Ferentz doubles down on injury narrative, says Iowa fans 'smelled a rat'

More than two days after its conclusion, the heat from No. 3 Iowa and No. 4 Penn State hasn't worn off.

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Penn State head coach James Franklin issued a stern condemnation of Iowa fans, coaches and staff booing during injury stoppages, saying he doesn't believe the actions were "the right thing for college football."

Meeting with the media Tuesday for his weekly press conference, veteran Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz addressed the controversy following his program's 23-20 win over the Nittany Lions.

In a contest that saw multiple game-ending injuries including those to Sean Clifford, P.J. Mustipher, John Lovett, Devyn Ford, and Jonathan Sutherland that could keep them out beyond just the time already missed, Ferentz hinted unsubtly that Iowa football and its fans believed some of Penn State's injuries to be embellished.

"I think probably it's a reaction to there were a couple guys that were down for the count and then were back a play or two later and our fans aren't stupid, they're watching, they know what's going on," Ferentz said. "I've been here 23 years I think that's only the second time we have seen that kind of stuff going on.

"I know it's a topic nationally right now, it was one of the discussions of the rules, they don't quite, nobody knows the answer to it, but it's -- and I also know for a fact that people -- I'm not saying, I just, there are two people in our building that have been places where that was "scuba" or "dive" -- no "scuba" and "turtle" were the code words. So, it goes on. We don't coach it, haven't really been exposed to it and our fans, I thought they smelled a rat, I guess, I don't know, so they responded the way they responded."

Franklin, for his part, plainly did not appreciate that response of the Iowa fans during the course of the game.

Taking time to address the issue right after the game, Franklin said that the possibility of the severity of the injuries created a troubling dynamic for him in considering the reactions made by Iowa and its fans.

"I do have a little bit of a hard time with our players getting hurt, the fans, the coaches and the staff booing our players," Franklin said. "They don't run tempo, that was not part of our plan.

"I just don't know if I necessarily agree, I don't think it's the right thing for college football, booing guys when they get hurt — however it looks. If one of those kids would have been significantly hurt, I just have a hard time with that."

In addition to the booing, television cameras also caught Iowa special teams coach LeVar Woods pantomiming injury on the Hawkeyes sideline while Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie was being examined by the Nittany Lions' medical training staff.

Through the course of the game, Penn State directed on-field medical attention to defensive tackle D'Von Ellies, safety Jaquan Brisker, who has nursed a shoulder problem all season, receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and center Mike Miranda, who was slow to get up at the end of the first half, on top of the game-ending injuries to Clifford, Mustipher, Lovett, Ford, and Sutherland.

Upon first answering the question, asked if he had any thoughts on "the injuries" sustained by the Nittany Lions during the game, Ferentz acknowledged "a couple" Penn State players as having been "legitimately hurt."

"Football's a hard, competitive, tough game and fans are into it just like everybody else is into it," Ferentz said. "First of all, I know a couple players were legitimately hurt, I know that, I saw one sitting on the bench, for whatever reason, there was an opening and I saw him and I know he had an ice bag on his leg. Obviously the quarterback didn't come back. So I hope those guys are well, I don't know what their status is. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt. Nobody."

Franklin's lone availability with the media during his Nittany Lions' bye week will be Wednesday afternoon. Ferentz's comments can be seen in the clip below at the 32-minute mark in the video.

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