IOWA CITY, Iowa — In unseasonably warm air and beneath a blueish haze over Kinnick Stadium, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz took a moment to himself with two minutes left and his team wrapping up a 40-16 win against Washington.

Ferentz stood apart from his team on the sideline with his headset on as his offense huddled during the media timeout. On the video board, his picture appeared. Public address announcer Mark Abbott relayed that Ferentz was about to win his 200th game as Iowa’s head coach, passing Amos Alonzo Stagg for second in Big Ten history. The crowd stood and applauded, and Ferentz acknowledged them with a wave.

Tight end Luke Lachey gave him a hug, as did running back Kaleb Johnson. Backup quarterback Marco Lainez III shook his hand. With 33 seconds left, Ferentz walked to the TigerHawk at midfield, shook hands with Washington counterpart Jedd Fisch and completed an interview with Fox Sports. More subdued than emotional, Ferentz jogged off the playing surface, up the tunnel and into Iowa’s locker room where his players welcomed him with a water bottle shower.

Sunshine and 70-degree days — literally or figuratively — rarely have followed Ferentz into October in his coaching career, so the picturesque autumn setting was abnormal for college football’s longest-tenured coach. However, how Ferentz and the Hawkeyes responded to a 35-7 loss to Ohio State last week went entirely by script.

There are two defining characteristics through the highs and lows of Ferentz’s 26 years at Iowa: One, his players trust him and believe in him. The other truth is, no football coach — thus, no program — responds better to adversity than Ferentz and his Hawkeyes.

Ferentz’s entire career has revolved around continual improvement. And Iowa has gone very far following Ferentz’s ethos.

“He’s the same person every day,” said left tackle Mason Richman, who is in his fifth season. “He brings the same exact energies. You know exactly what to expect from him, no matter what the scoreboard says.”

Iowa rarely recruits five-star players and mostly signs three-star prospects. Only once in his career did Iowa finish in the top 15 in national recruiting, and that was in 2005. The Hawkeyes are a low-offer program because they heavily research character in recruiting. They want high achievers with good grades who were team captains in multiple sports. To Ferentz and his staff, those players invest themselves and improve others.

“I feel like we recruit the type of the right type of guys,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said. “We just don’t have selfish guys in the locker room. So when you have good guys who understand what a team should look like, and then you also have a good leader, it’s easy to stand together. I just think this team, this program, anytime there’s adversity, we only get closer.”

Those types of players are built to handle challenges, and Iowa continues to have the right coach to navigate them through it. The examples in Ferentz’s era abound.

• In 2016, the Hawkeyes gave up 599 yards in a 41-14 massacre at eventual Big Ten champion Penn State. As a three-touchdown home underdog to No. 2 Michigan the following week, Iowa bounced back with a stunning 14-13 upset.

• Sitting at the midpoint of the 2008 season, Iowa was 15-16 over 2 1/2 seasons. Ferentz never wavered, and neither did his team. The Hawkeyes won their final four games to end that season, and then their first nine in 2009. They finished with their highest final ranking (No. 7) since 1960.

• In 2014, Iowa continued a slope of mediocrity by losing all four rivalry trophy games and finishing 7-6. The next year, dubbed “New Kirk,” Ferentz switched practices from afternoon to morning and became much more open in the public. The players responded in 2015 with a spirit of togetherness, leading to a school-record 12 wins. From that year onward, Iowa ranks tied for 10th among power-conference teams in victories.

• Two years ago, Iowa’s offense was among the nation’s worst in every category. After a 7-3 season-opening win against South Dakota State in which the Hawkeyes scored on two safeties and a field goal, linebacker Jack Campbell shot down any question that dealt with division. Campbell’s attitude set the tone for that season and it carried over to 2023, in which Iowa’s offense posted the Big Ten’s worst statistical numbers in nearly 40 years. Yet there was no sniping, let alone dissension. The team eventually claimed the Big Ten West Division crown.

• In 2004, Iowa started 2-2, including a 44-7 loss at Arizona State. Despite losing four scholarship running backs to injury, the Hawkeyes held it together with defense mixed with an occasional highlight-reel play. The Hawkeyes won their final eight games, claimed a share of the Big Ten title and won the Capital One Bowl with a 56-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play.

That 2004 team was honored Saturday before the second quarter to rousing applause. One of its stars, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, was Iowa’s honorary captain on Saturday. It was a team molded by adversity, and it charted an unconventional path of success. It even took a safety midway through the fourth quarter against Penn State in a 6-4 win. Ferentz gave the eulogy at his father’s funeral in Pittsburgh the day before that game.

Most teams would have crumbled in any of those situations, but Iowa never did.

Why? Ferentz.

“It’s definitely his leadership,” Higgins said. “He truly only cares about the guys in the locker room. When you’ve got a guy like that thinking you’re able to respond, it’s nice. He’s not gonna freak out. Doesn’t matter what the headline is. He’s not gonna come to the meeting room and read off the headlines. He keeps his voice, and we all respond off him. If he’s calm and he knows that we need to respond after a bad game or a tough situation, we’re all going to follow that.”

None of those anecdotes mean Ferentz is perfect. Far from it. Critiques are plentiful about his son, Brian, running his offense for seven years, especially when the final three were so rough. Brian remained in place until university president Barbara Wilson and athletic director Beth Goetz stepped in and dismissed him following the 2023 season. Other complaints about Ferentz’s game-day decision making are fair.

And in 2020, dozens of former players accused the program of racial insensitivity and bias, which was confirmed through an independent investigation. Instead of resisting necessary changes or stepping down, Ferentz opted for a new course. He accepted responsibility and sought counsel from former players, relieved longtime strength coach Chris Doyle and extended a leadership council to include more voices. Many arbitrary rules such as not using X or wearing hoodies in the football complex were vacated. Although some feel the changes didn’t go far enough — while others believed they went too far — there’s no doubt the program has become more welcoming to all players. Its attrition rate is among the lowest in the Big Ten, and it has won the third most games in the Big Ten since that season.

With Ferentz’s guidance, Iowa has punched well above its weight class.

Its recruiting rankings are closer to those of Illinois and Purdue than Michigan and Penn State, yet the Hawkeyes’ results are closer to the latter. Iowa finds ways to win where its peers fall short. It’s not always pretty and perhaps it won’t ever win the ultimate prize. But that Iowa remains anywhere near the College Football Playoff rankings most years is a credit to Ferentz.

“I appreciate him how much this program means to him,” Richman said. “When you get an appreciation like that, you’re less stressed out. With him at the helm, this place has a really special place in my heart and the hearts of many across the entire state.”

(Top photo of Kirk Ferentz: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

The No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones, led by quarterback Rocco Becht, face the West Virginia Mountaineers, led by quarterback Garrett Greene on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 (10/12/24) at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va.

How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV. You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NCAA Football, Week 7

Who: Iowa State vs. West Virginia

When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024

Where: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial)

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Here are the best streaming options for college football this season:

Fubo TV (free trial): fuboTV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS.

DirecTV Stream (free trial): DirecTV Stream carries ESPN, FOX, NBC and CBS.

Sling TV ($25 off the first month)– Sling TV carries ESPN, FOX, ABC and NBC.

ESPN+($9.99 a month): ESPN+ carries college football games each weekend for only $9.99 a month. These games are exclusive to the platform.

Peacock TV ($5.99 a month): Peacock will simulstream all of NBC Sports’ college football games airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night. Peacock will also stream Notre Dame home games. Certain games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock this year as well.

Paramount+ (free trial): Paramount Plus will live stream college football games airing on CBS this year.

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Here’s a preview capsule via the Associated Press:

No. 11 Iowa State (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (3-2, 2-0), Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Iowa State by 3.

Series record: West Virginia leads 6-5.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Iowa State is off to its best start since 1980, and a win would make them 6-0 for the first time since 1938. The Cyclones are looking to extend their road winning streak to seven games. West Virginia is going after its third straight win after a 1-2 start. Iowa State and West Virginia are 2-0 in conference play. One of them will forge a first-place tie with idle Texas Tech.

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa State’s defense vs. West Virginia QB Garrett Greene. Of the dual-threat quarterbacks the Cyclones have faced so far, Greene could be the best. He had runs of 39, 15 and 10 yards against Oklahoma State last week and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 59 yards per game. Run defense hasn’t been a strength for the Cyclones, who hope to force Greene to try to beat them through the air. Iowa State has the Big 12’s top defense, allowing just 10 points and 272 yards per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Iowa State: LB Kooper Ebel has led or co-led the team in tackles in three straight games. He made just three tackles in eight games as a freshman last year. He added 15 pounds to get up to 240 on his 6-foot-4 frame and has made at least six stops in all five games. Last week he had eight tackles and a quarterback hurry against Baylor.

West Virginia: RB Jahiem White. The sophomore ran for a season-high 158 yards in the lopsided win at Oklahoma State and the Mountaineers compiled 389 on the ground. White hopes to be back on track after being limited to 94 yards combined against No. 4 Penn State, No. 22 Pittsburgh and Kansas.

FACTS & FIGURES

Anthony Becht, a tight end for the Mountaineers from 1996 to 1999, will be honored during the game for his induction into the West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. His son, Rocco, is Iowa State’s quarterback. … The Cyclones have won 12 straight when scoring at least 30 points. They’ve scored at least 30 in the last five meetings with WVU. … ISU had nine plays of 20 or more yards against Baylor last week, tied for the most by a Power Four team against a conference opponent this season. … The Cyclones’ defense gets better as the game progresses. They’re allowing an average of 4.0 points and 112 yards in the second halves. … West Virginia will wear all-black uniforms in honor of the state’s coal mining industry.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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The Rosemount High School Marching Band is celebrating a big victory from a competition earlier this fall. In late September they took home the Class AAA Championship trophy at the Bands of America regional competition in Waukee, Iowa. Members of the band joined the FOX 9 Morning News to talk about the win and share how they are getting ready for another big competition this weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.