Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says Ricky Stanzi will start at quarterback for the Hawkeyes when they host Iowa State and there are no plans to continue a rotation with Jake Christensen that the coaches used in the first two games. Stanzi completed eight of ten passes, including three touchdowns in a win over Florida International.
Ferentz says the decision is based on what’s happened since August, and says both have done a good job. He says they wanted to start Stanzi last week to see how he would do in a starting role, and says there are still a lot of unknowns about Stanzi.
Ferentz says while Stanzi has played well the challenge will be much more difficult this week against the Cyclones. Ferentz says, “It’s not like we’re ready to crown him king or anything like that, it’s kind of like our football team, we’ve played hard but really haven’t done anything yet.”
Ferentz says Stanzi still has a lot to prove as the team has won two games, but has a lot more work to do. Ferentz says this game means a great deal to all of the players and says it does not take long for the out of state players to understand that.
“It’s a great thing,” Ferentz says. He says he wasn’t around when the series stopped, and says he hopes it is never stopped again. Iowa’s defense has not given up a touchdown in the first two games but Ferentz warns to not read too much into that.
Ferentz says he’s happy, but says it’s way too early to get too excited as he says they will face much tougher challenges ahead.