Ferentz Surpasses Fry with Historic Win

Kirk Ferentz etched his name in Iowa football history on September 1, 2018, when he became the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 33-7 victory over Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium. After a sluggish first half, Iowa exploded for 30 unanswered points, powered by Nate Stanley’s touchdown pass to Noah Fant and rushing scores from Ivory Kelly-Martin, Toren Young, and backup Peyton Mansell. The defense held strong, shutting out NIU for most of the game, while the offense racked up over 200 rushing yards. Ferentz, ever humble, credited his players and staff — not himself — as the real heroes. The win marked a symbolic shift from the Hayden Fry era to Ferentz’s legacy, with future NFL stars like Tristan Wirfs, T.J. Hockenson, and A.J. Epenesa emerging from that team. Today, Ferentz continues to build on that milestone, adding more wins to his record-breaking tenure — proving that September 2018 wasn’t just a game, but the dawn of a new era for Iowa football. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/a9a213d3ace30935