Iowa Football Notebook: Hawkeyes Catching Up After Long Saturday Night

Adjustments Began Sunday Following Odd Game Against Nevada

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Iowa’s 27-0 win over Nevada at Kinnick Stadium ended at 1:39 a.m. on Sunday.

That threw the Hawkeyes’ schedule off — Sunday is a day of meetings, and those were pushed back to later in the day to give the players some rest after a game that went almost seven hours thanks to three lightning delays that totaled 3 hours, 56 minutes.

Coach Kirk Ferentz always sticks to a certain timetable, so that game, and this Saturday’s night game at Rutgers, will alter that schedule, and it takes a while to catch up.

“It's a debate how far to do it, but you just adjust as the circumstances present themselves,” Ferentz said during his Tuesday press conference. “It seemed like the logical thing to do on Sunday. Then you just need to make up for it during the course of the week. We tried to get caught up, and I think we're pretty much where we need to be right now, but yesterday we were a little bit behind.”

Saturday’s game is not only Iowa’s first Big Ten test of the season, but also the Hawkeyes’ first road game.

That also alters the schedule a bit, and that, plus playing in a hostile environment, can get to younger players who haven’t experienced it.

“Whether it's home or away, we leave on Friday regardless,” Ferentz said. “We leave campus. You want them to relax. You want them to be at ease. You don't want them to be playing the game, especially the night game, you don't want to play the game during the day. They have to understand and find a way on their own, whatever works for them, how to stay focused on what they're trying to get done and keep the big picture in mind. Everybody has a little different way of doing things, and historically for me as the week goes on, I tend to try to give the players more space, keep my syllables a little bit less and just let them kind of do the work.

“I mean, mature guys understand that a little bit better, how to do things, and they maybe understand hostile environments a little bit better. There's only one way to learn. It's like swimming. You've got to get in the water and go. Some of those guys will be figuring it out on Saturday, and hopefully the older guys -- just like the other night, I think the older guys just help keep things steady, even though it was kind of a crazy situation you can't prepare for.”

Ferentz credited his veteran players for their help getting the team through Saturday’s delays.

“It's funny, we were talking about how long the delays were,” Ferentz said. “It's a really strange thing. There's a reason, I guess, we have a clock at halftime. And glad of it, but 20 minutes seems like an eternity sometimes, and yeah, it was just a weird deal.”

Ferentz altered the team’s workout and meeting routine in 2015, going to morning practices. It’s a schedule that’s worked for the Hawkeyes.

It’s a schedule that will be a little off for the next few days.

“It's a little tougher because you have things Monday morning instead of Tuesday afternoon,” Ferentz said. “But you find a way, that's all. You find a way.”

INJURY REPORT: Ferentz said it’s unlikely wide receiver Keagan Johnson plays on Saturday.

Johnson did get some game time against Nevada, but didn’t play after the first 35 plays of the game, Ferentz said.

Ferentz said Johnson hasn’t practiced yet this week, so he doesn’t expect him to be ready.

“It's a nagging injury, and there's nothing to say right now,” Ferentz said. “We'll take it a day at a time.”

Ferentz said linebacker Jestin Jacobs and cornerback Brenden Deasfernandes could be available for the game. Both have had their injury issues.

“Deasfernandes, I think he practiced today and we're hoping Jestin does tomorrow,” Ferentz said. “Again, it's (a) soft tissue (injury) so it's hard to predict.”