ASU’s Graham irked by criticism
In the middle of discussing his offense’s performance against Northern Arizona, Arizona State coach Todd Graham mentioned his team’s 1-0 record for about the fourth time. Talking about the record seemed to trigger something in the coach’s mind and he shifted gears to a new topic, emphasizing words to counter the criticism his team faced following its 44-13 win over the Lumberjacks.
“You know, it amazes me,” Graham said during his weekly news conference Monday. “We’re 1-0. We won 44-13. We gave up 13 points, so we’re going on to the next week. That’s kind of how I feel about that. I just don’t get it.”
The criticism stemmed from Arizona State’s uneven performance against the lower-tier Lumberjacks Saturday.
The Sun Devils scored quickly to open the game, but labored the rest of the half to lead 10-3. Arizona State found a rhythm in the fourth quarter to run away from Northern Arizona, looking more like a Power 5 program is supposed to against an FCS school.
When it was over, much of the focus was on what the Sun Devils had not done right and not the overall outcome, which left Graham a bit irritated.
“We’re 1-0. That’s what I told our players: Half the teams in the country would like to be 1-0 right now,” he said.
Iowa extends Ferentz contract: Kirk Ferentz has a new contract that will likely keep him with Iowa through the rest of his career.
Iowa announced Tuesday that it has signed Ferentz, a native of Upper St. Clair, to a six-year contract extension through the 2025 season.
Ferentz, who is in his 18th season leading the Hawkeyes, will see his salary jump to $4.5 million per year under the new deal, with performance bonuses yet to be detailed. Ferentz said he doesn’t consider early 2026, which is when his contract ends, to be the end date on his tenure in Iowa City.
“I’m not big on caps of any sort. We’ll just take it week by week and year by year,” said Ferentz. “I’ve never felt better, physically and mentally.”
Ferentz’s last contract, which was for 10 years at roughly $40 million, was set to expire in early 2020. Ferentz’s massive buyout was subject to scrutiny under his previous deal, but a series of changes made by Ferentz earning him the nickname “New Kirk” led to a 12-2 season and a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Arrest made in robbery of Foltz’s home: A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the home of the brother of Nebraska punter Sam Foltz, who died in a car crash this summer.
Greeley County Sheriff David Weeks says the man was arrested Tuesday, after having already been arrested on other charges in York County. Weeks declined to give the suspect’s name, saying he has not yet been charged.
The burglary happened sometime after the Foltz family left home around noon to attend Saturday’s game in Lincoln and before they returned around 3 a.m. Sunday. The thieves took tools and a television, all worth about $1,400, from Jordan Foltz’s home and vehicle in rural Greeley, Neb.
Sam Foltz, who would have been a senior at Nebraska this fall, died in a car crash in Wisconsin in July along with former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler.