Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz Praises USC Receiver Makai Lemon In Rare Way

The No. 17 USC Trojans defeated the No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes, keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive. After the game, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz spoke about the loss, but gave USC wide receiver Makai Lemon a massive compliment.

Oct 18, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The No. 17 USC Trojans took down No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes in a close, physical matchup on Saturday. USC coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans won the game 26-21, moving to an 8-2 record and keeping the program’s playoff hopes alive.

The Iowa Hawkeyes entered the half with a lead, and as the Trojans suffered several injuries, it took an uphill battle for the USC Trojans to come out with the win. After the game, Iowa Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz spoke to reporters and discussed the loss to USC. He had high praise for Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon.

What Kirk Ferentz Said

Nov 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz watches game action against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

On Makai Lemon

Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC wide receiver Makai Lemon speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

“No. 6 is as good as I’ve seen. Going back 20-plus years, I don’t know if anybody’s impacted the game more. I can think of one guy, maybe. But he’s a really outstanding player,” Ferentz said. “There’s a couple other guys, too, but he’s really good.” 

Kirk Ferentz Praises USC Trojans

“Certainly want to give credit to our opponent. They did the things they had to do to take control of the game in the second quarter or second half,” Ferentz said. “But even then, it went right down to the wire.”

“Hopefully, everybody remembers coming into this game, this is a really explosive football team. They’re ranked team for a reason. They’re a good football team. One loss in the Big Ten right now. I thought our guys did a great job getting ready to compete,” Ferentz said.

On USC’s Second Half Comeback

“Went about as well as we could have hoped, and really off to a good start there. Certainly, the second half just a flip on that, and it wasn’t a matter of nobody, you know, effort or any of that stuff. USC just did a good job coming back and, you know, maximizing their opportunities in the second half,” Ferentz said.

“Really, halves both looked very different. So our team was just really proud of their effort, and obviously, we’re all, you know, really disappointed. So, it’s a tough, a tough loss,” Ferentz said. “Got chance there on the last play to, you know, catch the ball and advance it down in there and just keep playing it out. So, tough loss, but you know, we’ll try to get back on our feet here tomorrow and go from there to finish this out.”

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Kirk Ferentz Explains How USC’s Defense Stepped Up In Second Half

Nov 8, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz on the sidelines during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“Games have ups and flows. That’s just the nature of the sports. And, you know, they got a lot of good players everywhere at every position. So, there’s probably a reason they were ranked and probably a reason they’ve had one loss. They’re a good football team. They look good. They play well,” Ferentz said. “Mentioned number six, number eight.”

“It takes a lot of parties involved. So, you know, they’re a good team, but things just didn’t quite go our way there and had a chance and the end,” Ferentz said. “Couldn’t quite get it done."

Kirk Ferentz Adresses Officiating

“Yeah, I mean, I thought I saw a couple things that maybe could have gone the other way, but you know, apparently nobody thought that was flag worthy, so you got to play through those things that doesn’t always work the way you want,” Ferentz said.

“Even that last replay seemed close. But, yeah, you got to go with what gets called and what doesn’t get called, you know. It’s just kind of where it’s at. Can’t do much about it,” Ferentz said. “To me it looked like one of our assistants got out on the field, probably, you know, apparently, you know, literally stepped on the line.”

Sep 14, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz reacts with quarterback Cade McNamara (12) after a touchdown against the Troy Trojans during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

On Mark Gronowski Touchdown Reception vs. USC

“I mean, we’ve practiced that probably all season, I guess, including camp. So, just a matter of, I thought Tim called it in a perfect time. It was just really well executed, and that’s the first thing, to get to the field, and it’s got to be done in practice pretty well, which everybody involved in that, and then I think the timing was absolutely perfect,” Ferentz said.

On Playing Without Offensive Line Starters

“Anytime you lose anybody that’s a starter, it’s, you know, not going to help that cause, that's for sure. And, it’s just one of those things. So yeah, I thought the guys who stepped in did a really good job,” Ferentz said. “It’s just part of football,” Ferentz said.

The No. 17 USC Trojans will next face the No. 8 Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Nov. 22.