Kirk Ferentz takes shot at Lincoln Riley, USC

Dec 27, 2019; San Diego, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz reacts in the second quarter against the Southern California Trojans during the Holiday Bowl at SDCCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa won the Big Ten West this season despite having one of the worst offenses in the country, and head coach Kirk Ferentz believes that should serve as a reminder that his style of football still works.

Ferentz spoke this week about hiring a new offensive coordinator to replace his son Brian Ferentz. The elder Ferentz said fans should not expect Iowa to bring in a coordinator with a history of lighting up the scoreboard. The 68-year-old coach cares far more about winning, and he pointed out that Iowa did more of that this season than a certain high-profile coach whose school will join the Big Ten next year.

It was obvious Ferentz was talking about Lincoln Riley and USC.

“I think there’s a guy that entered the conference recently that came with widely acclaimed offensive stats and all that. That’s usually how those guys become well known because of whatever they’re doing — throwing it, running it, wishbone. But then you look a little deeper, so what’s this guy’s wins per game?” Ferentz said. “There’s usually a correlation. People who just throw the ball around, it makes it tougher to win and makes it tougher to be good on defense.”

Ferentz then doubled down and said USC will be trying to fix their defense heading into 2024.

“There’s a school on the west coast right now that’s gonna recommit to defense. They gave up 42 to Tulane last year in a bowl game, at a place where Ronnie Lott played. So, now they’re gonna think about defense, you know?” Ferentz added.

Kirk on evaluating wins vs stats

"I can think of a guy who entered the conference recently that came with widely acclaimed offensive stats.."

"There's a school on the west coast right now that's going to re-commit to defense… at a place where Ronnie Lott played" pic.twitter.com/9B3IogzpUP

— Blake Hornstein (@BlakeHornTV) December 18, 2023

Of course, Ferentz’s comments are convenient coming off a regular season in which USC collapsed down the stretch. Many fans pointed out that Riley has a better career winning percentage than Ferentz.

Still, Ferentz is right that the grind-it-out style of football Iowa plays has worked — to an extent. Hawkeyes fans would probably like to see their team get to the point where they would stand a chance to beat an opponent like Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game.