Here's what Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said during his press conference ahead of Nebraska game
Dargan SouthardIOWA CITY — We've reached the end of the regular season.
No. 12 Iowa (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten Conference) travels to Nebraska (3-8, 1-7) for Friday's 12:30 p.m. CT game on BTN. Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz met with the media Tuesday to discuss the matchup and beyond.
On the injury front.
"Matt Hankins is definitely out," Ferentz said. "Jack Koerner looked OK today. We'll see. Terry Roberts I think is still iffy. And Mason Richman I think has a chance. We'll see how he holds up throughout the week. We'll see how we go from there."
On Alex Padilla and Iowa's quarterback situation.
"I think he did a good job," Ferentz said. "And if we're playing tomorrow, he'll be our quarterback. He did a good job. And I also think Spencer did a really good job too and is practicing well. So he's being a good teammate first and foremost. But he's also ready to go in case something happens. So if there's a good thing that came out of this injury, it's at least we have two guys who've played in games. And that's encouraging. Our focus right now is getting through this week."
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On success handling the short Nebraska week.
"First thing that comes to mind would be our players, just being willing to accept the challenge," Ferentz said. "And it is a challenge. It's a shorter, more condensed week period of preparation. We try to be careful of what we ask them to do, both physically and mentally. But ultimately, they focus their time and spend it wisely. And the one thing that helps a little bit is we're not in class. At least they've got more time to themselves now. You can't play football or study football all day long, so we really just encourage them to condense things. Then everybody can relax on Saturday. That's our day off."
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On if Iowa has obtained film on Nebraska QB Logan Smothers, who's set to start for Adrian Martinez.
"Not really," Ferentz said. "I think they might've dug some up from junior high. Those guys are pretty creative back there. The spring game I guess, but it's not the same. We have an idea of who he is and what he is. He's fast, I know that. You've got some young guys back there who are pretty creative (in finding film on Smothers). I'm not sure what we get out of that, but it's there."
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On the immediate future for Cooper DeJean, who's listed at CB on Iowa's two-deep and has reached his redshirt limit.
"We'll see," Ferentz said. "We're thin right now with Matt (Hankins) being out, for sure. We're thin. We'll see what happens. He's playing on special teams, and he wants to play and compete. He's doing a good job on special teams. So full speed ahead with him.
"I've definitely changed my mindset. And it's ultimately up to the player (if they're going to redshirt or play beyond the four-game redshirt cutoff). Players get the top vote and their families. ... I know we're playing for today as a coaches, and I think the whole team is playing for today. And I think that's Cooper's attitude too. I don't know how many snaps he'll play, but he's getting a lot of work in practice. So he's moving fast and it's really fun to see him go."
Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.