Cykron

Here is my grade for Drake:

I still think it is a crock that the Fuskers didn't pay you. Just another reason to despise them. Now go down to USC and take care of business. Make them regret they agreed to this game.

Some of you might be interested in the saga of Iowa State's reaction to the cancelled game. Like you, we had our first game cancelled. Unlike Nebraska, we paid South Dakota State. And as an FCS team, we had more options in finding a replacement. Originally, we scheduled a game on Dec 1st with Incarnate Word (San Antonio) by buying them out of their game with North Alabama. Of course, whenever a perennially poor team schedules us, they immediately become successful. For a while it looked like we might be playing in the Big 12 championship game on Dec 1st (we lost to Texas and ended up 3rd). And Incarnate Word was playing for their conference championship and an autobid to the FCS playoffs. They lost, but still got an at-large bid, so if they won on Nov 24th, they would not be available to play us on Dec 1st. They said if they lost on Nov 24th, they still wanted to play us on Dec 1st. Our AD, never one to let bad luck take control, got out of the Incarnate Word contract last week and booked Drake, a non-scholarship FCS school in Des Moines. The last time we played Drake was 1985 and lost to them in a rivalry "Victory Bell" game, but no one knows what happened to the victory bell. So, it appears that we had to work through 4 different contracts in order to play a team from just down the road . . . in the cold and snow . . . as a 42 point favorite . . . and enjoy an unprecedented 8th home tailgate! P.S. We don't need the game to be bowl eligible, but Campbell wanted the game to give more players a chance to experience real playing conditions.

Here is a little fact that is blowing our minds in Ames. We have a 35% chance to be in the Big 12 Championship game! A guy on our fan site did some analysis using thousands of simulations. I don't think any Iowa State fan was alive the last time we won a Big 12 Championship!

OK, then we will keep Campbell in Ames!

Leave it to the Golden Goofers to hand the Fuskers their first win. Too bad that game wasn't the one cancelled!

Not a great way for you guys to win. But what a great way for Kent to lose!

I like the fact that players get to express themselves in this way.

For what its worth, our Iowa State AD went to work right away and announced within two weeks (on Sept 12th) that we would have a game on Dec 1st with Incarnate Word (San Antonio), an FCS team to replace our cancelled game with an FCS team. He had to buy out their opponent (Northern Alabama who I think is now playing a replacement game for someone else). Of course, it will all be for naught when we play for the Big 12 championship on Dec 1st! P.S. All previous tickets will be honored for the replacement game!

Come on Zips. Time to rally and pull this season back together!

Hoping Buffalo wins big, even with Jackson not being productive.

Not quite the same, but we did raise a Zips flag from Akron fans at our tailgate before the Iowa State game. It flew during the tailgate and all through the game until its rightful owners (folks from ZipsNation) came and got it.

Kato sure seems to have a lot of fight in him, but not the consistency of throws (and attitude) that I want in a starting QB.

Nebraska is going to take over Iowa State's spot in the calculations of "most loyal fans" (determined by attendance divided by wins).

It will be the featured game at our tailgate in Ames (before a 6pm kickoff)!

Thanks for the clarification. I've never heard that one. [sarcasm indicator]

Didn't even notice this during the tribute. CBA is the victim's initials also worn on helmet decals. Thanks to Dr. Golemo, Director of Bands, who came to us via Akron!

"It's unfair to discount our D's performance when evaluating ISU offensive out put." True. I'm just seeing it from our perspective. If we can have been able to match our offensive production against Oklahoma, particularly with Butler and Jones. The fact is that you stopped what we tried for the entire second half, but only after we got within field goal range.

Now, it is time to get back to cheering for the Zips for the rest of the season.

Here are some thoughts I wrote for another blog (more about our players and from our perspective, but I thought it might be of interest): Cyclone fans did a great job of getting into the stadium early and wearing gold/yellow (even a Packers jacket was appropriate) to honor Celia Barquin Arozamena. The tribute began as the band played a subdued rendition of “The Bells of Iowa State” that established a deeply moving and somber mood. The video tribute to a student-athlete from Spain, the moment of silence, and the national anthem placed Iowa State in its global context perhaps like never before. It was a special privilege to have this week’s Kid Captain, Zach Plueger, and his family at our tailgate before the game. Zach looked great out at midfield for the coin toss with his wheelchair being pushed by #32 David Montgomery himself. Andrew delivered another memorable tailgate meal. Watching him cook on the discada is like seeing art made. It was especially fun to have Akron fans from Ohio, as well as ISU alumni with young families return to Ames for the tailgate. Now to the mundane matters of the game itself. Workmanlike effort for Iowa State in the victory. Although Akron jumped out to an early lead and was never far behind, I never felt like the outcome was in jeopardy. However, it was another week of rather uninspired play calling by Coach Campbell. Not as bad as in Iowa City, but it was certainly a step back from the wide-open field for the Oklahoma game. Please, when Butler gets one-on-one with a short cornerback, just throw him the ball. Or when we have three receivers out wide against two defensive backs, get them the ball. Both teams struggled on third down, but our struggles happened close enough to get field goals. Defensive adjustments led to the win. Iowa State has allowed only 6.9 points in the second half of the last 14 games (and most of those are high-powered Big 12 offenses). Akron’s QB completed only 12 passes. His TD toss was a thing of beauty, but he seemed off on many throws. The pressure he felt from our line was largely a result of good coverage. JaQuan Bailey #3 was one of our leading tacklers. Akron’s defensive end #9 seemed like he was in our backfield all day. It was only after the game that I learned that untested #63 Collin Olson was starting on our O-line. Perhaps there was a connection. Why play Brock Purdy, third string QB, for two plays, including a designed run for him? Perhaps it was just to get him some more experience on the field, but it came at a time in the game when I thought it was more important to get the first down and keep the drive going. Tarique Milton #14 may be the future for us at WR. Even though he fumbled (our first real fumble in two seasons), Campbell kept him in the game for kick returns and as a primary target on pass plays. I took notice that Campbell didn’t just yank him. We got our first true glimpse of Johnny Lang #24 as he scampered around the left side for a nifty 12 yard gain. And Kene Nwangwu #3 had a great kickoff return. Our depth and speed at RB is going to be very valuable at some point this season. In last week’s press conference, Akron’s coach Terry Bowden, said that 5 or 6 of their first half penalties against Northwestern were because their Center couldn’t hear the snap count. In Evanston! I was hoping that a hostile crowd at Jack Trice Stadium would be devastating for him, but they went to a QB clap that seemed to work. However, they did seem to have trouble getting the play called in from the bench. Nice job fans! The essence of the second half is that neither team did very well on third down, but ours happened with better field position, so we got points from field goals.

Finally getting some time to be online. Had a great time over the weekend, including time with Zips fans who I met at our tailgate or in the visitor's section. We even flew an Akron flag on a tent in a prominent tailgating location. I'll post some photos when I get them from the people who took them.

#9 should have been wearing cardinal red as he spent so much of the day in our backfield!

Go Big "in the Red"

Finally got back to Ames and got everything to our tailgate spot. Let me be the first to wish you good luck . . . but just enough to feel good . . . not enough to win. Seriously, looking forward to a good game, no injuries, and great tailgating. Hope to see some of you in the grass just east of the D-1 RV lot (just off the sidewalk on University Blvd.).

Listened to this again last night on the hotel treadmill. Love the line about Terry Bowden being the kind of guy you would want to have a beer with! I can't imagine what it would be like at a Bowden extended family gathering, but I would love to be there.