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For those of you unfamiliar with the offensive struggles of the Iowa football team this season, here's a quick summary: In two games, they have scored just 14 points. They have punted 16 times.
More punts than points is hard to do, and it is particularly frustrating for Iowa fans because the most recent display of ineptitude came in a 10-7 loss to rival Iowa State.
For those of you unfamiliar with the celebrity video site Cameo, here is a quick summary: Users pay a agreed-upon fee to have big names on the platform deliver them personalized video messages. I spent $25 a couple years ago for a message from Shannon Stewart, and I have no regrets.
Iowa's offensive woes and Cameo's lure are powerful enough forces. But the improbable intersection of Cameo and the struggles of Iowa has to be considered one of the greatest troll-jobs in fan history.
Here is what has happened, or at least what appears to have happened:
Someone has paid former Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops and current Iowa men's basketball coach Fran McCaffery to record Cameo messages that sound as though they are directed at Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of head coach Kirk Ferentz.
No, really. It's entirely plausible because when you pay for a Cameo you can send your celebrity some words that you want them to say on the message.
Stoops' message — video of which has made the rounds on social media — goes like this: "Hello there, Brian. Bob Stoops here. ... Listen, I know you've had a tough couple of two, three years there. But the good news is, your family still supports you, buddy. Especially your dad. He wants you to know that. Even though everyone else seems to be against you sometimes the best advice is to break free from the family business. Man, go do what you've got to do."
It's generic enough that it could be about any Brian going through a tough time.
The one from McCaffery is similar: "Hey Brian. Fran McCaffery here. I wanted to reach out to let you know all of us in the Hawkeye family are thinking about you. Your family loves you. Your dad loves you. The Hawkeyes love you. You may be thinking about making a move back to New England. Wherever you go, wherever you are, the Hawkeye family will always be with you."
Ferentz was an assistant with the Patriots form 2008-2011 but has been a Hawkeyes assistant or coordinator since 2012.
McCaffery's Cameo fee is just $50 while Stoops' page says his Cameo fee starts at $250, but at this point money is no object.
It's just extremely well-played, and hopefully everyone can laugh about it even in these tough times for Brian.
