Cykron

Some nice catches by the WRs. I love it when WRs extend themselves to help a QB who is leading them. And as an Iowa State fan, I also liked the 50/50 balls being thrown up by the QBs. It only takes a few of those to have a huge impact on the game.

I didn't read the article, but here is my summary of his career transition: In the next to last game of last season, Lanning scored 5 TDs in a single game against Texas Tech (mostly long runs against short yardage defense). Thenhe barely played in the finale against West Virginia (well, he did score a TD that was called back for a penalty). Now his is the starting MLB and doing really well according to sources. Coach said that he was too good to keep off the field, but wanted Park at QB. I predict Lanning will be the only player in college football to score on offense and defense as he may still play in short yardage situations. In our Spring game, Lanning (former starting QB) intercepted a pass from Park (current QB) and took it for a Pick 6.

21 page thread on uniforms. Longest thread I've seen so far. Not sure what that means about your fans.

How about a nice cross-sectional rivalry game indoors, say in December?

Impressive. If this guy can come down with the ball, he is a great threat on short yardage downs, especially at the goal-line.

My daughter has done quite a bit of research on concussions. The biggest problem isn't the concussion itself, but the undiagnosed and untreated concussions and returns too soon that are what cause the big damage.

This may be the most dramatic typo with unintended meaning that I have ever seen! Deification is when a person is treated like a god. If you love your basketball coach so much that you build her an altar and bow whenever she walks by, that's deification. This word is a variation of deify which means to treat someone like a deity (a god). https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/deification I think you meant "defecation!"

This really makes sense when you have a coach with only one year left on his contract. However, it amazes me that any player (or family) takes so seriously the likelihood that the coach will actually be there for the entirety of the player's career. Isn't the average coaching span less than the 5 years that a normal player will have? If so, then the player (and family) should recognize that it is actually unlikely that the coach will be there for as long as the he will be.

So, does this mean you have to Zip-up . . . your zipper? May be a dumb old joke to you, but it was fresh and clever in my mind!

Does it really surprise people that the Buckwheats have RBs who are ripped?

Seems like a made-for-Sports-Center moment.

@ Penn State - I hope this is a really close game or a blow out. Not one of those "down by 10" games in which you keep the starters in all game with only a small chance to win. I want you to win because that will make our game with you even bigger. I predict that you will get blown out, but be able to rest your starters so you don't get any silly injuries. Loss 0-1. vs. APB - They have a football team? Win 1-1. vs. Iowa State - Lots of variables coming into this game. Iowa State is still a year or so away from feeling the full impact of Matt Campbell's recruiting and coaching. Momentum could be a huge factor as we have two in-state rivalry home games during the preceding two weeks. Both Northern Iowa and Eastern Iowa University (we are the Iowa State University, they are just a directional school that mostly serves Chicago suburbs) are beatable. If we win both of them, this game could take on a bowl-like feel for us, as we are very hungry to feel good about our team. However, if we lose both of them, Campbell will be scrambling for his dignity and will be pulling out all his tricks. Loss (for you) 1-2. @ Troy - I want you to win out after losing to us because it will make us look better if you do, but I don't see this being a bounce-back for you. Loss 1-3. @ Bowling Green - This game will begin your season turn-around. Win 2-3. vs. Ball State - Big win that will make you wonder how you ever lost to us at home. Win 3-3. @ Western Michigan - Now the momentum is swinging your way. Win 4-3. @. Toledo - This will be the MAC game of the year. Double OT. Win 5-3. vs. Buffalo - No problem looking past the Bulls. Dominant win. Win 6-3. @ Miami - Another classic MAC shootout. Going with Miami mostly because it is a road game, but also because my wife went there. Loss 6-4. vs. Ohio - Nice win over the Ohio state university. Win 7-4. vs. Kent - Momentum builder for a bowl game. Win 8-4. Far Away Bowl Game Against Local Team with a Big Fanbase. But you pull it out in a game with a great 4th quarter and dominating Sports Center for a few days. Win 9-4. See you in Ames on September 22, 2018 for a non-conference game between two teams that went to bowls in 2017! .

Uh oh. Sounds like a great player. Hope he has a weakness to exploit, such as coverage of backs, blitzing, or something. Please.

Having freshman run onto the field with the players is a great move. Start early in recruiting the new students to be fans. If promoted strongly, it seems like one of the best things that could be done to "grab" new students and make them fans.

In the build-up to the game, it wouldn't surprise me if they had an article in the Iowa State Daily newspaper about Jason Taylor or Akron being the first pro champ. Edit to say that no they probably won't write those articles. The Iowa State Daily will be too busy focusing in Campbell, et al, being from northeast Ohio. I hope they don't overlook the fact that our stadium is named after Jack Trice who is from East Tech HS in Cleveland. Those stories will probably keep us from actually doing anything more than talk about your current team.

FYI, Iowa State has a young alumni offer for those under 30 to get a decent season ticket for $275 (a $200 discount), not just for three years (30% discount) like Pitt.

Holy cow! That is impressive. If he can use that power for blocking in short yardage situations, I pity the DE who gets double-teamed. I'm generally suspicious of how well that kind of lifting translates on to the field, but here is a link to a Northern Iowa alumni who was a freak in the weight-room and is doing alright in the NFL now. https://arizonasports.com/story/729233/david-johnson-leg-day-frightening/ Not looking forward to facing Williams on short yardage.

OK. ZipsVoice is invited to the tailgate in Ames. And we can talk about the momentous win over Penn State. There, I stayed on topic, sort of.

Matt Campbell has been giving out tons of offers, especially in Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, and Georgia. His philosophy seems to be to try to offer early on guys they like in terms of character and try to hold on if they blow up and get tons of other offers. They also are coming in later on some 4-stars to try to coax them with immediate playing time (an advantage of being a three-win team). His first two recruiting classes have been the best ever for Iowa State. We are looking pretty good for the future. I'm also hoping that you having a freshman DE is a sign of some weakness at that position. Hopefully, he won't have a breakout MAC player of the week game against us!

I will try to comply. Seriously, I appreciate Mods who try to keep threads on topic. May your tribe increase. Oops, I said "tribe."

Yes, I'm new, but I should know better. I like threads that stay on topic and am known to gripe on our site when people hijack them. No, I probably won't disappear. I have 30 years of Akron connections, including at least one trip there each year. And you guys are coming to Ames the following year and I intend to host a tailgate for you (at least for those who have been nice to me). Lastly, for the record, on topic, I would love to see you beat Penn State!

A+. Classy. Nice to see guys rise above the rivalry when appropriate.

I've been away from the site for a week or so and am just getting caught up with the conversation. Thought it might be good to give some out-of-state comparisons. 1. EIU (the Iowa school in the B10) is seeing declines for football and basketball, despite its 12-0 B10 season in 2015. Why? I think it is mostly because their prices are expensive and their rich fans who can afford them are preferring to watch games in comfort of their homes. Also, the 12-0 season was wrapped with 5 loss (3 the season before and 2 in the B10 championship and Rose Bowl). Their fans still travel for bowl games, but they didn't even sell out late in their 12-0 season. For basketball, they have to give out pizza to get students to come. Their MBB home game with Iowa State didn't even sell out. 2. Northern Iowa (UNI, not NIU) sounds much like Akron. A decent amount of success, free tickets for students, but poor marketing and low attendance. I think they mostly suffer from having a tradition of students going home on weekends and the Purple Hawk Syndrome (dual fans go to EIU home games). They just never have had more than a dedicated, but small fan base. The only games that sell out are MBB when the team is ranked and playing Wichita State or FB when competing with North Dakota State for FCS top ranking. I think they could do so much better if they did better on-campus marketing. I hear students say that they didn't even know a home BB game was occurring. 3. Iowa State is either great in terms of student attendance or terribly behind the times (insert Iowa joke here). Great campus housing and off-campus housing helps. Iowa State is not primarily a commuter campus. And at 60,000, Ames is big enough to have plenty to do, but not so big that the campus gets lost in the city. The campus is the center of the town. And athletic events dominate the community when they take place. Things seems to have been building and building over the years. We have a public tailgate lot that is the student hangout before football. There are anchor groups who line up the night before in order to be the first in. We have students who line up in January for days for big MBB games (almost a week before the Kansas game). I think a big group of our students really believe that they make a difference, especially in basketball. Once you have a solid foundation, I think the rest just builds on it. A few dozen camp out before big MBB games for days, but then it just builds on gameday until a few thousand are waiting outside. I'm not sure how to re-start it once lost, but hope we never lose it.

Some tough games for the MAC on opening weekend. Akron at Penn State, Kent State at Clemson, Buffalo at Minnesota. Good time to make/MAC a statement! And what is up with Ohio State playing Indiana to start the season? Has that ever been considered a marquee game to the TV networks?

I hope that Iowa State coming will generate some energy and interest, particularly with us bringing a good crowd and so many of our football staff being from northeast Ohio. Please be grateful and don't win the game.