What Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz Said About Oregon Ducks' Game-Winning Drive

The No. 9 Oregon Ducks defeated the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes in a close matchup, 18-16. The team had to win with all phases, and the Ducks were able to drive down the field to score a field goal to win the game.

Although the Hawkeyes put up a fight, the Oregon Ducks are 8-1, one step closer to making the College Football Playoff. After the game, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz discussed the tough loss to Oregon.

Ferentz Discusses Oregon’s Final Drive

Oregon Ducks Dan Lanning College Football Iowa Hawkeyes Kirk Ferentz Dante Moore College Football Big Ten Kinnick Stadium — Oct 25, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz arrives at Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

“Our first TD drive. That was critical. We were down 9–0, and we had to do something before the half, and I thought that was an outstanding drive. Another good drive there in the second half, where we turned it over unfortunately, and that cost us points, which obviously factors in at the end. And then that last drive was outstanding. It was do or die,” Ferentz said.

“And then the last throw they made. Throw and catch, I mean, you talk about a matter of inches. It was a great throw. Guy did a good job of bringing it in. TJ had great coverage,” Ferentz said.

“Sometimes that’s football. When you play a team like Oregon, you got to be right there, and there’s nothing easy. This is the kind of game we were hoping it would be. And we just couldn’t quite get it done,” Ferentz said.

“No, not really,” Ferentz said on whether he would take a timeout on Oregon’s drive in hindsight. “We were all aware of what the situation was, and basically, in that kind of series, they started the series just I told Phil how many we had, and if you guys needed one, but I don't think we felt like we needed to regroup. We may have used it if there was something that we didn’t anticipate … but no, we felt good about that. We just didn’t get it done.”

Ferentz On Stopping Oregon’s Run

“I think I’d give them the credit. We’ve been pretty consistent for a long time, stopping the run and that’s a key thing in football. And it’s a factor in tonight certainly because it’s just tough to play good defense if you’re not controlling the run or at least minimizing some of the bigger plays,” Ferentz said. “Those guys, you saw them out there. They’re a big, physical group up front. We knew that. It was a challenge. And then their backs are really good.”

“They’ve got three really good backs back there, and the freshman kid’s really given them ... they’ve started to lean on him a lot more. He’s done a great job as well,” Ferentz said. “It wasn’t like we were terrible, I think they were good and we’re going to have to obviously try and minimize that moving forward.”

Ferentz Discusses Loss To Oregon

“Had a lot of respect for Oregon’s talent, and they’re a really well-coached team. Had been all year,” Ferentz said. “So we knew we had a big challenge on our hands there.”

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“Losing’s tough, never been fun. And that’s certainly the case here. Again, credit to our opponent. They’re a really good football team, and they’ve played well tonight.”

“You know all those clichés forever in football you hear. They stay around because they mean something. It is a game of inches. Details do matter. I think it’s really what it came down to in a lot of ways tonight,” Ferentz said.

“I mean, in a game like this you expect, if you play well, you expect it to be tight. They’ve done a good job of running away from people too, so, that was a goal, to make it a tight, sticky game. And then all that stuff ends up being situational,” Ferentz said. “We went with it and Drew delivered and that was a huge play in the game. And that allowed us at least to have that opportunity to have one last drive.”

“It’s really the second loss like this to this year, in my opinion, where two teams are just going back and forth and competing really hard. And coincidentally, both those teams we lost were really good. And I think we might be in that category too or not far off.”

“It certainly hurts to lose a game. But really it’s these kinds of games I think are emblematic of November football, especially in our conference,” Ferentz said. “Two teams getting after it pretty good. So, all those things we thought coming into the game really, certainly panned out to be true.”

“The most important thing for our team is there’s a lot to be proud of. They’re going to see a lot of really good efforts on film. A lot of things they did during the course of the game that were really impressive,” Ferentz said. “The way we responded several times in the football game. And we still have a good team, and we got plenty of football in front of us.”

“Fans were outstanding. The weather could have been a challenge and you’d never know with them. Didn’t damper their enthusiasm,” Ferentz said. “We appreciate that, it’s a big edge for us.”

Ferentz On The Special Teams Errors

“I assume it had to be [the weather], I didn’t ask, but we just haven’t had that issue really in a long, long time. The first one wasn’t quite; the ball took off on him, and then didn’t have a great punt as a result, and then obviously the ball in the end zone there. So, it had to be that. Fortunately, we settled down and did better after that,” Ferentz said. “Certainly a factor.”

The Oregon Ducks will next face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. PT at Autzen Stadium.

Ferentz Discusses Oregon’s Final Drive

Ferentz On Stopping Oregon’s Run

Ferentz Discusses Loss To Oregon

Ferentz On The Special Teams Errors

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