Following Loss To Purdue, Iowa Ready To 'Go Back To Work'

Iowa strutted into Kinnick Stadium last Saturday against Big Ten foe Purdue with all the pride of a peacock. After all, the Hawkeyes were riding a 12-game win streak, and the Boilermakers weren't even ranked. Fast forward a few hours and the peacock's feathers were plucked and its season soiled. Purdue upset the cocky Hawkeyes 24-7 right there in their own nest.

That feather in Purdue's cap has left Iowa hunting for answers as they head back to work.

"I’ll tell you, (losses) never taste good, never feel good. But you just got to get back on your feet and go back to work," said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz following the loss.

The Hawkeyes will have a week to stew over the loss. They don't play again until October 30th, when they'll visit Madison to cross tails with Wisconsin.

"You know, we’ve got a week here to figure out some answers and see what we can do to improve," Ferentz said. "That’s what the next couple of weeks will be for."

Rather than dwell on Saturday's loss, Ferentz is encouraging his team to, like a bird brain, have a short memory.

"The biggest thing is right now which is to move forward." He then added, "We got to move on and see we can do about moving forward and taking on the second half of this schedule, five-game schedule. So, that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”

Iowa fans shouldn’t fret, because these birds are far from cooked.

As Ferentz notes, the entire second half of the schedule awaits. After the Wisconsin game, the Hawkeyes close out the regular season with a series of winnable games against Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois and Nebraska. A flawless run through the season’s back half would likely clinch the Big Ten West title.

So hopefully, Ferentz and his players spread their wings and soar once again. Fans certainly don't want to see them lay any more eggs.