Kirk Ferentz' Future With Iowa Football Could Be Decided By Quarterback Play

There were a handful of head coaches in the Big Ten who were perceived to be on the hot seat heading into the 2015 college football season and, in my estimation, Kirk Ferentz was one of them. The 60-year-old Iowa Hawkeyes coach has been with the program since 1999 and has intermittent periods of success.

In the offseason, Ferentz made the decision to move on from Jake Rudock and hand the reins to C.J. Beathard at the quarterback position. Rudock had a solid career statistically, throwing 34 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, but didn’t seem like the guy to take the team to the next level. Rudock generally took care of the ball but wasn’t the playmaker that Ferentz wanted. He thinks that Beathard can be that guy.

Rudock transferred to Michigan in the spring with the hope that he could earn a job elsewhere. The NCAA declared him eligible to play immediately and was named the Week 1 starter for the Wolverines. He had a rocky debut in a loss to Utah and didn’t play particularly well this past weekend in a blowout win over Oregon State. Rudock has thrown four interceptions through two games, which is very uncharacteristic of the senior.

Beathard hasn’t disappointed so far, tossing four touchdowns with no interceptions and also tallying two touchdowns on the ground. He brings a two-dimensional element to the offense that Rudock couldn’t and has the big-play capability.

The Hawkeyes have also been getting contributions elsewhere on offense, rushing for 470 total yards in two games. Matt VandeBerg and Jordan Canzeri have also put up 282 receiving yards, giving Iowa a pretty well-rounded offense.

It appears Ferentz has made the right decision to go with Beathard, but it’s still a little early to know how good they can be this year. They’ve picked up two relatively impressive wins to open the season and will need to replicate their early production if they want to keep winning. It’s always risky to make a sudden quarterback change, and Beathard’s production could make or break Ferentz’ future with the Hawkeyes.

Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten Football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.