Iowa Ferentz breathing easier

The Hawkeyes' 26-14 victory put his mind to rest but did nothing to soothe the anxiety of Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who is trying to find some way to redirect a team headed for a losing season.

Any turnaround, he said, has to start with self scrutiny.

"I've got to take a good look at the whole situation," said Paterno, whose team is 0-4 in the Big Ten for the first time since joining the league in 1993.

"That's got to start with the coaching, how I've got people doing things, the right kids in the right spots. I'm not sure what I'm going to look at yet. I know I'm going to look in the mirror."

Paterno remained stuck at 338 victories and fell behind Florida State's Bobby Bowden into second place for career wins in Division I-A. Bowden got victory No. 339 with a 48-24 win over Wake Forest.

Ferentz was relieved to get his 40th career victory. The Hawkeyes, who jumped three places in the AP poll, had struggled on offense and played poorly on special teams in a 19-10 loss at Ohio State the week before. He was concerned about a hangover from that game.

"I don't mind telling you I was extremely worried this week," Ferentz said. "I thought this was a critical game for us, for a lot of reasons, a lot of it our psyche. I thought we needed to win.

"All the hardships we've been through, it's been an unusual year in certain regards. I thought if we couldn't come out (with a victory), it was going to be really tough next week."

He had to be wondering about the outcome after the Hawkeyes (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) fell behind for the fourth straight game. Iowa's Nathan Chandler was intercepted by Yaacov Yisrael on two of the first four possessions and Yisrael took the second pick 83 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

"I just made a bad play," Chandler said.

Chandler bounced back to throw short touchdown passes to Ramon Ochoa and Matt Melloy. He also squeezed into the end zone on a quarterback sneak. The Hawkeyes got their other touchdown on Jermire Roberts' 26-yard return of a punt that Chad Greenway blocked.

Ferentz said those are the kind of momentum-changing plays his team needs to win. Roberts' touchdown gave Iowa a 19-7 lead early in the third quarter.

"Somehow, it just opened up for me," Greenway said. "No matter who did it, it was a huge momentum shift. We needed something to get us going."

Iowa, which hosts Illinois (1-8, 0-5) next Saturday, took two more hits from injuries.

Defensive tackle Jared Clauss and linebacker Grant Steen both left the game after getting hurt in the second half. Ferentz said he would know more about their status early in the week.

He also said there was a chance wide receiver Mo Brown, who has missed five games with an ankle injury, could play on Saturday.

For Paterno, the focus is on finding a spark for the offense. The Nittany Lions (2-6) managed just 176 yards and were 2-for-15 on third-down conversions.

"I don't think you can win against the good teams if you waste opportunities," Paterno said. "It's gotta come back to me. I've got to figure out the things we need to get better."

Originally published Monday, October 27, 2003