Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz says there are a couple of issues for the Hawkeye offense as they prepare for Saturday’s game against Michigan State. First is turnovers, The Hawks had five against the Wolverines. The second is avoiding big losses, quarterback Drew Tate has been sacked on numerous occasions and running back Jermelle Lewis has been tackled for some big losses. He says when you’re struggling a bit there’s a tendency for guys to want to make a big play. Ferentz says sometimes you have to take a loss and not back track and make it worse. He says Lewis may be pressing a little bit, and not just taking what’s there. Ferentz says sophomore quarterback Drew Tate continues to improve and will make fewer mistakes as he gets more experience. Ferentz says they’re going to ride with the mistakes he makes and he says it probably won’t get any tougher in the next two weeks. Ferentz says he admires the way Tate has handled things and says he expects Tate to continue to get better and grow as they move on. Ferentz says Tate probably won’t make the same mistakes again as he moves on. One bright spot has been the play of tight end Tony Jackson who was impressive against Michigan. Ferentz says Jackson made some fantastic plays and that’s a positive and says one of the solutions to the offensive problems is to spread the ball around.
