Northern Iowa won 25-20.
Advertisement
As the Iowa State football team ran out onto Jack Trice Stadium for the first time this season on Saturday, some of the players surely tried to take in the moment longer than others.
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell says the Cyclones have moved on to this week’s 64th meeting in the series against Iowa.
The present remains as murky as ever.
The Cyclones don’t have much time to regroup after their disastrous opener either. No rest for the tired, as Lanning and company will head to Iowa City for a showdown with the Hawkeyes next weekend. Sep.
“Whether you win or lose, you have to flush it”, Campbell said Monday. “There’s a process to it”.
Iowa State’s offensive line is brand new – and that’s typically bad news for an offense.
Iowa State: The Cyclones will travel to Iowa City to face rival Iowa, ranked 17th. The score came after Iowa State quarterback Joel Lanning threw an interception.
The fear for Iowa State was that its line, which collectively had just one start for the Cyclones heading into 2016, would be its downfall. “We put our offensive line in some really tough spots and that hurt those guys”, Campbell said. “We have to continue to find ways to get ourselves under that 12 percent rule and give ourselves a chance to function offensively”.
Iowa State has 10 players with starting experience on defense, including Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year Demond Tucker, safety Kamari Cotton-Moya and cornerback Brian Peavy. Lanning made three big throws for TDs, but his inexplicable fourth-quarter interceptions cost the Cyclones dearly. But the Cyclones’ defense allowed just 4.3 yards per play, forced eight punts and stuffed Northern Iowa on 13 of its 17 third downs. I think that is where we are at, ” Campbell said. “That really showed up”.
The Cyclones, who are 8-28 in the last three seasons, feature two of the best players in the Big 12 in sophomore running back Mike Warren and junior wide receiver Allen Lazard.
Iowa State’s next class is ranked even higher, giving fans hope that Campbell, at 36 the youngest Power Five coach in the country, can finally turn its languishing program around. Campbell’s latest new idea will be to replace Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water”, the Cyclones entrance song for years, with something more modern. “I just don’t know what we are today”, Farley said Monday.
Lanning (6 feet 2, 225 pounds) is an effective runner who totaled 261 yards rushing in the final five games last season, including 130 versus Oklahoma State.
Advertisement
Share with Us – We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article, and smart, constructive criticism. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
