Iowa OC Brian Ferentz, The Ultimate Case Of Nepotism, Left Baffled By The Idea Of Benching Bad QB For A New One

Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz does not understand why he would consider doing something that makes a lot of sense. He was baffled by the idea.

Brian Ferentz has no idea what's going on. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Ferentz, who is the ultimate case of nepotism, is the son of Kirk Ferentz. If he was not kin to the head coach, there is a very good chance that he would not have a job.

The Hawkeyes offense has been abysmal in 2022. Iowa football has scored just 14 points or less in four of six games this season, and scored seven or less in three of those games.

Ferentz is firmly on the hot seat, but says that he is going nowhere.

If a lack of scoring wasn't bad enough for Iowa, it gets worse.

Of the 131 teams in Division-I, FBS football, Ferentz's offense sits dead last in terms of total offense. It is 120th in passing offense and 127th in rushing offense. Yikes.

A large part of the Hawkeyes' struggles stem from quarterback Spencer Petras. He is dead last in passing efficiency and has completed 54% of his passes for two touchdowns with three interceptions.

And this is not a new thing. Petras has started each of the last two years and finished with a completion percentage of less than 60%.

Needless to say, Spencer Petras is not good. He literally cannot get worse.

Behind Petras on the depth chart is Alex Padilla, a junior. With the starter struggling so mightily, Ferentz was probed about the idea of turning to the backup.

Specifically, Brian Feretz was asked what Iowa has to lose by giving Alex Padilla a shot to start over Spencer Petras.

Ferentz looked like he saw a ghost. He could not comprehend the idea of not starting Petras and asked what the upside would be to making a change at quarterback.

Here is how the bizarre exchange played out:

Obviously, to answer Ferentz's question for him, the upside to starting Padilla would be that Iowa would not be starting Petras, who is literally the least-efficient quarterback in college football. But maybe that makes too much sense for a coordinator who only has a job because his dad is his boss.