Effort

Few things are more fun than watching your 3 star guys out scheme and outwork 5 star guys.

Most of the time talent is able to make the key plays to pull a game out of the fire. But not this time.

Slumpbuster

The CSJ staff has been watching Cyclone football since 1974, so they know what a bad football team looks like.

Kansas is a bad football team.

That doesn't lessen the importance of Saturday's blowout. The team needed to smack somebody around. The fans needed to see the Cyclones smack somebody around. Fortunately, the Cyclones were able to smack somebody around.

The defense is solid, and it will be interesting to see how they do against the high octane spreads in the rest of the league.

It would be nice if the offense could get get something going in their first 3 or 4 possessions. Lots of heartburn in Trice as drives stalled in the red zone, if they got going at all.

At least Iowa State won't go oh-fer the season. They may be on a 1-17 streak come Thanksgiving, but we will worry about that then. Celebrate!

Step One: Success; Step Two?

Iowa State's win over UNI confirmed one thing: The Cyclones are able to beat quality FCS competition, and they did so without running the ball very much. Other have noted they didn't really try to run- no outside runs, no read-option- but they moved the ball well and scored above last season's average.

Now comes SUI. As usual, the GoBlas are favored, and they looked good dismantling Illinois State. Yet I won't be shocked if Iowa State beats them again, for two reasons:

- Iowa drops a road game for no good reason each season. They are a different team in the white jerseys

- Iowa often gets a case of Tight Helmet (and/or Tight Headset) against Iowa State. They shouldn't, but they clearly do. Iowa has been the better team overall in most of their losses to Iowa State since 1998, so some part of Iowa State's success has to be mental. If nothing else, Iowa State comes into this game each year knowing they have more at stake. ISU has fewer winnable games each year than Iowa, so they have to take advantage of every opportunity. Iowa views the game as Just Another Game- it rarely makes or breaks their season when it comes to bowl-eligibility. They don't have to put extra weight on it, so they don't.

Iowa State has won 3 of 4 in the series after Iowa won 3 straight, but the road team has won the last 3.

Iowa State's next challenge is to prove that they can beat Poor to Decent FBS teams, and Iowa is certainly in the Decent category. Until I see a running game emerge and how the reconstructed defense competes with a quality offense, I expect Iowa to win by 10. Unless they get Tight Helmet, the ISU by 3.

Go with the streak

Until shown otherwise, I will assume Iowa State can't beat top level FCS teams. UNI by 10.

Game On

This isn't original analysis, but we are going to know everything we will need to know about Cyclone Football in the first two weeks.

I can't help but wonder how many Cyclone fans are privately hoping for losses to force a change in football leadership. 10%? 20%?

If the season starts 2-3 rather than 4-1, the debate will shift from If to Who.

Expansion Wishes

Since rumors of expansion has risen again, here is who I would invite if I was King:

BYU- large, loyal, national, underrated fan base. Mega eyeballs. Scheduling around Sundays is not a deal-breaker.

Cincinnati- Big media town, travel partner/rival for West Virginia.

Central Florida- Every school gets to travel to (and recruit) Florida!

Tulane- Every school gets to travel to NOLA! Downside- Tulane might not want to associate with Tech academically.

I know, that would be 14. But the Big10111214, the ACC and the SEC all make 14 work. It can't be that hard.

Besides- when the next big shakeout comes down there won't be enough chairs for the Big Time Football Lotto Payout Table for every school that wants in. This group includes Iowa State. But squatters have rights, and it will be much harder for a league to toss out a member than to pull in a new one. Better to start on the inside.

Post Fred, On to Prohm

During the crazy heights of the Eustachy era, LE would often start the post-game chat with Pete Taylor with some version of "celebrate night like this, because you never know when they will end".

Hiring Fred was a giant risk, but one that came up paid out far more than it didn't. Uncountable fun games in a short period, and a lifetime of "what-ifs".

Better to have had the time with him than not. Hopefully Prohm has similar or greater success, but perhaps he won't. Winning at this level is a difficult and volatile cocktail of talent, skill and luck. If it was easy to mix everyone would be doing it.

Embrace the good times, you never know when they will end.

Post Mortem

The eventual winner of the NCAA Tournament came from Iowa State's bracket. The team has to wonder what was left on the table. That makes two missed opportunities for a Final Four run in two years.

Hopefully those facts fuel their off season work and next season's play. Answer the bell every time. Focus. Hustle.

One comforting tidbit from tonight: This year's champion lost in the first round of last years tournament as a 3 seed.

Now Things Get Interesting

Down three ranked teams in a row, the last two on the road?

You intrigue me Cyclones, you really do.  Running the table now looks like more of a possibility than it did two weeks ago.

Too bad KU doesn't have many losable games left.

Improvement, but-

It was fun watching the Cyclones beat a ranked team by 20. The defense was solid start to finish, and the offense wasn't too rattled by WVU's constant pressure.

Often defense is just effort, like closing out on 3 point shooters. But I'm taking Saturday's success with a handful of salt, considering that the half-court is not where the Mountaineers get their work done.

Okie State? Texas? Half court teams. Slow them on the road and I will consider myself a believer.

70 Minutes of Awful

I watched all 80 minutes of basketball played by Iowa State on Saturday- the women in Ames, the men on my telly. The two teams combined for about 10 minutes of entertainment. The rest was hard to watch.

The opponents were to blame. The Defense First, Defense Second, Offense If We Find It school of basketball played by both Kansas State and South Carolina is a bastardization of the sport. It may win games, but it has to suck the joy from the sport for both spectators and player alike. The prevalence of the style in the women's game is the single biggest factor holding the sport back from wider public acceptance. Like hockey, a couple of goons can reduce a free-flowing sport to a brawl.
 
The reason Iowa State has such a solid following is that when able, they are fun to watch. Too many opponents lace up their sneakers only to start a street fight on the court. But the audience that likes a street fight is going to choose the MMA over women's hoops every time.

The leagues could mandate a change by ordering referees to call fouls, but when a majority of the coaches in a league prefer Brawling over Scoring, no mandate will come. Referees will continue to ignore all but the most egregious fouls, and the sport descends to the level of the most violent and least skilled.

The only thing that will break the Street Fight Defense school of coaching will be sustained success of teams who put offense first. When defensive coaches lose too many games and recruits to offensive coaches they will have no choice but to switch styles.

The switch can't come soon enough.

Thump

So the football season ends like this:

Two wins that could have been losses.
Five losses that could have been wins.
Five losses that were over at the opening kick.

Few Cyclone fans expect to go 10-2, but having a puncher's chance in most games will keep the crowd happy. Winning a majority of the close ones will, too. Close out a couple of the games where you had leads in the fourth quarter and the grumbling isn't as loud.

Is the program that critically broken? 5-19 over two years says that something needs to change, and given the long-term results of ISU football, the cure is probably something radical.

Would a beefed up walk-on program help plug the gaps when injuries set in? Would bringing in more projects and putting them on partial schollies get anywhere? Would a tweener choose a quarter ride at Iowa State over a full-ride at Illinois State or Northern Illinois?

I suspect that given the choice, a DC would take a senior who was a two-star recruit over a freshman who was a three-star. Just understanding where to be can make all the difference, and that's something that only comes through experience and reps.

Just throw numbers at the problem- having 40 Quarters on your squad should yield you the 4 senior injury replacements you need to hold things together. Let the Quarters (and former Quarters, once they earn full-rides) wear the experience like a badge of honor. K State has 55 players in their two-deeps who were once walk-ons. When you can't get 5 star talent, filling the gaps can make the difference.

One Thing At A Time

Clearly the Gods of Sport are allowing our Cyclones to only be good at one sport at a time. As one ascends, the other declines.

Close and not so close

There will always be days for Cyclone Football like last Saturday- a physically better team in need of making a statement does just that. Weaknesses get exploited over and over.

The mismatch games only highlight the need for Iowa State to be deadly in close games. Pull out the two they found a way to lose and they are 4-4, 2-3 in conference, and in a whole different mental state. They have to develop a reputation that puts doubt in the mind of the opponent when the game is within a score in the 4th.

"Don't let them hang around" has to be the calling card.

Red Zone

The Cyclones were better on offense against Toledo, and all but two of their possessions went for multiple first downs and chances to score. But it was in the red zone the Cyclones almost lost the game. Had the three first half field goals been touchdowns, ISU probably leads at the half and wins going away. Instead, we all had to hold our breath during an onside kick try.

The play of the game may have been turned by Nigel Tribune. On a 50 yard run by Toledo, Tribune ran the running back down for a tackle at the ISU 25. The Rockets had to run 8 plays over three minutes to get the TD to draw within 7. Had he Tribune let the back go for the score, the offense would have needed to burn four minutes off the clock, a tough trick when you are only averaging a short 3 yards per carry. It would have been antacid time had things played out that way.

A win is a win is a win. This may be a good time to play Texas.

One Step Forward

It's wonderful when your team finds a way to win a game the other team isn't interested in finishing. Many of the predictions were predicated on "Iowa State can't finish, so Iowa should win", so it's nice to put that to bed for a little while.

I find it funny that it's now Iowa City that can only get a sellout when the visiting team sells a lot of tickets,  since that was an issue that dogged Cyclone fans for years.

Yet each win by Iowa State pushes the end of the football series closer to reality. Iowa isn't interested in this Cy-Hawk thing if it means losing to Little Brother half the time. Iowa State needs to get their licks in while it can.

Re-Run

I've been watching Cyclone football for about 40 years now, and I've seen what transpired today about 75 times in that span. Stop me if you have heard this before:

- Spunky undermanned Cyclones surprise everyone by playing over their heads.
- A couple of crazy plays results in an Iowa State lead
- Spunky Cyclones have chances to put the game away, don't
- Opponent says "Thanks, we'll take the win"


And people wonder why Cyclone fans are a cynical, paranoid bunch?

When you have the smallest budget in the league you have to keep your expectations modest. Being a tough out is your goal. But you have to take advantage of a situation when you can, otherwise your opponents will just wait for you to fall apart.

Bottom

Make no mistake- North Dakota State is a solid team. They would be middle of the pack in the Power 5 conferences, and would push to win a league like the MAC or Mountain West.

But giving up 34 unanswered to a team not named Baylor is going to raise serious questions about the direction of your program.

Data point: Since ISU's 2012 upset of Baylor, the team is 4-14. Two of those wins are over Kansas.

You don't have to win at Iowa State, but you do have to look competitive.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

-and so we being another football season in Ames, staring down another insanely hard schedule. Literally no gimmes when you include a favorite to win the Big 101112 West/Legends Division, a favorite to win the MAC and the three-time defending FCS champ. Whew.

Several have made the argument that ISU will go 3-9 or worse, Rhodes should be canned, etc. etc. etc. In other words, another typical summer expectation synopsis for the Cyclones. If the OL is riddled with injuries like 2013, 0-12 is in play. Magino can only do so much when the QB is running for his life, getting injured, and then is unable to run for his life due to injury.

My short answer: If the OL stays healthy and the offense can average 28+ per game, they find a way to get to 6-6 and a bowl invite. (It's all any of us want, really.)

But if the OL has to start using backups for extended snaps, look out below.

The White Whale Arrives

As I wrote at this time last year, I wasn't opposed to the idea of bowling in the south end of Jack Trice, I just didn't think it made financial sense.

But Pollard, the mad genius that he is, has found a way to make the numbers work. By adding a massive "Club Section" in the end zone seating area, 3000 fans will get the privilege of spending $750 on a season ticket that before was only $99. Granted, the club section will have amenities the current seating lacks- like a place to go when it gets too hot, too cold or too wet and porcelain toilets rather than Porta Potties. I suspect that section will sell quickly.

My only concern is that there be a plan for families who leverage Jr. Cyclone memberships into a family gameday activity. The current Jr. Cyclone membership won't be able to squeeze into the NE and NW corners under the current "Ya'll come" admittance policy. But $50 for a assigned seat on top of the current $50 Jr. Cy cost would be totally fair, and would move lots of families like mine from the grass to the seats.

If the reality looks in any way similar to the renderings, Trice may officially become a place you don't want to come play- and that will be great fun.