Charts

Click on over to Black Heart Gold Pants for this epicly awesome chart. Inspired work, fellas.

It's always interesting to read the view of a game from the other side. They bring stats, too.

Hammer

It was delicious fun watching the Cyclones positively hammer the over-matched Hawkeyes (or GoBlas for you old- timers) in a game that was over well before halftime. For those of us who hadn't seen much of the season so far (thanks, Mediacom) we now understand what the fuss has been about. When these guys are on they can play.

The down side is that there is no team in the Big 12 as bad as Iowa- although Tech is close. That kind of effort will be needed every night to even approach .500. Something that approaches a point guard would help, too, as they Cyclones looked like lost children when Iowa broke out the half-court trap. Good teams don't give up 10+ points in the last 2:00 minutes.

But Friday gave us a peek at what could be- and that peek was damn fun.

Nails

They didn't finish the job against the Wildcats, but I will follow a Cyclone team that gives their opponent everything they want. That's all I ask- be the team nobody wants to play.

And now we get to play Rutgers in Yankee Stadium. A Rutgers team that got crushed by the UCONN club that ISU beat back in September. Sure beats Shreveport.

This is Iowa State's chance not to just win, but to make a statement.

Hard Hat

I love the fact that Iowa State's winning drive against Okie State relied on the fullback. No trick plays, no Hail Mary's, no FG tries from 57 yards away. A "We're going to run for the TD and you can't stop us" attitude, which paid off with the rumbling of a 240 pound back with both hands on the ball. All of the beauty of a beer truck plowing through a snowdrift. Money.

If any play symbolized the mental makeup of the Cyclones, it was the winning TD.

Tough Outs

Iowa State will never challenge for a league title with the smallest football budget. My only hope is that our Cyclones can become the team that everyone dreads playing- especially in Ames.

Tonight was a heck of a first step.

Cowboy Mission

I would love to drink the Kool-Aid and predict a stunning, program defining upset of the Cowboys on ESPN- but I think OSU is on a mission to get to the BCS title game. Only ISU and OU stand in the way.

ISU gets the same as what Tech got last week: OSU 56, ISU 21.

Just Win Baby

The Russian judge hated it, but 13-10 counts the same as 41-7. Three turnovers in the red zone will ugly up an otherwise decent yardage total.

Climb the ladder, exceed your budget.

Respect

This sounds counter-intuitive, but to earn the respect of the football public, Iowa State needs to take the wood to Kansas. A workman-like covering of the spread at the minimum.

Struggling with the Jayhawks (like they did last year) will scream "Not Ready To Be Taken Seriously".

Throw that drowning Jayhawk an anchor, dammit. Win 34-10 or something.

Slobber knocker

Saturday was exhibit A of why I don't bet on sports.

SUI was a 15 point favorite at Minnesota, and lost.

ISU was a 15 point dog in Lubbock and won. By 34.

I'm not sure which is more surprising- the win or the margin. The Cyclones simply manhandled Tech in every way. It was the kind of performance that we aren't used to seeing, sadly. It would be fun if it became the norm rather than the exception.

Now Iowa State prepares for a Kansas team that mustered only 41 yards in 36 plays against Texas. 41 on 36. I've never seen that before. The hardest part of the week will be getting the Cyclones to bring the same focus they had in Lubbock to bear on the Jayhawks. Being back in the bowl chase should do that.

Smaller, Slower, Weaker

Iowa State is all of the above, and yet made a$m sweat a bit. It was the kind of effort that will keep fans coming back, especially when the weather is spectacular.

The five-games-without-drawing-a-holding-penalty-streak is just sick, yet a symptom of being smaller, slower, and weaker on the DL than everyone else. Other teams don't get flagged because they don't have to hold (much) to get the job done.

Unfortunately my eyes are not trained enough to tell if ISU is getting better over time, if CPR recruits are an upgrade over Danny Mac or Chiz recruits. I do know that the schedule is getting better, er, tougher.

Heck, I think this team could beat this year's Utah, Colorado and maybe Nebraska. So it goes. FWIW- ISU has lost to 4 of the Sagarin Top 30. Iowa is 0-1. That's a huge difference.

Keep grinding- hopefully the corner is nearby.

Deja Vu

This is exactly the situation where CPR has led ISU to gigantic upsets. In a way, beating A$M would be less surprising than beating Nebraska in '09- our starting quarterback will be suiting up.

Not saying it will happen, but the conditions are exactly the same as the Nebraska and Texas wins. This time we're at home.

Peter

Gulf

Ah, September was a fine month, wasn't it Cyclone fans?

October has reminded us of two things:

A. Iowa State can beat teams in the bottom half of Div. I and even the best of Div. II
B. There is still a giant gulf between Iowa State and the Top 50. Talent, depth, everything.

It's no accident that you can pull a random Top 25 from each decade and 15 of the names are in every single poll. Good football requires momentum- once you have it its much easier to maintain than it is to build it, and most importantly it pulls you over the dips.

Whatever momentum Iowa State had on October 1 has been sucked away by those with big budgets, big talent, and momentum.

Subtle

Sometimes improvement isn't obvious. Go read this review of the defense's work against Baylor. We can watch the game and think that Baylor just gashed us- but in reality they gash everybody. In fact, Iowa State made them work for their points more than usual, and equal to K State. Perspective is key. I made bowl projects in the past by looking at how much differential a defense had on opposing teams compared to the opponents average output. The ranking against all schools only tells half the story. Get the offense to put more points on the board and we may be on to something.

Turning Point

I suspect CPR is pitching this week's game against Mizzou as a key moment in the season. Either Iowa State stops killing itself with bad penalties, turnovers and anemic offense, or they limp home with a 1-8 finish after a 3-0 start. Mizzou is in a similar spot. Two losses to ranked teams have them in last with ISU, and statistically they are twins- good at the same things, bad at the same things. This game looks a lot more winnable than it did in July, but the Cyclones are going to need their first complete game of the season to pull it off. That's a big maybe.

Changes

I'm old enough to remember a time when Iowa State would only fumble once a year or so.

Bounceback

It seems CPR has spent this week building up everyone's spirits after the loss to Texa$. "We played with Texa$- it was the mistakes that killed us." A look at the stats shows good drives, with failures when things got close.

Next up is a Baylor squad that is more Arena League than Texa$ League. They score points in bunches, and give up points in bunches, too. Can ISU score in the Red Zone rather than miss field goals? Can the defense get enough stops to be close in the 4th?

Let's go with another 36-35 loss for Baylor. Stranger things have happened.

Uppity

The Lonhorns set the tone early when they went for it on 4th and short inside the 20 on their opening drive:

We're here to grind you into the ground, punk.

Grind they did.

Texas didn't want to just beat Iowa State- they wanted to remind Iowa State and everyone else in the Texas League that they are in charge, they call the shots, and everyone else is in the Texas League by their blessing. We crush you in football, and you cash some of our TV check. At the end of the game your line is:

Thank you sir, may I please have another?

Texas reminds we Cyclones not to forget our seat on the football bus, and to act accordingly.

Corners

The optimistic side of me is really, really excited to witness in person Cyclone football turning the proverbial corner when they beat Texa$ again. After so many false starts over the years we are due to side at the Big Boys Table for a while.

But being the long-suffering Cyclone fan that I am, I keep looking for the other shoe to drop. I've lost count of the number of times we have walked into Trice expecting The Moment, only to have the opponent smack our Cyclones around like an eight-year-old with a pinata. We all have our list- I'll leave you for a moment to suffer at your personal memories.

This is the kind of game where I want one of two scenarios: Either Texas takes a big early lead and coasts to the victory, or ISU wins. Don't be the tease, giving us hope into the fourth quarter only to find a way to lose. 

If you take us for a ride into the second half, finish the deal. Every one of your disappointments takes a few months off of our lives. Give us a few successes to make it worth while, please.

But if you really want to sit at the Big Boys Table, you start to earn your chair Saturday.

Bottom

I can understand why Texa$ considers their loss to Iowa State the low point of their 2010 season. The Horns bounced back from terrible losses to UCLA and OU with a stunning win in Lincoln, so everything should have been good again, right?

Wrong.

A home loss to a doormat, bringing back all of the pain from earlier in the season, told the locals that there was plenty of dry rot in the infrastructure.

Hopefully the 2.5 Stars can dump the 4.9 Stars on their well-padded rumps again.

Near Miss

While the Chiz era was a big slice of No Fun Football, at least we weren't saddled with the football genius of Tim Brewster. Its going to take the Gophers years to recover from him.



We're damn lucky he was too good to be ISU's coach.

Attendance

Interesting numbers from the Cyclone Stat Geek- since the opening of what we now call Jack Trice ISU has averaged 43K across 245 home games.

I would love to see a month-by-month breakdown. Huge September crowds are often replaced by disappointment and cold weather in November, bringing down the averages.

Here's hoping folks still have reason to show up Nov. 18 against Okie State.

Woulda, Coulda

Naturally, UCONN thinks they should have won. And they are right. Not having one QB they can depend on did them in- and QB play is why ISU won.

Moxie Again

It's hard not to admire the grit of this Cyclone football team. It seems that no amount of horrible play will knock them down emotionally. In a typical year, ISU would have found themselves down 28-7 in the first quarter and would have coasted to a routine 42-14 loss. Instead they salvaged a 10-7 halftime deficit, then muscled the game away from UCONN in the second half. It takes deep courage to fight yourself off the edge of the cliff. Now 3-0, ISU has played a tougher schedule than everyone in the league save OU and has jumped 32 spots in the Sagarin rankings (from 75 to 43). KU and KSU are now in the "should win" category, and wins against Mizzou, Tech and Baylor all plausible. Lots of opportunity ahead. This last spin through the B12 schedule could be very interesting- at this point I'm not putting anything past our Cyclones. Playing more games against UCONN seems like our best remaining option.

Fighting Instinct

Jaded Cyclone fans assume that UCONN will steamroll their team tonight, as the solid football play is left in the central time zone. I'm going with the moxie I saw in both their games this year- enough mistakes were made against both UNI and Iowa to have earned losses, yet the team found ways top win. Normal Cyclone teams would have lost, often in shiv-twisting ways. (Missed FG as time expires? Amateur. Try missing a tying Extra Point in the closing minutes.) Somehow, some way our Clonies find themselves at 3-0. Crazy.

Zero

UCONN managed to almost beat Vandy on the road despite not scoring an offensive TD. That's doing it the hard way. Granted, they turned a blocked punt and a fumble into scores, but that's not exactly how the coaches drew up the game plan. UCONN's offensive possessions yielded only three drives of over 30 yards: 30, 36 and 72 yards, for a combined total of only 3 points. If the Cyclone defense can maintain those struggles, ISU should be in good shape.

Collapse

A casual cruise through the black and gold corners of the interwebs has revealed a shocking surprise: Losing to a team you view as a perennial punching bag reveals only changes to your team, but none about your opponent. Said punchingbag is a constant, frozen in time and space. Losing to them can only mean one thing: you are now a punching bag, too. I though the Hawkeyes would win because they would be a notch better than the Cyclones- I stand corrected. The Cyclones are still lousy; the change is that Iowa is now lousy too. Welcome to mediocrity, Hawkeyes!

The Usual

Iowa will graciously allow Iowa State to hang around Saturday, giving Cyclone fans hope and Hawkeye fans acid reflux. But a critical ISU mistake- Pick-6, punt return for TD, giving up 45+ yard TD run- will put the game out of reach. So it goes. Win or Lose, I have the Seneca game from 2000 on the Tivo. Thank you ESPN Classic.

Karma

I'm going to take the long view on the winning debacle against UNI. Given the number of games Iowa State has lost over the last hundred years despite outplaying the opponent, perhaps winning a game they were so undeserving to get represents a small shift in universal football karma towards our Cyclones. Another 40 or 50 wins despite lackluster, uninspired efforts and we'll be close to even. Without a giant step up in performance, the win against UNI could be the only win of the year. Pathetic.

Season

First off, longtime readers know I try to keep my sports expectations, especially in football, reasonable. When you have the smallest budget in your league you can't expect a whole lot.

So based on who Iowa State should beat based on budget, we're looking at 2-10. Only UConn and UNI spend less than our Clonies. (And UConn is certainly within a few cases of athletic tape of ISU- a good accountant could make either school the pauper.)

My annual over/under for football is a modest 4-8, so anything above that is big-time gravy. Beating a school with a larger budget is a double bonus.

With that, my guess at the wins for the year:

UNI
SUI
UConn
Tech
Kansas
KSU

A win in the Pinstipe Bowl over Cincinnati to finish at 7-6.

For entertainment purposes only.

Diss

So Adrian Clayborn, former Iowa DL, dissed Iowa State on Twitter:

@AJaClay That Pitt game should be a good one! All the others will be cake! I mean we are the only university in the state!

The snarky fan would ask if that was the same Clayborn who was seen on the sidelines gasping for air in the fourth quarter as his defense gave up two TD's in a loss to Northwestern, but we aren't that clever.

But part of me says, fine, he never lost to Iowa State, so why shouldn't he make fun of the Cyclones? It's not like he needed to play in the fourth quarter of those games, so congrats! He has scoreboard.

Snarky fan asks if it's the same scoreboard Northwestern has over Iowa.

The only way to earn the respect of opponents is to start beating people. Dumping Iowa would be a good start.

Best Take of a Bad Trophy

Deadspin, of course.

Loser gets stuck with it, right?

Expectations

This isn't the way to keep expectations at a reasonable level.

Wishes

I'm a simple fan, and long time readers know that I have low expectations for ISU athletics. It's all about the dollars, and the smallest budget in a league can't be expected to challenge the big boys each and every year.

But here are my simple hopes for ISU football this fall:

1. Stop getting rolled. There were three games last year we all knew were essentially over at halftime, and at least the Utah game was entertaining for a quarter. Good programs don't multiple games by 20+, let alone 40+.

2. To achieve #1, the offense has to stop putting the defense in lousy situations. Make the other team earn their points by going 65+ yards each drive, not 40.

3. Somehow, some way, get a bowl bid. That will keep the program moving forward in everyone's eyes, and perceptions are reality.

4. Beat SUI. They are going to dump the ISU series the first chance they get- like when the Big Ten goes to a nine game conference schedule- so gets your licks in now while you can. It won't be around forever.

That's all. Now get busy.

Odd School Out

We Cyclones should do our best to become tight friends with Kansas State and Baylor, because when the next big shakeup comes ISU, KSU and BU are going to be without a chair when the music stops.

Follow this link to a proposed 16-team based SuperConference structure, then scroll down for a peek at who ISU will have to pick up scraps with. Roadies to East Carolina and Central Florida, anyone?

"Hilariously Crummy"

Student newspapers are always good for some bulletin board material.

Timing

Lest we forget, Cyclone football can't get relevant fast enough.

The next conference shake up won't be kind to Iowa State if 4-8 is still the norm. If we want to be invited to the future SuperLeague, 8-4 is the baseline.

Peter

Niners

CPR should be posting the number "9" on every surface a football player comes in contact with, as a reminder of what the football world thinks of them.

I'm sure sports psychologists would discourage that, preferring a more affirmational message like "1" everywhere.

But Iowa State needs to play every down with a gigantic chip on their shoulder to overcome the advantages on the other sideline. They need to go through the season seriously ticked off, because nobody is going to respect Iowa State until they beat people on a regular basis.

Might as well start now, Niners.

Peter

Quality Info Mixed With Humor

Clone Chronicles Nails It.

Comebacks

I forgot I saw this one in person.

Fine Nebraska Snark

Thanks for everything, Huskers.

Hopin'

Here's hoping THE Ohio State University doesn't come sniffing around CPR now that they have another coach resign in disgrace.

One poaching every hundred years, thanks.

Peter

Win-Win

I love to see Fred make scheduling moves like this.

A quality home-home each year, along with the SUI/UNI/Drake trifecta, helps build a quality noncon for the RPI. It's also nice to have a hint of how good the team is before league play starts.

I think ISU gets more out of this than Michigan. Recruiting exposure in Michigan helps ISU more than Iowa exposure helps UM. As a bonus, each team will view the games as winnable, which is nice.

Perhaps Fred can build a habit of road scheduling for seniors on the team like Duke does. So while Will Clyburn gets to play in front of his Detroit friends, and Korie and Chris get a return to the state of Michigan, we still need a game in Wisconsin for Scottie (Korie gets to play the hometown card on that one, too) and a trip to Georgia for Chris Allen. A home-home with Georgia tech would suit me.

Peter

Unthinkable

For a big chunk of my life, the idea that Iowa State was SUI's biggest rival was laughable. But now we are. Shocking.

The author gets in the usual "It's all about Iowa and Nebraska" dig, but rivalries have an ebb and flow. Ask SUI fan about Minnesota and Northwestern switching their roles. Beat good Mizzou teams a few times and it's on.

I'm just glad that Cyclone football has elevated itself to the point of being a threat in SUI fan's eyes. That's where you want to be.

Peter

Go Big

I echo the sentiments of CrossCyed that JP has pushed ISU athletics into new territory. He asked for input, and here's mine:

1. Become consistently relevant in football.
2. Achieve financial independence.

Since #2 is dependent on #1, it's all about football.

As we saw a year ago, football drives everything when it comes to the big picture. Win and you have options. Lose and you are at the mercy of others. While winning basketball is fun, and important to ISU fans, it will be immaterial the next time conferences start realigning. (Ask Kansas how much cache their hoops program has when push comes to shove.)

We're at an important turning point in athletics, and the only serious play is to go All In. There's no other guarantee it will work, either, but not going big has a definite path towards (continued) irrelevance.

Any other move will result in a lack of options down the line. Go Big, JP, Go Big.

Peter

$2

If you assume this new toy will last 10 seasons, at 6 home games per year, and 45,000 per game, about $2 of each ticket will fund it.

$5M/(10*6*45K)

Assuming they put something interesting on it, that's a pretty cheap cost on improving fan's impression of Trice.

Peter

Ramping Up

I agree with both Fred's strategy and the analysis of it: ISU hoops needs to get good fast to attract the top level talent to stay good. It's a chicken/egg situation, but one with precedent.

Back in the 90's both Tim and Larry used JUCOs to fill holes and help raise and maintain performance, which brought in solid HS talent. If you aren't winning, recruiting becomes a tougher sell.

This time next year we'll know if the Refugee Strategy has paid off.

Peter

Enthusiasm

I wish the Kool-Aid had the same effect on me as it does the Internet Poll Taking Population.

Not that I don't want success, I just have tempered expectations for the Smallest Football Budget in the Big 1210.

Peter

Non-Story Story

There are two ingredients for the "Bill to Wisconsin" Non-Story to emerge: Success and Status.

Bill definitely has the success. And Wisconsin views its coaching job as a step up, even though it hasn't been to the NCAA Tourney '02. This was probably a reporter or blogger putting his/her finger in the air and saying "Here's a list of coaches UW could probably poach from some school that's beneath us" and Bill was on the list.

Now, Wisconsin would be stupid not to call and gauge interest. And Bill would be stupid not to listen. UW is a better job for two reasons: he may be able to wrangle a bigger paycheck and its a much easier place to win because of the Big 10/11/12.

According to Real Time RPI, The Big 10 ended the year with 4 teams int he top 50. The Big 12 had 7, with 4 in the Top 25. While this may have been a down year for the B10, I suspect it was a typical year in the B12. Life would be easier in Madison.

But I suspect Bill is happy in Ames. Expectations are reasonable. Fan support is crazy. He may not be interested in another rebuild. Sometimes when things fit, you don't mess with it.

Peter

Sage

My late Grandpa Ed claimed that he made the first phone call to Danny Mac about Sage.

Don't know if that's true, but its a good story about a good kid.

Peter

Parting Gifts, The Sequel

A nice turnaround over a team that pasted Iowa State in Boulder, but more importantly firmly pushes the Buffs off the NCAA bubble.

The result is Saturday's Nebraska/Colorado game in Boulder is essentially a play-in game, in the sense that the winner still has a chance. The loser is done.

The CSJ staff notes that all three of Iowa State's conference wins came against teams currently sitting on the outside looking in.

Heh.

Peter

Good News

While this is good news, I hope we didn't get in a bidding war with Baylor for his services.

I want to win, but not that way.

Peter

Filthy

If you have the filthy skills needed to reverse a previous opponent by 50 points, you need to learn how to impose your will on the road.

Bill's team has put together a better season than I expected- but road losses to KU and CU are really going to hurt their seeding in the B12 and NCAA tourneys.

Peter

Parting Gifts

If the OT loss to Nebraska essentially bumped Iowa State from a bowl, at least we returned the favor by essentially ending the Husker's hopes of making the NCAA tournament since forever.

Not that Nebraska fan cares a lick about basketball, but still.

But good golly was that painful to watch. The Cyclones chocked that game hard and are fortunate that Nebraska wasn't good enough to take advantage.

Mission one for the staff in the off season: Throw out the pages of the gameplan involving End Of Games, and try something else. I think the sample size is big enough to conclude that the current plan is not going to work.

Now, burst CU's bubble as a parting gift.

Peter

Big Boy Pants

I agree with this completely.

I've made fun of the Bowling In The Endzone fetish many Cyclone fans have, but new and improved facilities often sell themselves. Attendance jumped when the Jack was built compared to Clyde Williams. I witnessed the same thing happen when Des Moines rebuilt Sec Taylor Stadium in the 90's.

The plan to build a football facility and use the roof for seating is the best design, and is what sold me on the deal. I love that kind of design.

Put on the Big Boy Pants, boys.

Peter

Edit- corrected link

Lost Decade

Blum gets it right.

I will always remember how LE would, on the post-game show after a big win, remind everyone to cherish the win, cherish the ride they were on. He was psychic.

May that ride come again.

Peter

Awkward

The only thing more awkward than watching a team repeatedly come from ahead to lose is being out there on the floor trying to make the play that wins the game- or rather, not make the play that doesn't win the game.

Winning and losing build momentum. Fred's boys have a whole bunch of the wrong kind. I assume the scout team is taking careful notes on what they have to do with the rock next year.

Then again, they're that close. I'll take their situation over what is going on in Iowa City, consistently losing but 10+.

Peter

Interesting Recruiting Story

Not the kind of topic that is often written about in the mainstream press. Mixed view of Bill's program.

I doubt there is a real problem.

Peter

It Happens

Sometimes the other team just has your number. Its going to happen this year.

Someone I read this week thought that Mizzou is ISU's worst matchup in the league- just not many good options.

Mizzou also had an excellent defensive plan- tall rangy guy on JVB, shadow on Scott, lots of ball pressure- it all added up.

Tonight's result only emphasizes how important winning the close ones is. But realize- we're still ahead of schedule.

Peter

Finishing

The improvements in Fred's crew compared to last year have been enormous. But the inability to close games out in the last 4 minutes is holding them back.

Peter

Streaks

I was a freshman in college the last time Iowa State won in Stillwater. Victor Alexander was also a freshman, and played a decent game that night. As I recall that was the first sign that he would be an above-average player.

Streaks like this don't happen by accident- but it is impressive when you consider that some pretty stout Cyclone teams have made that trip. The problem is that Okie State always seemed just a little stouter when they needed to be.

I seldom bet against a streak, so I expect the Cowboys to win somehow. But I suspect ISU will have a shot at the end.

Peter

Saturdays

The best news for our Cyclones: 4 of their 6 remaining home games are on Saturdays.

Buy your tickets now.

Peter

Magic Defined

I had a few exchanges over the weekend whether Hilton Magic has returned, and much of the problem is in definition.

My definition is vague, but it surrounds this: Hilton Magic can push an otherwise over-matched Cyclone team to victory. The Magic is often crowd-driven by fans who believe they can have as much influence as they players on the court. When fans come in the door intending to go to work rather than just observe, crazy things happen.

Its really about mindset. Football fans in Lincoln and Iowa City probably have it to a degree. ISU fans have had it in the past. But recent results have created a justifiable "wait and see" attitude when going to games, reactive rather than proactive.

We are on the cusp of something memorable. Ghosts are being awakened.

Peter

Surprise

I dare say Scotty Drew was outcoached tonight.

Our Cyclones had exactly the offensive sets to get good looks against the Bears' zone, and did enough on defense to keep Baylor from finding a rhythm. The result was a win that looked a little too easy.

Granted, its hard to look bad when you are shooting 50%, but the effort and execution were there on both ends of the floor. Absolutely no hangover from the near miss against KU.

Given the disparity between the two teams on paper, this win may qualify as Magical.

Peter

Underachievers

I love the hustle of our Cyclones- they know they are limited and undermanned, but they try to make the best of it.

If ISU can be criticized for their defensive strategy in the post, KU can be criticized for not pounding the ball into the post on every single possession. They didn't need to shoot jump shots- they had a layup anytime they wanted it.

Really, Kansas only played about 12 minutes of serious ball, otherwise it was a controlled scrimmage. If they had applied themselves for even 30 minutes, they win by 40. I'd love to watch them play somebody when they really care. Maybe Mizzou will bring out their A game.

Peter

Sick

The Twister Sisters uncorked a 41-7 run in the second half of a conference game. That's just sick.

One 20+ run in a game, sure. Par for the course with Bill's bunch. But essentially back to back? That's not fair.

Wish I had been there to witness it in person.

Peter

Bookends

Nebraska and Penn State will make perfect basketball bookends in the
Big 10/11/12.

Peter

The Chiz

What bothers me now about the Chiz administration was the subtle condensation he had for Iowa State.

It was if ISU's problem wasn't the 2.5 star talent, it was that they just hadn't been coached up properly. Every other coaching staff was a bunch of dorks, you see. He's Coach "Super Genius". He'll show us how its done.

Yelling "I will not coach down to you" was perhaps not the best technique for a guy with exactly zero head coaching wins at the time. Way to bond with your new charges.

The look on his face after the SUI win told the whole story- he couldn't believe he won a game at all, let alone against a decent team.

I'm still surprised that Chiz had no idea what to do with anything other than five star talent- that's the sign of bad coaching. The difference between his teams in Ames and his teams in Auburn couldn't be more stark.

So it goes.

Peter

Close

I have to agree with Randy on this one. You ask your coach to put your team in position to win. Fred has done that in every game so far.

So they haven't won all of them. So what. Nobody does. As long as you win your share, its all good.

Give ISU a shot at beating Kansas at home, and I'll be most impressed.

Peter

Mouth

I'm old enough to remember when ISU's basketball coaches knew how to swear on the court- think late 90's to early 00's- and to many it was a big problem.

Now the current coach in Iowa City does it and it just displays his intensity.

Huh.

Peter

Our Bad

We, Cyclone Nation, should take the blame for Nebraska being upset in the Holiday Bowl.

Had Iowa State defeated Nebraska in Ames- and they should have, as they outplayed them- Nebraska would have been matched up against a team with less incentive to win, and who the Huskers might have tried to beat.

Thus- embarrassing loss avoided.

Who knew a failed 2 point conversion would have such delayed repercussions?

So, Huskers, we're sorry. Looking like pompous punks, becoming a national laughingstock on ESPN, having to slide into the Big 10/11/12 with your tail between your legs, that was our fault. Sorry.

Now get out.

Peter