close
close

Iowa's Kirk Ferentz gets 200th win as Big Ten coach: Can he catch Woody Hayes this year?

Posted on by Kennedy
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz gets 200th win as Big Ten coach: Can he catch Woody Hayes this year?

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz became the second coach in Big Ten history to reach 200 wins after leading the Hawkeyes to a 40-16 win over Washington at Kinnick Stadium. Ferentz, 69, entered Saturday's game tied with College Football Hall of Fame coach Amos Alonzo Stagg and is now five wins away from tying Ohio State's Woody Hayes for the league record.

After serving as an Iowa assistant from 1981 to 1989, Ferentz took over for Hayden Fry in 1999 and led Iowa for 26 seasons. The Hawkeyes won just two of his first 20 games as coach, but since then, Ferentz has led the program to five top-10 finishes, two Big Ten championships, three Big Ten West Division titles and was named national team coach twice chosen this year.

Ferentz, who has compiled a 212-142 record in three seasons as head coach at Maine, has six games remaining in the regular season. The earliest he could reach Hayes' mark would be November 23rd at Maryland, and the earliest he could reach would be November 29th at home against Nebraska.

Iowa plays its style of game

During Ferentz's tenure, Iowa (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) was best known for its tenacious defense and powerful running game. Both came against the Huskies (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten), the defending College Football Playoff champions who were playing their first season in the Big Ten. Running back Kaleb Johnson, who now has 956 rushing yards in six games, dominated again, finishing the game with 166 yards on the ground and three total touchdowns. The Hawkeyes surpassed the 200-yard rushing mark as a team for the fifth time this season. Meanwhile, the Iowa defense intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and stopped Washington on three of its six attempts to turn the ball over on fourth down.

Ferentz's milestone victories

September 18, 1999: Northern Illinois, 24-0 (first win)
November 16, 2002: Minnesota, 45-24 (share of Big Ten regular-season title secured)
November 20, 2004: Wisconsin, 30-7 (share of Big Ten regular-season title secured)
September 2, 2006: Montana, 41-7 (50th Iowa win)
January 5, 2010: Georgia Tech, 24-14 (Iowa's first major bowl win since January 1, 1959)
Oct 13, 2012: Michigan State, 19-16, double overtime (100th career win)
November 27, 2015: Nebraska, 28-20 (Iowa's first undefeated regular season since 1922, first Big Ten West title)
September 1, 2018: Northern Illinois, 33-7 (144th win, passing Hayden Fry for most wins in Iowa history)
November 26, 2021: Nebraska, 28-21 (Iowa captures second Big Ten West title)
November 18, 2023: Illinois, 15-13 (Iowa captures third Big Ten West title)
Oct 12, 2024: Washington, 40-16 (200th career Big Ten win)

(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / Imagn Images)

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *