The version of the Penn State team coming into Kinnick Stadium this Saturday night to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes looks about as different as anyone could have imagined, even just three weeks ago.
The Nittany Lions have since fired their long-time head coach, James Franklin, after things quickly devolved into turmoil with a three-game losing streak, marred by the last two losses to UCLA and Northwestern.
This week, Kirk Ferentz, college football’s longest-tenured head coach, was asked about the firing, how things have changed in today’s college football landscape, and his thoughts on the move.
“When I take my headsets off I don’t listen to anything or anybody. I’ve learned how to not listen to the noise, because there’s plenty of it, good or bad.
“I was throwing my tie before coming out here and thinking about that a little bit. To me probably the one that stands out to me is when Coach Helton got fired at USC. It’s been two or three years ago. Kind of broke the ice. I was teasing the NFL guys that were here today just that, you know, that world has crept down into our world.
“It’s a sign of the times. It’s the world we’re living in right now. It’s unfortunate in a lot of ways I think, but it’s just the world we’re living in. It’s not going to change. Well, it’s going to change. It’s going to keep getting more aggressive.
“We live in reactionary times, me personally. I understand that. I’m not being accusatory or judgmental at all, but we live in reactionary times. I learned a lot when I was in pro football six years-wise about football and about other things, and I guess maybe that helps you down the road a little bit.
“The other thing I would point out real quick, I haven’t heard anything about graduation rates in the last four days. Again, it illustrates where we’re at right now, and it’s unfortunate. Or having a great college experience. Throw that stuff out there, too,” Ferentz said of today’s college football landscape.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz has been at Iowa for 27 seasons and has seen the game of college football change drastically in nearly three decades, and yet, he has remained a staple at Iowa, in the Big Ten, and throughout college football Saturdays.
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