ISU Fans Celebrate Return to Ames

You've got to watch this celebration when the team returned to Ames

http://www.cyclones.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&id=729690&db_oem_id=10700

Domination in Austin

Well, I guess the Texas fans that were calling for an uprising against ISU knew something I did not.

Iowa State dominated the line of scrimmage all game. Our boys up front had their best day of the year so far. ISU ran for almost 200 yards against a top 10 defense nationally. Then, our defense held a traditionally strong rushing attack from the longhorns to less than 100 yards on the ground. That skewed the Time of Possession in favor of the Clones, 32:27 to 27:33.

I was really impressed with the TV announcers call this weekend, they were very knowledgable about Ames and the ISU squad (they've been to Ames twice this year) and called Iowa State's performance "dominating in every phase of the game".

One of the keys to the game was to win the 1st quarter and ISU did that 7-0. In fact, ISU scored on every possession in the red zone (no I'm not counting the victory formation after stopping Texas on 4th and 15 on their own 5 yard line). Texas was 2 of 6 from the redzone (plus 2 field goals), you just can't win those ball games.

After scoring the second TD of the game in the 2nd quarter, ISU performed the most awesome onside kick you've ever seen. Everyone in the stadium was awaiting the kick to the endzone, and ISU easily recovered the kick after 12 yards.

Now, ISU eventually punted on that drive, but the punt pinned Texas deep in their own zone and made them drive the length of the field, instead of a stunning kick return.

ISU's defense made 3 interceptions, 1 TD saving grab.

All in all, ISU looked awesome and Texas looked stunned. Especially when the score was 28-6 ;-)

I look for ISU to have a hell of a homecoming this week. Watch out Kansas, ISU has beaten 2 big 12 south teams and are 2 wins from a bowl game!

Full stats here, including drive by drive summaries

http://www.cyclones.com//pdf8/718589.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=10700

Check out widerightnattylight.com

http://widerightnattylite.com/articles/isu-football/alternative-mack-brown-posters.html

Cyclone Football in 2010

We're taking it to Texas this weekend, look at this post from one of their fan sites

Total Melt Down Against Utah (68-27)

All I have to say, really, is that when Bruce Vandevelde scheduled this game 9 years ago, Utah sucked. And I mean 4-8 type seasons. Then Urban Meyer got there.

Utah looked every bit like the top 10 team they are, and ISU couldn't keep up.

Personally, I blame the offensive line. All of it. They received hits from the defensive line of Utah instead of taking the fight to them. Until that is fixed, ISU's offense will sit idle/dormant.

Going to OU this weekend is going to hurt, badly.

Going to UT next weekend won't be as bad (since they're down), but will feel like you ripped the scab back off the Utah and OU losses.

For the casual ISU fan, come back and start paying attention on Oct 26th. We'll be ramping up to absolutely violate Kansas.

Tuesday Links

Because everyone is tired/busy on Tuesday Morning, I'm introducing Tuesday Links!

Read what other hacks have to say about ISU and their pending game on Saturday.

http://thegazette.com/2010/10/05/cyclones-have-7-0-mark-for-rhoads-in-games-under-lights/

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/utes/50412767-89/game-utah-iowa-state.html.csp

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101004/SPORTS05/10050342/1023/SPORTS/Tuesday-Morning-Quarterback-3-2-Cyclones-back-in-bowl-picture

http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/football/the-numbers-iowa-state-vs-utah

Enjoy!

Good God Almighty, ISU Scores 52 in Big Win Over Tex Tech

Not sure I've ever seen ISU with 2-100 yard rushers in a single game that both had TDs. Not sure I've ever seen an onside kick returned for a touchdown. I KNOW I've never seen ISU score 52 points in a game.

ISU played their BUTT's off last night. Offensive line obviously blocked well (see 2-100 yard reference above). Arnaud didn't make any game changing mistakes, but did make game changing decisions (to win, bazinga).

ISU came out and hung 24 in the opening half on Tex Tech last night before a very cold ISU crowd. They didn't announce attendance, but it must have been 45-48,000.

ISU ran well and passed for shorter yardage than you'd expect, but very efficiently. Defense definitely "bent" and only broke once. Tex Tech scored a very fast 14 points before half time, mostly due to a no-huddle, hurry-up that caught the defense off guard.

In the end, it was a team win. Offense produced what it was supposed to, the defense didn't give up, and ISU had a special teams score (who returns an onside kick for a TD????).

Up next, a terrific Utah team. I like that we put them on the schedule, helped boost this years strength of schedule. Insert sarcasm tags here. However, if we can get lucky and knock them off, it'll be huge for ISU nationally.

After the #13 ranked Utes, I think we seriously can beat KU, CU, and mizzou (it's the last game at our place and possibly for a bowl bid)

NU comes in after a 17-3 showing over South Dakota State on NU homecoming??!?!!?!? I honestly look for Nebbie to lose their next 3, @K-State, Texas and @Okie State. Then they come back north to rebound against Mizzou (a nice rivalry game) then ISU. They'll be pretty beat up by then, and hopefully, spent.

Post Game Wrap-up Vs. UNI

Iowa State soundly beat the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday night in front of a nearly sellout crowd.

1. Not really an impressive win on a lot of fronts but #1 is that UNI is down this year, and bad. Their second string QB played most of the game, only coming out to let the #1 get rocked again. UNI lost the game prior to ISU against Stephen F. Austin and also had a number of turn overs.
2. ISU defense, the arguably weakest link on the team, outscored the offense. 2 pick six's made for a good final score (27-0), however, the panthers also missed a fg deep in Cyclone territory. ISU was outgained and UNI had the ball for a full 7 minutes more than the ISU offense.

UNI ISU
FIRST DOWNS 17 15
NET YARDS RUSHING 146 117
NET YARDS PASSING 174 93
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS 320 210
Possession Time 33:16 26:44

The game ball goes to Grant Mahoney (place kicker) for 2 field goals, a pat, and a first down on a fake fg option play. The option was run better than Tiller did most of the evening.

Most analysis I've seen today revolves around Tiller not making mistakes (Arnaud went out hurt after the first Cyclone series, a 3 and out). No turn overs, but no real "plays" either. Longest play of the night was an Alexander Robinson 27 yard scamper. Longest play in a shut out against a Div I-AA opponent was a 27 yard run? really? BOOOO you offense.

In particular, boo the offensive line. They looked and played like swiss cheese. UNI had 4 sacks. 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again, penalties were the problem. ISU had 8 for 60 yards. The ISU saving grace was that UNI had 7 for 60 yards in addition to 3 turnovers.

All in all, I'm more scared to face the Big XII schedule we have coming than before the UNI game. ISU MUSTFIX THE OFFENSE if they hope to be competitive at all.

Or who knows, UCLA beat Texas, maybe this schedule is a blessing in disguise?



full stats here http://www.cyclones.com//pdf8/713269.pdf?SPSID=48323&SPID=4653&DB_OEM_ID=10700

Projecting all 35 bowl matchups

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/08/27/2010-bowl-projections/index.html?utm_source=bleacherreport.com

SI has ISU vs. Pitt in the pinstripe bowl.

Fox Sports Preview Continued

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5q8wE3oO5w&feature=player_embedded

Fox Sports ISU Reporting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5q8wE3oO5w&feature=player_embedded

Fire it up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyzCw6y1yYU

Will not be the last you see of this video

Cyclone Respect

http://cfn.scout.com/2/954670.html

The Spring Big 12 Team Rankings
1. Texas
2. Nebraska
3. Oklahoma
4. Missouri
5. Texas Tech
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma State
8. Iowa State
9. Kansas
10. Kansas State
11. Colorado
12. Baylor

A new hope

Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads thinks the big picture of the Iowa State football program is looking good after a scrimmage that followed the Cyclones’ spring practice Saturday in Jack Trice Stadium. On a brisk but pleasantly sunny day, the Cyclones scrimmaged, facing a variety of situations.

“You can see we are a tougher football team,” Rhoads said. “We are more physical. There was a lot of good contact on both sides of the ball. The bottom line is that we are more athletic overall.”

And there's good reason to have that hope! We have a young class of QBs and RBs waiting in the wings, the offense returns 8 starters and the defense returns 5 starts plus 5 that saw significant action in 2009.

Saturday, the clones hosted their 2nd spring scrimmage, this time in Jack Trice. Link to pictures

“I thought our young guys showed some potential,” Rhoads said after the scrimmage. “We still had a couple of guys put the ball on the ground today and that is unacceptable. Ultimately, we have demonstrated that we are doing a lot things better so far this spring.”

The spring game is April 17 at 2 p.m. mark your calendars!

Long time no post

ISU did beat Baylor, handily.

ISU upset NU at NU. If you need more info on this, pickup any newspaper in Iowa.

ISU then lost to aTm, it wasn't on TV and no AA or AROB.

Prediction from USAToday

No. 18 Oklahoma State at Iowa State, 3:30 p.m.
This game means a lot more to the Cyclones, who are one win from bowl eligibility. That is the recipe for an upset. IowaState 27, Oklahoma State 26.

ESPN picks ISU to beat Baylor

Iowa State 27, Baylor 24: The winner of this game should see its bowl hopes push ahead. The Cyclones have come close in their last two games, dropping a one-point loss to Kansas State on a blocked extra point and a tight six-point defeat last week to Kansas when a potential game-winning pass slid through the hands of Darius Darks late in the game. This time, the Cyclones will take advantage of their home field against Baylor, which will decide between Nick Florence and Blake Szymanski at quarterback. Something’s got to give as the Cyclones have an 11-game Big 12 losing streak and the Bears have lost 12 straight road games. I think the Cyclones are due to win a game on their home field after their near-misses the last two weeks.

CFN picks ISU to win big +12

Original story can be found here

Kansas State (2-2) vs. Iowa State (3-1), (in Kansas City), 3:00 EST, Saturday, October 3

Why to watch: For two of the Big 12’s lesser teams, this is a must win. There aren’t going to be a lot of chances to pull off a victory, with each team likely to be the underdog in every game the rest of the way, but a win will keep bowl hopes alive while the loser can all but forget about a 13th game. Iowa State, at 3-1 after a dismantling of Army, has a better chance at a bowl with home games against Baylor and Colorado still to be played, while Kansas State would have to win this week and pull off a slew of big upsets to go bowling. However, the Wildcats get four home games in a five week stretch, including a date with Colorado. Each program is trying to build, and each is looking at this game as a chance to avoid the North basement.
Why Kansas State might win: The Wildcat defense has been solid. There’s no pass rush and the front four isn’t getting to the ball carrier behind the line, but the defense has yet to allow more than 186 passing yards or 173 on the ground (both coming from UCLA). In a game between two offensively challenged teams, field position will be a key. One of Iowa State’s biggest strengths is its punting game, but Kansas State has a strong return man in Tysyn Hartman, and a superstar in Brandon Banks, who returns punts along with his kickoff return duties, to negate the Cyclone advantage.
Why Iowa State might win: QB Austen Arnaud will have all day to throw. Mobile enough to avoid the pass rush, he has also been helped by a line that has allowed just two sacks so far. Kansas State has only come up with four sacks and isn’t likely to throw Arnaud off his game. On the other side, the aggressive Iowa State defensive front will pressure KSU QB Carson Coffman for most of the game. This isn’t a Wildcat attack that can produce when harassed.
Who to watch: While Arnaud has been the star of the Cyclone offense, junior Alexander Robinson has been the steadying force. He has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last three games and has been a decent receiver when used with two catches for 49 yards and a score against Army. While he has an issue with a groin problem, he’s expected to play and not be limited. For Kansas State, Banks is the weapon who needs to be used even more in the passing game. The senior returned two kickoff returns for scores last week against Tennessee Tech, and he has caught 19 passes for 223 yards so far. With his speed, quickness, and experience, he has to be a difference maker in some way for the Wildcats to pull off the road upset.
What will happen: Iowa State’s defensive line will control the game from the start. Arnaud and Robinson will be the two best players on the field to get the Cyclones ahead and keep them there.
CFN Prediction: Iowa State 26 … Kansas State 14 ... Line: Iowa State -3
Must See Rating: (Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami 5 … The Jay Leno Show 1) … 2

ISU RUNS PAST ARMY

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=48323&SPID=4653&ATCLID=204802461&DB_OEM_ID=10700

Watchout Kansas City, you're under a CYCLONE WARNING

When ISU traveled to KC for their last game in Arrowhead, it was to meet a highly touted Florida State team. After winning that game, it put ISU on a prominent stage (Seneca was in and I have the photo to prove it). ISU showed up in droves and I expect us to travel just as well this time.

As for the numbers, KSU is 2-2 winning only at home against D1-AA schools, so if they want to go bowling, they have to go atleast 5-3 in conf play!

ISU faces a fairly run heavy KSU offense.

RUSHING	GP	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Thomas, Daniel	4	91	451	18	433	4.8	4	23	108.2
Valentine, K.	4	22	169	0	169	7.7	1	34	42.2

PASSING	GP	Effic	Cmp-Att-Int	Pct	Yards	TD	Long	Avg/G
Coffman, Carson	4	116.9	55-95-4	57.9	684	2	64	171.0
Gregory, Grant	3	62.7	2-6-0	33.3	21	0	16	7.0

Rashawn Parker is done (as Rhoads said to assume the worst)

All time ISU has 49 wins against KSU (49-39 series)

ISU is 49-39 all time vs. KSU

27-7 at halftime? Yes we did!

Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWku-wsNSuk for ISU vs. Kent State highlights.

ISU jumped out to a 27-7 lead in the first half, and ended the game with 404 yards of total offense 234 came from rushing.

Let me repeat that, 234 came from rushing. ISU is a running team, who also happens to be running the spread offense. The huge O-line splits and 3-4 WR are making the opposing defense cover too much field to stop the rushing attack.

Alexander Robinson had 143 yards on the ground, and 1 td, with a long of 26. That is the second game in a row ARob has been over 100 yds.

AA was 13-21 for 144 yds and 1 TD (0 INT), and still looked a little "off" in timing. ISU's second stringers saw a lot of action in the second half. RB Jeremiah Schwartz and Beau Blankenship had 4 and 5 carries respectively.

ISU looks ahead to Army this week, a team who has thrown for 185 passing yards total so far this year.

I was wrong

Wow....

Honestly the defense did what it needed to do before the offense gave up 6 turnovers. You do not win games that you have a -4 on turnovers.

Arnaud had 4 picks, Tiller 1 pick and I'll give ARob the fumble.

ISU is still favored by 1 over Kent State this weekend, but I don't know. Boston college beat up on them about the same margin that ISU got beat by.....

ISU has a lot to fix going into Saturday's contest on the road...

The Offense did show promise in the running game, but the inability to throw after getting down killed us.

Time for my Prediction

It's hard to be objective this week, HOWEVER:

Iowa's offense
Good lord was that bad. Running game is non-existent. I really don't expect to see it much better against ISU. BUT, Tony Moeaki more than made up for the lack of rushing adding 10 catches for 83 yards. ISU's LB can't run with him. What to expect? ISU puts a nickelback on Moeaki instead of a LB, look for ISU to run a 4-2-5 defense. ISU won't stop the Iowa machine, hopefully it can slow it down just enough for this......

ISU's offense
ISU's receivers have a distinct advantage against a CB and Safety that UNI exploited for 2 big gainers last weekend....ISU has 4 WR that are ready to go, I just don't see that Iowa has an answer to that. Sure they have Spivey (sp?), so AA won't throw to that side, but with Marquis Hamilton, Sederick Johnson , Darius Reynolds and a supposedly healthy Darius Darks, should be able to run all over the Iowa secondary. Iowa will use it's front 6-7 to disrupt AA's timing and comfort in the pocket. However, as I said last week, ISU ran more than I expected so I look to ISU to mix in that halfback option enough to keep the d line honest. I think ISU has more tools on Offense.

Special teams
As Steve Deace said this morning, if Dan McCarney had the special teams that this team has, he'd still be coach. Grant Mahoney solidly hit a 50 yd field goal in 0 wind. Leonard Johnson is such a threat people kick away from him, but David Sims still runs it back to the 40. Advantage ISU. Iowa has a 'pro-style' punter, which will help them in field position, but ISU used several long drives against NDSU to march the distance.

Intangibles
It's in Ames, before a theoretically sold out crowd, and Iowa returned some of their ticket allotment for the game, so more ISU fans got tix. ISU is VERY tired of being little brother and UNI showed that Iowa is not world beaters. That is good for both teams, but I think it helps the young and impressionable ISU team more than Iowa. Gameday weather is going to either be rainy or extremely humid. Iowa obviously tired in the second half against UNI. ISU will run 10-15 more plays than UNI did, making conditioning a bigger issue. If it's wet or humid, I give advantage to ISU's offense vs. Iowa's D.

I honestly look for a 34-27 score type game, and ISU winning.

For Iowa to win, they have to come out and hang something on the board early and stop ISU's early drives. A young team will cannibalize itself, if it feels stagnation. If Iowa lets ISU keep it close (or if ISU runs away out of the gate), ISU will win this game. All that ISU needs is a chance to win in the second half. I don't look for this ISU squad to be a come from 21 down to win kind of team.

How's that?

In Honor of BEAT IOWA week

A good friend of mine from College is one of the driving forces for BeatCancerToday.org, check it out for great gear for the game this weekend. Far more PC than your average beat something t shirt ;-)

http://www.beatcancertoday.org/

Great site for NCAA stats

http://web1.ncaa.org/football/exec/rankingSummary?year=2009&org=311

I am not Afraid of The Hawkeyes

After their punishing defeat of UNI on Saturday, the Hawks travel to Ames for their next helping of crow pie.

A really funny read from a Hawk blogger can be found here

Iowa's offense was embarrassing bad. All I heard all week was how Stanzi would "light up" the in experienced UNI defensive backfield. "It doesn't matter who starts at RB, Iowa will run all over UNI." And you know what? I believed it.

I tell you now, I believe it no longer. 8-4 is the absolute best possible record for the Hawks in a down year for the Big 11 (more on that later).

UNI dominated both Offensive and Defensive lines, and basically played to a stalemate. It can and will be argued that UNI's lines are also very well coached and prepared, so ISU should not EXPECT the same results without preparing in a similar fashion.

Either way, if you didn't catch the game, UNI lead for most of the game, with Iowa scoring a couple of second half touchdowns to pull ahead by one. And UNI was 2 blocked field goals from winning this.

Things that scared me

Defensive front 7 were abysmal, and that's being nice. We gave up 200 rushing yards to D-1AA NDSU. Unacceptable. If Iowa, and I do mean if, has any kind of running game, we may not be able to control the tempo of this game.

Too many dropped passes. I seriously believe we'd have had 2 more TD's if our WR's caught the ball. Austen was at fault on a couple, but I can remember 2 (MARQUIS HAMILTON) that should have been caught, one in the end zone.

Things I liked last night

End around pass play. Money Reynolds CAN throw the ball, just catch it next time Marquis.

No delay of game penalties even while the coaching head sets went down. I can't say I liked keeping the playbook as closed as Herman did, but they showed flashes of brilliance. We need to work on Austen's timing, but hopefully that get's ironed out before next saturday.

We caught almost all punts. It seems trivial and minor, but we didn't start a drive inside our own 5 all night.

Defensive Backs played like they were 10 ft tall. We didn't give up any huge gainers through the air, and kept NDSU under 200 yds passing.

ISU's kicking game. As I said before 57 yards was funny, but hitting at 50 was FUN.

5 Reasons ISU Did Beat NDSU

1. Offense, all 450+ yards of it. Arnaud looked a little 'off', as was his timing, but he still threw for near 230 yards. Robinson’s final stat line totaled 85 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and 36 receiving yards. The one Cyclone who surprised and impressed me the most on Thursday night was Marquis Hamilton. While he only caught four passes, the senior took two of them to the house for touchdowns and very well could have proven himself to be that home run threat. He showed me a burst of speed that I didn’t know he had. Hamilton totaled 97 yards on the night.

It’s also noteworthy that the man they call “Money,” Darius Reynolds caught six passes for 53 yards, seems to be the 'go to' guy on out routes. I love the depth that this team has at the wide receiver position.

2. No penalties, save 1 with 1:00 left on a punt return. Much more disciplined team this year, which was awesome to see.

3. New coaching staff. Coach Rhoads summed it up best after the game. He even got a little bit emotional when he said, “It’s special. To win a football game, as a head coach, and to do it here, it’s special.”

4. Special teams. Yes, we missed the 57 yarder, but we hit the 50 yarder, with a little to spare. That made the perverbial roof come off Jack Trice.

5. Fans. All 48.,000 of my closest friends showed up last night. The biggest home opening crowd since 1987, vs. Iowa. Now, the crowd was not deafening or all that fired up, but they were there. I think we'll set some kind of record next week!

5 Reasons ISU Will Beat NDSU....Not That It Should Be of Any Surprise

A number of articles (including Bleacher Report) lately have pegged NDSU and ISU as a game to watch in week 1 of the coming NCAA season. What you'll find below is exactly why this game should and will be a "non-event".

1) It comes down to who will have the biggest chip on their shoulder. ISU players have been abandoned on by the last staff. They weren't given the chance to play to their potential and they know it. CPR will be at the helm for the first time ever. Tom Herman will want to prove that last season at Rice wasn't a fluke and that he can coach and win against the big boys. Wally is going to want to prove that he can take the challenge and succeed at taking ISU's sub-par defense and turn it into what it was earlier this decade. Our guys come out and roll NDSU.

2) Offense: ISU produced a nationally ranked 42nd offense last season with 4 games of QB's splitting time. That is nothing to shrug off nor anything the Bison have yet to see. The Bison lost their "star" safety from last year, and 5 players to some form of suspension and arrest so far this year. ISU OC Herman better go 5 wide, all on some form of corner, post or streak routes early, and tire their dbacks. ISU has way more depth, and can turn it into a foot race, every down.

3) Defense: Wally Burnham. Have you heard of South Florida? It's because of his defenses that that school was put on the map.

4) Special teams: Leonard Johnson. That boy can run. Pair him with incoming Darius Reynolds, and you will not catch these guys if they get a few blocks as was seen in last year's Oklahoma State game

5) Head Coach Paul Rhoads. Everything is on the line in his first performance. Ask any that have heard him speak, he's a wonderful motivational speaker. Most ISU fans want to suit up for this guy. He's been in Ames before, on VERY successful bowl teams. He knows what it takes to win at ISU and knows he cannot overlook or even come out flat against NDSU

I'll be in the stands September 3rd, but I won't be holding my breath, I'll be screaming along with 40 thousand of my closest friends. Another thing NDSU has no experience with.

As the Cyclones enter the '09-10 season, they're looking to shake the dust off of the past 2 years and take again steps towards success.

On media day coach Paul Rhoads said he feels that the team has made the necessary strides to get to where it needs to be for the Sept. 3 opener against North Dakota State. Rhoads spoke Wednesday and said his team was filled with excitement and enthusiasm.

“We’re exactly where we wanted to be going into training camp,” Rhoads said.

Fans are hopeful, with Head Coach Paul Rhoads bringing in Mensa member Tom Herman for the Offensive Coordinator.

Tom Herman joined the Cyclone staff after coaching at Rice since 2007. With a reputation for engineering high-powered offensive attacks, and his first edition of the Owls reinforced that notion as they smashed nearly 40 offensive records and Jarett Dillard, Chase Clement and James Casey earned individual accolades.

Over the last seven games of the season, the Owls averaged 374 yards passing and 496 of total offense, and set school season marks for completions (311), attempts (526), passing yards (3,517), touchdown passes (29), total offense (4,848 yards), first downs (279) and points (377).

Rhoads also brings in defensive genius Wally Burnham for the D Cooridator spot.Wally Burnham brings 40 years of experience to Iowa State as the team’s new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Burnham comes to Ames from South Florida, where he led a Bulls defense that ranked 10th nationally last season.

Burnham’s South Florida defenses ranked among the top 30 nationally in six of the last seven years. The Bulls ranked 10th nationally in total defense (287.6 yards per game) and run defense (95.2 yards per game) last season.

The cyclones completed their first week of practice on Sunday, going 6 am to 10 pm. Rhoads was quoted by www.cyclones.com as saying his team really got down to business Friday after Wednesday’s media day and practice on Thursday.

“There is always a little bit of a thrill when you come back to practice for the first time,” Rhoads said. “The thrill lessens as the work picks up and that is to be expected.”

Rhoads said the first week of practice can be ragged.

“When you haven’t been out there, you are going to see mistakes as everybody gets into football shape, which is different than coming to camp in great physical condition. They will come around.”

ISU no more 3 yards and a cloud of dust

Iowa State's new Offensive Coordinator, Tom Herman, will attempt to rise from the dust of a 2-10 season to field a more potent offense; just like the Rice Owls where he coached the last 2 seasons. In two seasons with the Owls, Herman’s offenses broke nearly 50 the school records and helped Rice win 10 games in 2008, including the school’s first bowl game since 1954.

Having played in the Big XII and Big 8 for the last umpteen years, ISU had traditionally survived on the prior "smash mouth" football.

Dan McCarney (former Head Coach at ISU) had back to back 2,000 yard rushing seasons in 1995 and 1996. In McCarney's later years, fans routinely booed what they called "Davis up the middle" after the coaches penchant for running between the tackles.

Herman's new spread offense frequently utilizes 4-5 WR's in varying slot, TE, grouped and wideout formations. Luckily Herman inherits a stable full of targets. In last Saturday's scrimmage, Darius Reynolds (a JUCO transfer) separated himself from the newcomers.

“Darius does a great job of snaring the ball,” Herman said. “He is a guy who has worked himself from off the two-deep to a position where he is going to play.”

Darius Reynolds joins Darius Darks, Marquis Hamilton, Donnie Jennert, Houston Jones, and Sederick Johnson for the top 6 WR at ISU.

Interesting Read

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/big12

Iowa State's running backs: With new offensive coordinator Tom Herman taking over with a spread offensive attack, a talented array of running backs still will have frequent opportunities to contribute. Leading returning rusher Alexander Robinson could be poised to become one of the most underrated rusher/receiver combination backs in the conference. But Robinson will have to fight for playing time with a stacked group that also includes bruising redshirt freshman Jeremiah Schwartz and heralded University of Florida transfer Bo Williams. Herman will be able to utilize all three backs in a variety of roles.

Great Explanation on ISU recruiting out of state

The below is from DELT4CY on CycloneFanatic.com


I'm going to compare the number of D1 programs in Iowa to the number of "comparable" D1 programs in Texas to justify why it is absolutely necessary to recruit "out of state".

Iowa: Programs:

ISU 85 scholarship players
Iowa 85 scholarship player
Total = 170
(*guess 25 avg class/yr * 2 = 50 in-state players/yr)

Iowa Population of male 15-19 yr olds 111,172/5 = 22,234 per grade.

This means that in order to produce an all-Iowa D1 class; 50/22,234 = 445: 1 out of every 445, seniors would have to be D1 caliber. (Think about that)

Texas: "Comparable" Programs: (kids would choose over ISU to narrow pool size) Common sense: Texas pop. is large, but they also have more D1 programs to pick from.

Texas
A&M
Tech
Baylor
TCU = 85*5=425 scholarship players at or above ISU level.

25 avg. recruiting class * 5 = 125 seniors/yr.

Texas males 15-19= 811,456/5 = 162,291/grade.

In order to produce a comp. team for the 5 comp. schools in Texas, they have their pick from 1 out of every 1,298 kids.

Iowa: 1 of 445 kids would need to be D1 caliber.
Texas: 1 of 1,298 kids would need to be D1 caliber.

See the disparity. This shows two things IMO.

1. If we're trying to talk Apples to Apples, two comparable teams of in-state recruits Texas to Iowa would be like Valley HS playing Adel HS. Valley is statistically going to have more D1 athletes. Therefore, Iowa doesn't have as good of chance even if you take plain population figures out (that's why I compared 5 comp. Texas schools vs. 2 comp. Iowa schools)

2. For Texas specifically, this shows that there is an almost 3 times larger population base of potential D1 athletes to pick from than there are in Iowa. (When taking into account a pool of 125 needed D1 players for the 5 Texas programs)
Due to a per/student disparity we need to take advantage as much as possible and recruit Texas, as this example indicates.

This doesn't take into account talent, resources, etc., etc., just purely population figures. It also doesn't take into account the # of outside Texas programs preying on Texas athletes. (but I think that is an effect of the pop. figure) The logic is certainly flawed in a few areas but I think it's an interesting way to look at it.

Hopefully some of you can make some sense of that.

ISU Names Kevin Jackson as new wrestling Head Coach

Below is a transcript of Friday's media conference as Iowa State introduced Kevin Jackson as its new head wrestling coach.

Kevin Jackson
“I am truly humbled to be in this position today to lead Iowa State’s wrestling team. I said to (ISU athletics director) Jamie (Pollard) we’re just going to continue the tradition that such coaches as Jim Gibbons, Bobby (Douglas) and Harold Nichols have started.”

Kevin Jackson Multimedia
Kevin Jackson Photo Album David Zabriskie, Nick Fanthorpe and Jake Varner Interviews	_	Archived Newsconference

“This is a great opportunity for me. I thank the (ISU President Gregory Geoffroy), Jamie (Pollard), (ISU senior associate athletics director) David Harris, (ISU senior associate athletics director Steve (Malchow). I met with those guys Tuesday night and we clicked right away. I thought that for the first few minutes of the interview it went really well. It was more like a conversation than it was an interview. They understood that I wanted to be at Iowa State.”

“I’ve had some great years here in Ames, as student-athlete, as a world class wrestler. I couldn’t have won Olympic gold medals or world championships if it wasn’t for Iowa State, the athletics department and the Cyclone Wrestling Club.”

“I am excited to lead a group of young men that are sitting (in the auditorium). The team has come out to support me. I just got a chance to meet with them this morning. A couple of those guys are going to be competing at the end of this month at the World Team Trials. So, they are already on the path that I think is necessary for us to get the best recruits and for us to continue to have a tradition that holds true. We want NCAA champions, world class wrestlers and Olympic champions in our program.”

“I have family in the room today. I have several teammates that have been with me the last 20 years. I am really happy to know they are here. I am really excited to see the turnout and the applause is great.
“With that being said, it’s going to be a great run. You guys know why I am here. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t think we could get it done. Our goal is to be the best. Our goals are to win every match, win every tournament, to win every dual, to beat our cross-state rivals. I can’t wait until we perform at Hilton Coliseum in that Iowa-Iowa State dual. That is going to be a great experience for everyone. You are going to see a change in our tactics, in our scoring, in our aggressiveness and the things that we are going to do to win matches.

“I still have obligations with Sunkist Kids. Some athletes are still competing at the World Team Trials and having camp at the end of the month in Lincoln, Neb. to prepare some guys for their final preparations in the World Championships and the World Team Trials.”

On the adjustments to being a first-time collegiate head coach
“There are several things I have to adjust to. I know I have a learning curve. The recruiting process is probably the most important part of it. Right now we are pretty solid in our lineup but I think immediately a there is a gap for the next season that I have to close in the recruiting process. I think we have a package that won’t be denied.

“I am excited because it is Iowa State. As you know, I had the possibility to coach at Arizona State as well but I was talking to Jamie and he knew the process I was in as well I was in the same mode with Arizona State as I was with Iowa State. I was communicating with their athletic director and associate athletic director. I told Jamie that Arizona State is going to call me back tonight and fly me in Friday and I don’t want to go and be put in that position. Jamie said they wanted me as our coach and I could have jumped through the roof. It was a crazy time. You have to realize that I won a gold medal but when he said that it was equally as exciting if not more than winning the gold because you are talking about coming back to Iowa State and competing in the greatest rivalry in wrestling if not sports.

“I was more than excited to accept the job even though my wife told me ‘don’t accept anything without looking at the contract and talking to me first.’ I went home and she said ‘what happened?’ I said that I took (the ISU job)."

"I am excited to be running the wrestling program. With this group of young men we are going to have a lot of fun and do a lot of winning. I think it is going to be exciting for these young men because there is nothing like winning the NCAA title for Iowa State with former ISU head coach (Jim) Gibbons in the room right now with his brother (Jeff). I understand how important it is for us to have success and I am impressed with Jamie’s understanding of the Cyclone Nation, that we needed a Cyclone in this program and there is a difference between being a Cyclone and a Hawkeye. While working at USA Wrestling, I followed Iowa State, I watched the Iowa State-Iowa dual. I go to the NCAA tournament and I am excited to be there."

“My deal is that my door is open. I want to get everyone involved. I want to get people involved that are going to support the program from a physical standpoint, a psychological standpoint, a financial standpoint. We are going to have to change some things.”

“Bill Tate, Mike Van Arsdale, Jim Gibbons, they were the reasons I came to Iowa State. I was speaking to my athletes this morning about what my history was and I wrestled at Louisiana State. My senior year of high school, I wrestled Mike at the junior national tournament. Mike is Mike; he is a little flamboyant and energetic young guy. We were wrestling at the junior nationals and I had just won Greco-Roman and I was on my 18th, 19th match in freestyle. I am wrestling Mike in the junior national tournament. I am ready to give it up, I am exhausted. We get through the first period and I am exhausted. The period gets over and I walk over to my corner exhausted, having mental letdowns. Mike looks at the crowd and says ‘I am going to get him.’ I thought ‘I am going to kill this guy.’ So I was able to beat him and I know he remembers it. From that experience, I went to Louisiana State the following year as a freshman and went to UNI to wrestle in our regional. I was watching the Iowa State High School Tournament and saw Mike wrestling Bill Tate and Bill beat him. That was the first time I found out that Mike and Bill were going to Iowa State. That summer, LSU dropped the program and I got to know Jeff Gibbons and we worked all summer together and we built a strong relationship which was why I decided to come to Iowa State. When I was at Louisiana State, I beat quite a few Iowa guys but I saw that Iowa won every national title, they had eight and when I got here they won number nine. I thought the group at Iowa State, if I transferred there could win. I have a life-long friendship with them. They are like brothers to me and I look forward to having them at all the dual meets. They have come a long way to support me today; it is great to see them.”

“Like I said when I talked to Jamie the first time, they had really done their homework and were really in-tune with what they thought the team needed. They understood after talking with Cael and his assistants what they thought they were missing. The group I am about to put my hands on is a luxury. They are very good, they have won a number of trophies at the NCAA tournament, and they have a number of All-Americans on the team. With that being said, we want to be great and that is our goal, to go from good to great. They are such exceptional wrestlers now but only one has met his goals and won a national championship. They all want to be national champions so that is a step we have to take. Cael left a gold mine and it is my responsibility to take the next step with these guys. That is the goal and that is what we started to pursue yesterday.

“I don’t want any of (the current team members) to leave. I am going to try and keep every single one of our athletes here because I believe that they can meet all their goals at Iowa State. Iowa State is a better institution than anywhere they would go. And I understand that kids come to a program for a coach but the kids that stay are here are for Iowa State and they want to get it done here. They have competed against Iowa the past three or four years and have not had the success they were looking for and they know what they are capable of and being able to do here. We have a core group of guys here who are invested in Cael but invested in the university and a degree and finishing what they have started. It is up to me to make sure that investment they made pays off. I am not going to say who wants to leave because I want everyone to stay and that is something we will work on.

“I want the kids that want to be here, that want to be at Iowa State, a kid that wants train with my guys out here, a guy that wants to be part of a national championship program and a kid that wants to wrestle for Iowa State and his coach. I understand a kid’s mentality, when I was going through recruiting; I was looking for a coach and university. Because Cael is Cael and has his legendary status to the young kids, that kids think that they are going to wrestle for Cael. I want the kids to be happy. I know the four kids that are incoming and I want them to be happy.”

“I do have ideas for the coaching staff; I am not going to share them. They told me to take my time with the hires because they are going to be important hires for me. The people I put in place have to aid me in my learning curve have to be loyal to myself and the program. There is a short list and a long list. I have worked with a lot of coaches and athletes at the NCAA level and I can’t tell you how many people want to be part of the Iowa State program. I am going to take my time picking the people who are going to aid me.

“My goal is to see Iowa State win but I am also going to aid the country with our collegiate athletes to advance them to win at the world-class level. We are going to get some quality guys back in our room and some former Cyclones who are going to sit in Hilton with 15,000 others. I am going to push hard to see if that happens and then I am going to work on finalizing our staff. My priorities are to meet with the team, which I have already done and then I have some individual meetings this weekend to talk with these guys to see where their heads are at and what they need to win. That is very important to me.”

“I am older and a little heavier than (former Iowa State head coach) Cael (Sanderson). I have been in the game for a while and have some expertise. I think Cael is a great coach and will become a greater coach and have success at Penn State. I don’t want to say anything that is going jeopardize that from a personal standpoint. We are all different and I am happy for him and his family, I think he will do a great job at Penn State and as long as he is happy I am happy.”

The very last to report

Cael Sanderson resigned as Head Coach of ISU wrestling to pursue the head job at Penn State!

It's confirmed on every major news source including www.cyclones.com

What I don't like about this is what Jamie Pollard wasn't able to do about it....ugh

College football news

http://cfn.scout.com/2/854668.html

Iowa State Cyclones

Realistic best case record with this schedule: 7-5
Barring total disaster worst case record: 3-9
Realistic record: 4-8

Non-Conference Schedule: North Dakota State, Iowa, at Kent State, Army
Games vs. the Big 12 South: Baylor, at Texas A&M, Oklahoma State
Summary: The first year of the Paul Rhoads era starts out as easily as could possibly be asked for. The only game in the first five against a bowl team from last year is against Iowa, but that's almost always a nasty battle and it's in Ames. There are only two games against 2008 bowl teams (Kansas being the other) in the first seven, while getting Baylor and Texas A&M from the South is the biggest break possible. The Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri games would probably be losses no matter where they'd be played, so they might as well be on the road. However, a stretch of three road games in four weeks isn't going to be easy in the middle of the season. There isn't an off-week to rest up at any point.

Sept. 5 North Dakota State
Sept. 12 Iowa
Sept. 19 at Kent State
Sept. 26 Army
Oct. 3 Kansas State (in KC)
Oct. 10 at Kansas
Oct. 17 Baylor
Oct. 24 at Nebraska
Oct. 31 at Texas A&M
Nov. 7 Oklahoma State
Nov. 14 Colorado
Nov. 21 at Missouri
Nov. 28 OPEN DATE

2009 Football Poster?

Check out the new Football Poster

Happy April 1st 2009

What ever happened to Phillip Bates?

So, I admit, I read my own blog. I was reading through the previous posts and read "Philip Bates leaving"....blah blah blah

Which made me wonder, where in the world did philip bates end up?

How DID I miss this gem?

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20081218/SPORTS020602/81218026

***********************************************

DMRegister pulled the story, but I believe he's at the University of Ohio.

Off season musings

So after nearly committing Hari-Kari over the last few months, I am back on the bandwagon, ready to believe.

A spread offense from Rice, another defensive mind....we'll see.

Tomorrow is official signing day.....so here's a taste

http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=1&pr_key=73476

My old football coach used to tell us

" All you need is a chance to win in the 4th quarter." Well, the cyclones had it and chose a play that had worked all day.

What I find preposterous was that on the "spike" play, we didn't run a qb sneak.

Colorado beats ISU by 4, because we don't have a defense.

Missouri barely squeaked out a win last weekend, maybe we'll catch them on an off week? Not likely, but I'll still be in Jack Trice.

In other news, ISU opens the wrestling season on Thursday against a high school from Utah ;-) That'll be fun for our #2 IN THE COUNTRY wrestling team.

ISU vs. Okie State?

Did anyone north of the mason dixon line get to watch the game? I did not.

An incredible kickoff return onslaught by ISU true freshman Leonard Johnson, who set an NCAA (FBS) record with 319 kickoff return yards on nine attempts couldn’t counter an offensive juggernaut as ninth rated Oklahoma State beat Iowa State 59-17 Saturday in Boone Pickens Stadium.

Oklahoma State quarterback Zac Robinson threw touchdown passes of 11, 26 and 80 yards to Dez Bryant. The Cowboys are now 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State falls to 2-7 overall and 0-5 in the Big 12 Conference.

Complete Post-Event Coverage
Final Stats Postgame Notes		Iowa State Quotes Opponent Quotes

After Oklahoma State had taken the ball 72 yards on seven plays for a 7-0 lead in its first drive of the game, Iowa State countered. Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 72 yards to set up an Alexander Robinson 1-yard run three plays later to tie the game, 7-7. Johnson’s first kickoff return was the longest by a Cyclone since J.J. Moses had an 80-yard kickoff return against Texas at Jack Trice Stadium in 1999.

The Cowboys answered immediately, driving 63 yards on seven plays and a 14-7 lead. After a second-quarter interception, Robinson hit Bryant over the middle on an 80-yard TD pass to widen the gap to 21-7.

ISU got a 38-yard field goal from Grant Mahoney to close the gap to 28-10, which was the halftime score. That kick was set up when Johnson returned another kickoff, this for 73 yards. Johnson finished the game only seven yards short of breaking the NCAA All-Division record for kickoff return yards.

Oklahoma State needed just three plays to take a 35-10 lead after its opening drive of the second half. When Robinson hit Jeremy Broadway out in the flat, the Cowboy raced 95 yards for a TD that upped OSU’s advantage to 45-10.

After two more OSU touchdowns, the Cyclones marched 83 yards on 13 plays for a score with 3:05 left in the game to make the final 59-17. Austen Arnaud hit Sedrick Johnson on a 1-yard pass for the touchdown. Arnaud completed passes to four receivers in the drive.

Arnaud hit on 20-35 passes for 240 yards. ISU running back Alexander Robinson rushed for 68 yards on 15 carries. Darks made seven catches for 113 yards, becoming the third freshman in ISU history to have a 100-yd receiving game

The two teams combined for 1,044 offensive yards for the day. Oklahoma State’s Robinson completed 18-27 pass for 395 yards and five TDs, including a 95-yard strike to Jeremy Broadway with 7:23 left in the third quarter.

Iowa State will travel to Colorado to face the Buffaloes next Saturday. Game time has not yet been set.

Cyclones have no defense

Cyclone offense was firing on all cylinders, but it didn't matter. We had no defense nor did our special teams help as they had before.

173 rushing yards, 401 passing yards, USUALLY will win you a game. Hell, 35 points on the scoreboard.

WE NEVER PUNTED, THE WHOLE GAME. Sure, we had two fumbles, but that means we had a chance to score on every drive. Yes, we missed 2 field goals, but he also hit on 2 attempts.

Wayne Bolt either doesn't have the guys he needs for his "system" or he's looking for a new job in the off-season. It was pathetic. A&M moved the ball at will, burning Jesse Smith (MLB #54) on 4 occasions for HUGE gains and a couple of scores.

Just disgusting. No adjustments, just sitting in zone reads all night, and getting burned. The safety James Smith (FS #2) was out of position on most passing plays.

Kudos to the offense, they did their part.

Sunday morning....

I was all ready on Sunday to give you my thoughts on our performance against Nebraska. Then my wife summed it up for me and gave me clarity.

Isn't Nebraska's coach new too?

Of course Bo Pelini is a new head coach. But he's been in Lincoln before, he knows how that program experiences success.

I nearly cried when Nebraska ran the option against ISU, to great success. I was conflicted, it was classic Nebrasak, and we couldn't stop it.

Our team looked outgunned against NE, and I think I know why. It takes more than 2 years for a struggling program to put together a decent squad of players. Starting 11 freshmen, doesn't help either. But we should also have the most number of players returning next year.

ISU won the turnover battle, and never put NE in good field position to start their drives. Problem was, defense couldn't stop them. I don't think this had anything to do with play calling, I think it had more to do with 1) our front 4 couldn't get pressure on Ganz without a blitz 2) That forced our linebackers to play in the box to help stop the run, instead of pass coverage 3) That leaves young defensive backs in either a zone or man coverage without LB help.

We need an offensive line as much as a defensive line.

Look for a final score this week of 13-6 vs A&M

GO CYCLONES and enjoy homecoming!

Disaster in Waco

No, the FBI didn't launch another master raid.

The Cyclones fell apart on the road. At one point in the second half the cyclones had 8 " and goal" downs in a row, barely getting a field goal out of the deal.

******************************************************

Baylor got on board first midway through the first quarter. On a fourth-and-12 situation at the ISU 34-yard line, Robert Griffin fired a bomb to Kendall Wright, who made the snare at the back of the end zone to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead. The BU lead increased to 14-0 with 14:18 left in the second quarter when Jay Finley went 12 yards up the middle for the touchdown.

From Cyclones.com
Final Stats Postgame Notes		Iowa State Quotes

After gaining just 17 yards on 10 plays in its first three series, the ISU offense staged its first drive of the game. The Cyclones had first-and-goal at the BU 2-yard line, but three penalties pushed them back, resulting in a Grant Mahoney 34-yard field goal to make it a 14-3 game with 5:36 left before intermission. The Cyclone scoring drive took 8:42 off the clock in 17 plays.

BU quickly answered ISU’s score with a nine-play, 79 yard-drive that was capped off by a Griffin 3-yard touchdown run, increasing the Bear lead to 21-3 at the break.

The Bears wasted little time adding to their lead, as Mikail Baker took the opening kickoff of the second half 93 yards for a touchdown. ISU had already kicked off and stopped the Bears, but an offsides penalty forced the Cyclones to kickoff again.

BU had a 38-3 lead before the Cyclones found the end zone. Austen Arnaud hit freshman Sedrick Johnson from nine yards out to close the gap to 38-10 with 9:41 left in the game. It was Johnson’s second career touchdown catch.

Arnaud finished the game with 176 yards on 21-of-41 pass attempts. J.J. Bass totaled 36 yards on six carries to lead the Cyclone rushing attack. The Cyclone defense recorded three sacks, all in the first half, to tie a season high.

ISU returns home next week to face Nebraska. Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. on Versus.

Emergency MUST READ-Bates quits football at ISU

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=1600098

Cyclones do some things right and some things VERY wrong, a tale of two halves

ISU came out, we kicked off, and stuffed the returner about the 25 yard line, defense was fired up and stopped Kansas. 3 and out. And so would the first half go....ISU collected the ensuing punt on the ISU 45. Arnuad led an impressive drive into the KU end zone, ISU 7-0.

ISU kicked off, this time through the endzone (nice kick, true freshman!) with the wind. Again, defense stops KU, forcing a punt into the wind. ISU returns the kick to the KU 38. ISU then marches and Chizik decided to go for it on a 4th-and-1 at the KU six-yard line. Alexander Robinson went up the middle for three yards for the first down. Then Arnaud hit Marquis Hamilton in the corner of the end zone to cap off the drive. ISU 14-0

I was beside myself. Jack Trice was going BERSERK.

Facing the wind in the second quarter, the Cyclone defense kept the KU offense in check and padded the score with a pair of Mahoney field goals to make it a 20-0 Cyclone advantage at the break. The ISU defense forced three turnovers in the first half. ISU ended the half with 181 yards of total offense compared to 93 yards by the Jayhawks. ISU’s only mistake in the first half was a fumble by Arnaud at the KU 15-yard line that thwarted a potential score for the Cyclones.

The 3rd Quarter reminded me of why ISU isn't ranked nationally. We aren't that good. We don't have that many play makers. ISU got dominated on both sides of the ball and lost the lead, for good. After a quick three-and-out by the Cyclones, Todd Reesing found a wide open Jake Sharp who sprinted 67 yards to make it a 20-7 game with 12:20 left in the second half. The Cyclones failed to move the ball on their next possession and the Jayhawks again took advantage. Reesing led the Jayhawks on a 7-play, 70-yard drive in just 2:42, as Angus Quigley ran it in from 1-yard out to inch KU closer at 20-14.

KU then took the lead (21-20) with just 4:37 left in the third quarter on a Kerry Meier 23-yard touchdown catch ON FOURTH AND SEVEN from Reesing. The Jayhawks converted two fourth downs in the series. KU then capitalized on a costly ISU turnover, as Arnaud threw a quick out pattern directly to defensive end Max Onyegbule (I might argue it was Arnaud's most "on target pass" of the second half) who darted 21 yards to the ISU 6-yard line. KU scored two plays later on a Jake Sharp two-yard run to make it a 28-20 KU advantage with 9:23 left to play in the game.

The ISU offense finally revived in the 4th Quarter, mounting a 6-play, 60-yard drive that was capped off by a 22-yard touchdown catch by Sumrall, I love this guy. ISU’s ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful to make it a 28-26 KU lead with 7:33 remaining in the game. Reesing and company promptly answered, however, scoring 3:54 minutes later on an 8-play, 80-yard drive that was culminated by another Meier touchdown catch, this time from 21 yards out to push KU back up by nine points (35-26) with 3:54 left in the game.

Then the fun started.

ISU scores again, with 1:10 left (35-33). On the ensuing onside kick, it looked like Sederick Johnson (Fr. WR) caught the ball above the KU defender. ISU ball on its own 40 yd line. 1st down, dropped 7 yd pass. 2nd and 10, dropped 12 yd pass. 3rd down, Arnaud sails the ball over the wide outs stretched arms. On 4th and 10, Arnaud over throws a streaking RJ Sumrall down the sideline. The Cyclones looked pathetic on their last chance to go down the field. Routes were sloppy and the blocking was loose at best.

Kansas then assumes the victory formation and ISU's upset dreams were vanished.

www.cyclones.com quotes Chizik saying “My expectations of Iowa State is that we should be able to win games against great football teams....If I expected anything less, I wouldn’t be here, and they shouldn’t be playing for me."

Heartbreaker but the kind of performance that should get the team ready for Baylor, coming home for Nebraska and Texas A&M. All winnable games.

Cyclones lose 34-31 at UNLV Saturday night

Yes, I am disappointed that we lost, and that we had to come from behind to tie it and force OT. HOWEVER, to come back from 21-7, to tie the game at 28 in basically a quarter and a half gives me some hope. I was checking the stats on my cell phone throughout the game, our offense struggled early. Apparently with no turnovers, if I remember correctly, we had something like 50 yards of offense to 250 yards of UNLV offense at half time.

Cyclones finished with:
ISU LV
Score 31 34
FIRST DOWNS 14 23
RUSHES-YARDS (NET) 35-151 42-209
PASSING YDS (NET) 155 245
Passes Att-Comp-Int 28-13-0 22-16-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS 63-306 64-454
Fumble Returns-Yards 1-41 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards 3-25 1--1
Kickoff Returns-Yards 3-78 5-102
Interception Returns-Yards 0-0 0-0
Punts (Number-Avg) 8-43.1 6-45.5
Fumbles-Lost 3-0 2-1
Penalties-Yards 8-91 5-55
Possession Time 27:22 32:38
Third-Down Conversions 2 of 14 6 of 12
Fourth-Down Conversions 3 of 3 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances 2-2 3-4

So ISU went for it 3 times on 4th down and achieved it, punted more often, and had WAY too many penalties, can't give your opponent an extra 91 yards. If I were Chizik, and I rarely am, I would focus on that this week (bye) before coming home to play a potent Kansas offense aka Reesing.

Kansas 38, Sam Houston State 14

It was over when... Todd Reesing scampered in for a 1-yard touchdown with 10:24 left in the second quarter to give KU its first points of the game.
Gameball goes to... Reesing, who threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat of the game... 53. Reesing became KU's all-time leader in total touchdowns with 53.

Bad football

Saturday, September 13th was the worst football I've seen ISU or Iowa play in a very long time. 3/4 of this game was darn near scoreless, till Iowa was successful running the ball.

Up next a UNLV team who beat Arizona State last weekend, a ranked team.

ISU football: Road-weary Cyclones look to end skid....apparently we haven't won a road game since 2005. UGH

2 Quarterbacks.....interesting facts

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/SPORTS020602/809110367

Offense on FIRE and Special Teams Dominate Kent State

I was all set to write a scathing review on how we still can't tackle (I watched 9 defenders on 2 plays miss sacking the QB) and how Kent State's rushing attack we had no answer for.

But, I listened to the post game show. Watched the highlights. Read the Associated Press article.

2-0 sounds pretty good versus a year ago. ISU held on. They scored early and often. 21 unanswered points in the FIRST QUARTER. DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE CLOSE SCORES! Bates and Arnaud created HAVOC in AMES and I think Chizick changed something after it hit 21-7.

Arnaud has a much stronger arm and isn't slow when scrambling. Bates is just fast, and finds holes pretty well. Look for Arnaud to continue to start.

Special teams dominated, ISU started possessions at or around the 40 yard line consistently on most kicks, we blocked 2 punts (when was the last time that happened?), and we made a 48 yard field goal (Hallelujah).

All in all, pretty good. ISU needs fewer 15 yard penalties (late hits, etc) 6 penalties for 65 yards in all.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=282500066

Next week, the Hawks, who played a local Jr. High again. I'd rather struggle against Kent State than walk all over Florida International prior to playing "real" games.

Go Cyclones

44-17 Not as close as the score would imply

ISU looked hesitant in the first half, almost trying out their new uniforms. 5 interceptions and a few (5) touchdowns later, ISU emerged victorious.

Austin Arnaud got the starting job and looked the part marching the cyclones on most of their trips down the field. He appeared to have the better arm to Bate's legs, who had 50 odd yards and a fumble.

ISU will be working on turn overs (HANG ON TO THE BALL) as they had 3 fumbles in the game and open field tackles in practice this week. I don't have the actual stat, but it appeared that the jack rabbits had way too many yards after contact.

I have to give the game ball to the defense, who slaughtered the SDSU quarterback frequently, and dug ISU out of a few holes; from dropped punt returns and fumbles at inopportune times. How many D-linemen had interceptions? Seriously, these guys had at least one hand on the turf at the snap of the ball and picked off 3 passes, Kurtis Taylor rumblin and stumblin 60 yards on his return. I'm pretty sure I saw a linebacker stiff arm on his interception.

I was pleased with the 44 points, and had Gene wanted to run the score up, they could have had more. This will put pleny of confidence into next weeks showdown with Kent State. We CANNOT lookpast Kent State, and MUST be 2-0 going into the Sept 13th showdown with Iowa.

Kent State plays Boston College on Saturday, and I'll have more updates after that.

The following is borrowed from:
http://www.kentstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1568964&DB_OEM_ID=11400

Flash Facts
• Running back Eugene Jarvis enters this season as the nation’s leading returning rusher after gaining a school record 1,669 yards last year. He posted 1,975 total yards and nine 100-yard rushing performances as part of his record breaking season.
• Quarterback Julian Edelman returns to man the reigns of KSU’s offense after an injury-plagued 2007 campaign. He has amassed 3,177 yards passing and 1,113 yards on the ground in his two-year career as a Flash.
• Linebacker Derek Burrell (112 tackles) and defensive back Rico Murray (75) return to anchor the KSU defense after breakout junior campaigns.
• Kent State is 2-4 all-time versus current ACC member schools (1-2 vs. both N.C. State & Virginia Tech). Saturday marks the first home game against an ACC squad.

Up Next
Kent State returns to Ames, Iowa for the second consecutive year to face Iowa State next Saturday (Sept. 6) at 6:00 p.m. CDT. The Golden Flashes won last year’s meeting, 23-14, for their first win over a BCS school since 1987. Overall, the Cyclones lead the overall series by a 4-1 margin.

7 PM Kickoff

Expect more tomorrow, after I see ISU test their QBs on a team that gave up 50 points to UNI in the first half last year.


From ESPN:
Iowa State 34, South Dakota State 14: Gene Chizik had trouble settling on whether Austen Arnaud or Phillip Bates should be his starting quarterback. Both will look good Thursday against the undermanned Jackrabbits, who are making their Division I-AA debut.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/big12/0-1-282/Big-12-teams-should-roll----or-there-s-something-wrong.html

In KC?

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080820/SPORTS020602/80820021

This would be fantastic news! The 'Clones have always had trouble in Manhattan, and this would give ISU fans a better chance to see the game!

If you were at the last Arrowhead game (ISU vs. FSU) we nearly snuck that one out.

Updated 08/28/08 12:29 PM
Guaranteed 1.8 million and 40% of gate proceeds? Sign me up.

Check us out, non-conference season opener to be televised!

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=1549081

Fall Practice Has Begun in Ames

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=1513914

Spring Practice

After last season's flurry finish, like me you're probably wondering what the season will hold for the Cyclones on the grid iron (it's only 4 months away!)

Periodically check out this website to find out how the Clones are progressing this pre-season

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=48323&SPID=4653&DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=1414553

How bout those Cyclones?

So I was checking the wrestling meet (Big XII Championships) this weekend, and saw the following headline on http://www.cyclones.com/ "Cyclones Lead Big 12s; Send Six to Finals "

Doing that math, it seemed a sheer certainty that ISU would win....and this is how we got to the finals.....

Quarterfinal Matches
125 pounds - Tyler Clark (ISU) dec. John Olanowski (Missouri), 6-0
165 pounds - Max Dean (Oklahoma) dec. Jon Reader (Iowa State), 4-3
197 pounds - David Bertolino (Iowa State) maj. dec. Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State), 12-4

Semi Final Matches
125 pounds – Paul Donahoe (Nebraska) dec. Tyler Clark (Iowa State), 2-1
133 pounds - Nick Fanthorpe (ISU) dec. Kenny Jordan (Nebraska), 4-1 (TB)
141 pounds - Nick Gallick (ISU) dec. Mike Rowe (Nebraska), 2-0
149 pounds - Mitch Mueller (Iowa State) dec. Josh Wagner (Missouri), 9-5
157 pounds - Cyler Sanderson (Iowa State) dec. Chad Terry (Oklahoma), 10-4
174 pounds - Brandon Mason (Oklahoma State) dec. Aron Scott (Iowa State), 4-2 (SV)
184 pounds - Jake Varner (Iowa State) dec. Jack Jensen (Oklahoma State), 2-1
197 pounds – Max Askren (Missouri) dec. David Bertolino (Iowa State), 6-3
HWT - David Zabriskie (Iowa State) dec. Mark Ellis (Missouri), 3-1 (SV)

Then, a mere 3 hrs later, I find that in the championship round:
Nick Fanthorpe wins by decision, 7-1 over Tyler McCormick of Missouri
Nick Gallick wins by decision, 3-1 over Nathan Morgan of Oklahoma State
Cyler Sanderson wins by decision, 6-5 over Michael Chandler of Missouri
Jake Varner wins by decision, 4-1 over Josh Weitzel of Oklahoma

AND, Zabriske & Mueller got second in their weights, AND
David Bertolino, John Reader, and Aaron Scott all placed 3rd.

So 4 champions, 2 second places, 3 thirds. Out of 10 weights we placed in 9 weights, that's a damn fine showing


CYCLONES REPEAT AS BIG XII CHAMPIONS

Recruiting Day Highlights (so far)

Johnny "Bo" Williams Running Back - RB (4 stars)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 220

Rushed for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior ... rated the 29th-best prospect in the state of Florida by Rivals.com ... the 16th-rated running back according to Rivals.com ... Rivals.com Top 250 recruit ... ran for 783 yards as a junior ... chose Florida over Florida State, Nebraska, N.C. State and Pittsburgh ... Rivals.com four-star recruit ... part of top-rated recruiting class at Florida as decided by Scout.com ... coached by Adam Ratkevich.

Transfered to ISU after red-shirting at FL.

Sedrick Johnson (4stars)
Wide Receiver
Ht: 6-foot-4
Wt: 200 lbs
Forty: 4.5 secs Bench max: 210 pounds Squat max: 325 pounds Vertical: 40 inches

First-team all-district and Texas Sports Writers Association 2A first-team all-state as a senior ... Associated Press Sports Editors second- team all-state ... Rivals.com four-star recruit ... chose Iowa State over Texas A&M, Florida, TCU, LSU, Michigan, Missouri and Nebraska ... had 38 receptions for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior and 41 receptions for 633 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior ... 34th-rated receiver in the nation according to Rivals.com ... 30th-rated prospect in Texas ... Rivals Top 250 recruit ... first-team all-district and second-team all-region as a junior ... squad was 10-4 his senior year ... played basketball in high school ... would like to play basketball at next level ... coached by Dale Irwin.


Jerome Tiller (3 stars)
Quarterback - QB
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185
Ninety-first rated prospect in the state of Texas ... first-team all-district as a senior ... passed for close to 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns ... rushed for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns ... as a junior, passed for over 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions ... ran for over 450 yards and 12 touchdowns ... Rivals.com three-star recruit ... 19th-rated dual-threat quarterback nationally according to Rivals.com ... Scout.com 55th-rated quarterback ... lettered in basketball and track three years ... chose Iowa State over offers from Air Force, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Purdue, Stanford and Texas A&M ... coached by Jimmy Ramos.

Censorship

Ok, so I took the end of the season off....the Clones gave us fresh hope to beat even more Big XII (and non-conference) foes next year.

Season tickets are being renewed, let's see how many out of the 30+ thousand renew?