Iowa coach not ready to panic after two loses

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says the Hawkeyes don’t need any catchy slogans as they prepare to host Illinois in Big Ten play. The Hawks are 2-2 after a 31-6 loss at Ohio State and Ferentz says the Hawks just need to find a way to get better. He says they’re moving forward and moving on. He says win, lose or draw, you move on. He says they’re getting ready for Illinois and the best they can be is 1-1 in the Big Ten. Despite a disappointing start to the season Ferentz says they have not pushed the panic button. He says he’s not worried about their resolve, or their chemistry. He says they’ll be okay and he’s encouraging the football team to focus on the small picture and getting better so they can play well Saturday.Quarterback Drew Tate was penalized after he spiked the ball after getting sacked. Ferentz says it was the result of a frustrating day. Ferentz says the way he looks at it, it’s pretty clear that Tate cares. He says he’d be more concerned if Tate didn’t care. Ferentz says Tate is a fiery competitor but at times needs to keep his emotions in check. He says they all figured out pretty early that Tate has fire, and he says it’s a fine line you have to run. He says what you saw Saturday was frustration over more than one play, and Ferentz says Tate wasn’t the only person feeling that frustration. A victory on Saturday would set a new record for Iowa with 21-straight home wins. The last time the Hawks had a 20-game win streak at home it was snapped in 1923 with a 9-6 loss to Illinois. Ferentz says it’s something they after very, very proud of. He says there have been a lot of people involved in the streak. He says they know they have good fans, but he says the fans aren’t going to win the game and they have to go out and play.