense than last season, with star linebacker Jay Higgins and hard-hitting defensive back Sebastian Castro. Not to mention reigning Broyles Award winner Phil Parker calling the shots.
“It’s simple, you can see it, the philosophy is there, but they out-score anyone they play against,” Spack said of Iowa’s defense. “They’re really good at what they do. They have been since coach Ferentz has been there, since I can remember when coach Fry was there. You know what to expect. You know what you’re getting. But can you out-score them? That’s the name of the game. And they were excellent. Not Good But elite included.”
Video: Jermari Harris on TJ Hall: “Everything runs like clockwork with him”
Jermari Harris speaks to the media before Iowa’s 2024 season opener against Illinois State.
The dynamics surrounding Iowa’s offense are completely different.
The Hawkeyes are entering a new era under offensive coordinator Tim Lester. But like Iowa, Illinois State has some strong players on defense that will make it a rocky start. Linebacker Tye Niekamp was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year last season. Another linebacker, Amir Abdullah, was named to the All-MVFC First-Team last season.
There’s a sense of the unknown on several levels in Iowa’s offense. Not only because it’s the first game of the season, but also because this is Lester’s debut as Iowa’s offensive coordinator. There’s literally no film of him calling plays with Iowa’s offensive personnel. But Illinois State did play Western Michigan in 2021 when Lester was the Broncos’ head coach.
“You can maybe base it on some things he’s done in the past and hope for that,” Spack said. “That’s the fear we all have. If you ask football coaches, especially college coaches, the first few games are what they’re most worried about. Even knowing Iowa. Like I said, you feel like they’re going to run the football, but they’re going to have new kinks in their armor. Will there be a lot of movement? Will there be little adjustments to the blocking schemes? Will there be little adjustments to the routes that they may have done before, or maybe places that coach (Lester) has been before?”
Spack added, “But you really can’t hunt ghosts. You have to rely on the basics of their attacks and what they show on tape. That’s pretty much all you can do.”
Video: Cade McNamara gives insights before the 2024 season opener
Cade McNamara speaks to reporters before Iowa’s season opener against Illinois State.
For Iowa, this is the start of a season full of high hopes. The Hawkeyes’ ambitions to reach the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff are within the realm of possibility, at least for now. But that means they’ll have to take their first official step without their head coach against Illinois State.
“These guys have worked hard,” Spack said of his Illinois State team. “I think they’re putting themselves in a good position to have a good season. But we have a big challenge ahead of us here with the Hawks. We know it’s going to be a very tough game for us.”
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