Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz speaks with the media each Tuesday during the football season. Every week, The Daily Iowan‘s Pregame Staff will post highlights and interesting quotes and lines from Ferentz’s press conference.

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Rough estimate of remaining tickets for Iowa’s last three home games per Iowa sports info — Maryland: 14,000, Minnesota: 6,000, Purdue: 20,000.

• First word: So.
• On Tyler Sash: “His passing has been very, very saddening … Very sorry to learn about the news there.” Mentions thoughts and prayers are still with the Sash family.
• “At this point, we’re really happy to be 4-0 at Kinnick.”
• Praises Canzeri for being Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
• Captains: Ott, Lomax, Blythe, Beathard.
• Drew Ott has an ACL tear, out for season. “That’s the worst part about coaching and football, is just injuries.”
• Other injuries — not expecting Tevaun Smith, Boone Myers, LeShun Daniels Jr., Ike Boettger to play this weekend at Northwestern.
• On running backs: “I expect we’ll have to [get someone else involved]. Right now it’s twofold, Akrum Wadley and Derrick Mitchell Jr.”
• Ferentz said Parker Hesse is the guy at defensive end, also mentions Matt Nelson and Melvin Spears as guys he expects to carry the load. “We’ll go by committee if we have to.”
• Ferentz chuckled about the lack of options he has on the offensive line. Says James Daniels got some good “on the job” training at right tackle against Illinois.
• On head coaches being fired midseason: “In a perfect world, you’d like to see that happen after the season.” Says it’s better for all parties involved if coaches ride out the whole season.
• On backups — specifically Tyler Wiegers — playing: “If they’re on the game field, we’re confident in them.”
• Jake Duzey is “climbing the ladder.” Says the same about Tevaun Smith. Thinks there’s a realistic shot of getting both of those players back after the bye week.
• “To me, you always have to expect adversity, it’s just part of this game. It’s like if we go to Chicago and expect it’s not going to be windy or it might not rain. That’s shame on us.”
• On what Ferentz tells Drew Ott about scouts — “He’s better than you think he is. … He’ll get an opportunity … this doesn’t help his case at all. If there’s anything good about these things is that the outcome is predictable.”
• On Northwestern’s running game: “It doesn’t take much room for [Justin Jackson]. I was watching a play last night and said ‘Wow, how did he get through there.’ “
• Ferentz says he thinks this week’s Northwestern game will be like the 2013 game, which Iowa won in overtime, rather than the blowout last year in Kinnick.

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