Embattled Brian Ferentz gets Powerade bath after Iowa clinches division

Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz received a rare honor Saturday usually reserved for star players and head coaches — a sports drink bath.

Ferentz was showered in Powerade following his team’s 15-13 win over Illinois at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The win secured the team’s spot in the Big Ten Championship game next month against either Ohio State or Michigan.

See you in Indy, @HawkeyeFootball. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kYeYpOQhkY

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 19, 2023

Iowa scored a measly 15 points in their win and has been considered to have one of the worst offenses in college football. On its face, it would seem odd to shower the team’s offensive coordinator. But Ferentz’s moment goes beyond the 2-point win.

Iowa is not bringing back Ferentz as their offensive coordinator next season.

Brian’s father is longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, who made his son the offensive coordinator in 2017.

Brian Ferentz has received a lot of criticism over the years due to Iowa’s putrid offense. The team came into Saturday’s matchup with the lowest total yards per game in the country at 243.0 per contest.

The Hawkeyes’ average point total of 18.8 points per contest has them ranked 116th in the country, just behind the 2-9 Sam Houston State University Bearkats. Iowa’s offensive woes got so bad that the program opted to make an unusual amendment to Ferentz’s contract for 2023.

But despite the younger Ferentz taking a lot of heat, some of his players and coaches appear to still be behind him. The Powerade bath Ferentz received Saturday does not lie.