National Signing Day!

I'm going to try my hand at a "running" blog.  If I get time, I'll update with links to rivals profiles.

1. Time	Name (click for bio)	Pos.	Hometown/High School	Video	Coach
   Enrolled	Horne, Aaron	WR	Oakland, Calif. (Castlemont/San Francisco CC)	>>	>>
   Enrolled	Jantz, Steele	QB	Agoura Hills, Calif. (Nevada Union/San Francisco CC)	>>	>>
   Enrolled	Miller, Jevohn	LB	Brooklyn, Iowa (BGM)	>>	>>
   Enrolled	Tautolo, Sam	OL	Moreno Valley, Calif. (Valley View/Saddleback CC)	>>	-
   6:55 a.m.	Smith, Donald	LB	Tampa, Fla. (Spoto)	>>	>>
   7:01 a.m.	Bundrage, Quenton	WR	Palmetto, Fla. (Manatee)	>>	>>
   7:07 a.m.	Standard, Rob	RB	St. Louis, Mo. (Chaminade)	>>	>>
   7:24 a.m.	Nealy, DeVondrick	RB	Monticello, Fla. (Jefferson County)	>>	>>
   7:30 a.m.	Cotton, Darian	DB	Mount Pleasant, Iowa (Mount Pleasant)	>>	>>
   7:54 a.m.	Richardson, Sam	QB	Winter Park, Fla. (Winter Park)	>>	>>
   7:56 a.m.	Ecby, Tad	WR	Houston, Texas (St. Pius X)	>>	>>
   8:20 a.m.	Dagel, Brock	OL	Cherokee, Iowa (Cherokee-Washington)	>>	>>
   8:52 a.m.	Lampkin, Teddy	WR	Omaha, Neb. (Central)	>>	>>
   8:59 a.m.	Richardson, Sam	DB	League City, Texas (Clear Springs)	>>	>>
   9:09 a.m.	Irving, David	DE	San Jacinto, Calif. (San Jacinto)	>>	>>
   9:17 a.m.	Lalk, Jamison	OL	Council Bluffs, Iowa (Abraham Lincoln)	>>	>>
   9:44 a.m.	Lemke, Devin	TE	Alden, Iowa (Iowa Falls-Alden)	>>	>>
   9:49 a.m.	Omoile, Oni	OL	Coppell, Texas (Coppell)	>>	>>
   10:10 a.m.	Ja'Quarius "JQ" Daniels	QB	Austin, Texas (Reagan)	>>	>>
   11:44 a.m.	Brun, Ernst	TE	Stone Mountain, Ga. (Shiloh/Mt. San Antonio CC)	>>	>>

Official December Signing Day Release From Cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa – City College of San Francisco quarterback Steele Jantz, who threw for 3,075 yards and 23 touchdowns while leading his team to an 11-1 record in CCCAA play and two-time all-conference offensive lineman Samuel Tautolo (rhymes with HOW-tolo) of Saddleback Community College, have signed national letters of intent to play at Iowa State. Both players sent in their letters of intent Wednesday and will enroll at Iowa State for the spring semester and be in Ames for Cyclone spring football.
 
“We have signed a pair of outstanding athletes, who were NCAA qualifiers out of high school and will be with us for spring football,” Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads said. “Steele is a winner, and led his team to the California junior college title game. Steele has outstanding athletic skills and he overcame missing most of his senior high school season to find a place at a great program like CCSF and show what he is all about. He has the frame (6-4, 220) that you like to have at that position as well.”
 
Jantz also rushed for 601 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2010, leading CCSF to the California State community college title game. On Nov. 27, Steele ran for four touchdowns and threw a 20-yard TD pass as the Rams crushed Fresno City College, 52-15, to claim the Northern California Football Association title.
 
Jantz has overcome considerable adversity to be ranked as one of the nation’s top junior college quarterbacks. At Nevada Union High School the native of Grass Valley, Calif. played linebacker and wide receiver as the backup quarterback his junior season. The starting quarterback as a senior, he missed the first game and then suffered a season-ending injury in the third game of the season.
 
Jantz walked-on to the Hawaii football team in 2008 but elected to transfer to CCSF, where he completed 15-of-29 attempts for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the backup quarterback in 2009.
 
Tautolo, a 6-4, 305-pound standout from Valley View, Calif., played center at Saddleback. His father, John, played in the NFL with the New York Giants after competing at UCLA. Saddleback was 8-3 in 2010 and averaged more than 400 yards of offense per game.
 
“Sam fills an immediate need at center for us,” Rhoads said. “He has great genes as his father was an NFL player. We needed to meet the demand we had at that position with three centers, Ben Lamaak, Alex Alvarez and Sean Smith finishing their eligibility.”
 
National signing day for the balance of the Iowa State recruiting class is Feb. 2.

JUCO QB Transfer

I'm hearing that Iowa State just received a commitment from Steele Jantz, a 6-foot-3, 205 pound QB out of City College of San Fransisco.

With the returning QBs in Capello and Tiller and the incoming prospects in Jantz and Barnett I see there being a good QB competition next year. You have to be happy with CPR and his staff for bringing in these guys.  

Blooming ISU QB Controversy

Looks like we are recruiting a JUCO QB (Steele Jantz) for this up coming year. He was on a visit to Ames not too long ago. He was at Hawaii his freshman year then transferd to CCSF.

Birth Date	July 18, 1989
Hometown	NEVADA CITY, CA
Height	6-3
Weight	205 lbs.

 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Steele-Jantz-116144

CF Report Card

http://www.cyclonefanatic.com/football/williams-missouri-report-card

I was all fired up Saturday night to write my own review, but I honestly just didn't have the words.  And our coaches just don't have the horses in the stables to pull that kind of upset.


 End of story.

Look for more off season analysis on our blooming QB controversy.

A Good Read on ISU Linebackers Knott and Klein

From the Big 12 no less.  Kudos to our Sophomore linebackers!

http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=205032206

ISU Wrestling Grabs 4 Titles at Harold Nichols Open

http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=46632&SPID=4248&ATCLID=205030055&DB_OEM_ID=10700

ISU dun got beat

ISU took an old school whoopin on Saturday vs. Colorado.  I really don't have many words for it.  Offense looked awful, the Clones finished with NEGATIVE rushing yards.  Colorado was fired up from the kickoff and it stayed that way.  Playing for a new head coach will have that effect on a team, but ISU wasn't prepared at all.

Biggest story from Saturday is that Austen Arnaud's knee is absolutely wrecked, no way he's dressed Saturday against Mizzou.  I feel really badly for the senior QB from Ames, but as the hawks always say "next man in".  It might be Tiller's last chance to start (but I'll get to that in the off season).

After seeing Arnaud go down injured on a Colorado sack, strip and fumble return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to increase its lead to 34-7, Jerome Tiller came in for the Cyclones on the ensuing possession. Tiller led the Cyclones down the field on a five-play, 55 yard drive completed with the sophomore scrambling out of the pocket on fourth and eight to find Collin Franklin in the end zone, trimming the deficit to 34-14.

Franklin had 11 receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown. Jake Knott led the defense with a career-high 16 tackles, three pass breakups, one tackle for loss and a forced fumble.  Defense tried to keep the Clones in this game, but ISU had too many costly turnovers and too few offensive points to make it worth anything. 

We as fans will learn a lot about Rhoads and his coaching staff this next weekend as Mizzou (why can't they spell???) comes a knocking in Ames.

6 PM start on November 20th in Ames, IA.  Maybe both teams will freeze?  ISU will need to get the rushing game off the ground if they're going to go bowling this year.

I'll post any more "bowl" projects if we get any, but at 5-6 I would expect us to be included in any projections.

ISU Wrestling to take on Boston U. Tonight

For you wrestling fans out there, ISU has their home opener in Hilton tonight at 7.

ISU's grapplers are #20 something this year after losing 3 key seniors last year.  First time in a long time we haven't had a #1 wrestler.  Don't look for a national title this year.

When it rains it pours

BEEF 'O' BRADY'S BOWL
Southern Miss (C-USA No. 2-6) vs. Iowa State (Big East No. 6 or Sun Belt)
Dec. 21, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
At St. Petersburg, Fla.
Comment: The Cyclones earned some style points from us for taking Nebraska to overtime last week. Too bad their holder isn’t much of a passer.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/39922542/ns/sports-college_football/page/2/

Another Bowl Projection

Apparently, tis the season.  I would not road trip to San Fran

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/bowls/predictions

Fight Hunger

Jan. 9

San Francisco

9 p.m.

WAC vs. Pac-10 No. 6

Fresno State vs. Iowa State*

ISU to play Temple in Little Caeser Bowl?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/11/07/bowl.projections/index.html?eref=sihp

Quote from the article

• As of now, I'm projecting 71 eligible teams for 70 spots. Texas is not one of them.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/11/07/bowl.projections/index.html#ixzz14uAWhpKD

 I would road trip to that!

And it's official, Hawkins to leave immediately

http://www.denverpost.com/cu/ci_16562959

No word on Cody....

Colorado fires coach in the face of ISU game

http://cbs4denver.com/sports/ncaa.college.football.2.2001786.html

Funny thing is, Cody Hawkins is Dan's son, and the only QB on the roster that is not redshirted!

GO CYCLONES

*********Assistant to take the reigns?
http://www.denverpost.com/cu/ci_16560672

Mizzou Game Time Announced

Holy Frigid Game Batman

Just announced: The Nov. 20 game at Jack Trice Stadium against Missouri will kick at 6 p.m. CT and be on FSN.

ISU ALMOST Pulls The Upset Of The Program's History

Iowa State Football has turned a corner, an important milestone in the Rhoads era.  The team fears no one.  They do not quit, even being down by a quick 14 by Nebraska in the 3rd quarter.

The ISU offense dominated in the first half, recording 13 first downs and 192 yards of offense while taking a 10-7 lead at intermission. Just before half time, Grant Mahoney drilled a 57-yard field goal (wind aided), his fourth 50-yarder of his career. It was the fourth-longest field goal in ISU history.

The Cornhuskers scored 17 points to take a 24-10 lead. Nebbie took advantage of two Arnaud interceptions, one returned 29 yards for a touchdown. NU later scored from two yards out to increase the NU lead to 24-10 with 5:06 left in the third quarter.

 The Cyclones offense fired back up and mounted a drive capped off by an Arnaud 1-yard sneak to cut the lead to 24-17 with 11:29 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Niles Paul fumbled the kickoff where it was recovered by a pile of ISU players at about the 12 yard line. Three plays later, Arnaud found an absolutely wide open Arob on the goal line for a 14-yard pass to tie the game at 24-24 with 10:40 left in the game.

The story of this game however is not contained above.  While impressive to lead NU in total offense yard 360-314,  or the 57 yard field goal, or even ISU scoring 14 points in basically 60 seconds at the beginning of the 4th quarter.  What everyone will be talking about is ISU Head Coach Paul Rhoads (CPR) decision to fake the extra point in overtime to win the game on the first possession.

I've heard folks on both sides of the fence.  Especially the older fans did not like the call, they wanted an extra period.  I also heard fans talking about the depth of Nebraska and how long and how many players they could play.

Personally, I love the choice to win it.  Our boys had momentum and energy, taking the whole thing to the wire.  No one expected the play, I was floored to see the place holder pick the ball up.  The ball was in the air so long, my heart started to believe that ISU pulled it off.  Then it hung there, died, and was picked off by a very startled NU linebacker.  Colin Franklin's heart fell out of his chest as the pass didn't end up in his hands.

After the game, I hope CPR told the team how proud he was, and I hope they cheered heartily.  ISU may have gotten an "L" after the game, but as fans, we saw something change.  I saw it in my own expression walking out the north gate.  I was smiling.  After losing by 1 in overtime to the #7 Huskers.  I had pep in my step.  My voice was raw from screaming at the NU offense or the officials, it did not matter that the pass was incomplete.  ISU turned a corner last saturday.  They fear no team, they can and will play with anybody. It was obvious the coaching staff has done something special here and will build a program we'll see at new and higher accomplishments.

In 10 years, when I'm telling my (unborn, not yet conceived) son about why I'm so proud to be a Cyclone, this day will get mentioned in the same breath as my time at ISU, the beating Iowa 5 straight times, my times at Veishea growing up.  It will be the story as how 3 generations of my family saw ISU come up 1 pass short of knocking off those boys from Lincoln, and not just because ISU has won their conference title the last 2 seasons.

ISU Bowl Projections

I'll add more as I find them

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1147796

LIBERTY

 

Site: Memphis
Date: Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Matchup: C-USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 8
This week's projection: UCF vs. Iowa State*

Shameless Links Monday

So, this is the fastest way to share knowledge, especially for those with RSS feeds.

Another ISU blog, slightly more professional looking, so he can't know anything about football, too bad.  He has put together "power rankings".
http://www.clonechronicles.com/2010/11/1/1784816/big-12-power-rankings-week-9

ESPN Big XII report Dave Ubben's drivel (Big 12 power rankings)
http://espn.go.com/blog/big12/post/_/id/20481/big-12-power-rankings-week-10

I don't write "rankings" posts because they're so full of S|^|1T comparing teams that both have and have not played each other.  Last week, at least Ubben had Texas and Texas Tech ranked above ISU (who beat both head to head).

I'll add more links as more articles appear

ISU stinks in win over listless Kansas

So, I left the stadium at ISU 7- Jayhawks 9, midway through the 2nd quarter.  Up till that point, ISU had 1 first down, a punt return for a TD and a staunch defense.  Defense had held KU to 3 field goals, and several punts, but the ISU offense looked pathetic.

There, I said it.  PATHETIC.  Maybe ISU missed center (Ben Lamaak) more than I know, but it was honestly hard to watch Arnaud miss receivers over, and over, and a drop and miss a receiver.....The line was not making any holes for Arob to run through.


That's when the pain set in.  I felt awful.  Severe lower back pain, followed with sweating, nausea, vomiting, the works.  Long story short, I had to go to the ER, found out I had kidney stones.

The Mary Greely Staff kept me up to date on the score and the nurse got tired during the 3rd quarter where ISU scored 21 unanswered points.


Sounds like I missed quite a 2nd half.


ISU ended up winning 28-16 but the KU 7 was scored late in the 4th with replacements playing on both sides.

ISU just needs one more win to go bowling, bring on Nebraska!

Regents approve new scoreboard for Jack Trice Stadium

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/10/28/regents-approve-new-scoreboard-for-jack-trice-stadium/

The regents  approved the scoreboard project at up to $4 million, along with $10.7 million for a new Cyclone Sport Complex, which would include fields for soccer, softball and track and field.

Pollard said advancements in technology, including what is being done at other stadiums, have dated the system. 

Pollard said "the scoreboard will have to be taken down and the scoreboard will have to come down a because of a future separate stadium renovation project. The new scoreboard is expected to have a 10 to 12 year life span."

Interesting, is he forecasting the bowling of the south endzone?

I, for one, hope so.

Iowa State favored by +18.5 against KU

2nd highest spread in Iowa State's favor in conference play since 1988. The highest was KU in 2002 (21.5 points) They won that game 45-3. Still striking to see the number that high.

New Iowa State Football website, check it out!

http://www.istatefb.com/

Kansas on 3rd String QB

http://www.kake.com/sports/headlines/Mecham_Named_KU_Starting_Quarterback_105790533.html

We must destroy Kansas.  It is not enough to simply win.

Gameday Central: Cyclones Take on Kansas for Homecoming - Iowa State University Athletics Official Web Site - www.CYCLONES.com - The home of Iowa State Cyclone Sports

Gameday Central: Cyclones Take on Kansas for Homecoming - Iowa State University Athletics Official Web Site - www.CYCLONES.com - The home of Iowa State Cyclone Sports

Looking ahead: Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawk faithful are having a PRE-GAME meltdown.

This is funny
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=172&f=2485&t=6581774

ISU Motivational Posters

ESPN Bowl Projections Following the Texas Win

http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections/_/week/8

Mark Schlabach says:

Dallas Football Classic (Big Ten vs. Big 12)

Penn State vs. Iowa State

That would be fantastic and might be Joe Pa's last game.

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

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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

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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