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IOWA CITY — Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz has put the Oct. 24 Minnesota game behind him.
"Looked at it Sunday, made corrections and now we're pushing forward," Ferentz said of the Hawkeyes' 13-10 loss in Minneapolis.
In his weekly press conference on Oct. 27, Ferentz spoke to members of the media about injuries, who will be the starting quarterback, what went wrong at Minnesota, and what he and the staff are seeing in the Wisconsin team ahead of another rivalry game.
Iowa's top running back was injured in the first half of the game against Minnesota and did not return to the game. Ferentz announced that Moulton will miss the rest of the season.
"He's going to be done," Ferentz said. "We'll look forward to getting him back here, but he's got some rehab to go through."
Brown entered the game in relief of Jeremy Hecklinski last week and has been given the starting nod by the coaching staff for this week's game against Wisconsin.
"We're not just pulling numbers out of the air," Ferentz said on the decision-making process for the starter. "We're trying to be as critical as we can and as fair as you can, too. If we do something, we usually have a reason for it, and it's hopefully well thought out and grounded in substance."
Ferentz called it an "ongoing process" of speaking with the quarterbacks, or any player who is in the position to potentially start, and going over what went well, what didn't and how to improve.
"We're not just throwing darts at the wall," Ferentz said. "Sometimes you do go by feel, and that's as unscientific as it gets. But you know that gut feelings sometimes play into (it)."
Turnovers and loose balls were some of the biggest issues Ferentz identified in the loss against Minnesota.
Ferentz said taking care of the ball comes from concentration, similar to when an outfielder in baseball is trying to catch a ball. If they look away, they might not come up with it.
"It just gets down to appreciating, understanding the value of the ball, and secondly, really keeping their concentration where it needs to be," Ferentz said. "And that's where the experience and inexperience can play in a little bit. I think we just got to do a better job at concentrating when it comes to that. I can't remember a game where it (the ball) was out as much as that."
Ferentz called the Badgers a "very good football team."
"Another big rivalry game," Ferentz said. "Certainly anytime we get together, it's always pretty intense."
Ferentz said Wisconsin is playing at a very high level right now. The Badgers are coming into town with an overall record of 5-2 and a Big Ten record of 3-1. They beat USC on Oct. 24 in Madison.
"They look really comfortable in what they are doing," Ferentz said. "Well coached, play hard, and very physical in that regard. Bottom line is they're just playing at a really high level right now."