72 Hours

Cyclone fans just exited the most dramatic 72 hours of their fandom.

Wednesday rumors of Penn State interest in Campbell accelerated on Thursday, then when nuclear on Friday as Matt and his staff went into radio silence. By Friday night it was done, and a successor named before CMC had even left the building, literally.

It was a rapid spin from "Why would he want that job?" to "Crap, he took that job."

A gathering we attended Friday night was a wake while awaiting the time of death. The introduction of Jimmy was a green shoot among the sadness.

Basketball brought joy to the somber fan base. The second half demolition of #1 Purdue at Mackey Arena was amazing to watch: A 4 point halftime lead was converted into a 46-27 blowout half. 59% from the field, 7-12 from 3. Winning most of the 50/50 balls, out-rebounding taller, beefier players. Defense that kept Purdue from ever finding a rhythm.

The basketball ceiling is unlimited with that level of defense and shooting. Hopefully the Cyclones can catch some breaks to balance the near term football prospects, which will be a rebuild at best.

Celebrate every win, as you don't knwo how long the good times are going to last. 

Classic Heacock

A cool, windy day in Stillwater. An opponent that is on a 17 game B12 losing streak. Less than 15K semi-interested fans in the stands. But the OSU QB was finding some success throwing the ball, and led a 14-play TD drive just before halftime. A 10-7 lead for Iowa State coming out of halftime.

What does the defense do? Give up 2 field goals and give the offense time to gel. Which is what they do in the second half almost every week. 

OSU's second half:

3-8 punt

6-17 punt

4-3 FG (stated at the ISU 14!)

5-20 INT

3-5 punt

9-33 FG

Up 17-7, ISU turned up the heat and got three key sacks that blew up possessions. Closers.

If you are playing the percentages, the Heacock defense is a safe bet.

Making Shots

Three solid wins in Vegas for different reasons.

Outworked a physical St. John's team to win by one. They shots fell when they needed to fall.

Disrupted a Creighton team that can shoot the ball, but still misses some pieces.

Then came the 60 point second half that discombobulated Syracuse. The defense won the game, but every shot went in for a long stretch. It was amazing basketball to watch. 

This team has the horses to win multiple ways. Buckle up and enjoy the ride. 

Winning Numbers

Carried the ball 50 times for 221 yards.

9 of 16 on third down, and 4 of 5 on 4th down. 

Two touchdowns on 4th down plays.

462 total yards vs. 323.

No turnovers, and an interception to seal the game. 

Only one punt. 

ISU reached the red zone five times, and scored five TDs. 

Kansas reached the red zone four times, but only scored 14 points. 

The best overall game since late September. Win.  

It's Gotta Be The Gold Pants

It was lovely seeing a Cyclone team in gold pants again, even if it was on the road. Apparently a bit of Gold Pant Magic was the slump-buster the program needed.

Passing the ball remains an inconsistent challenge, but the offense found enough connections down the stretch to churn out first downs. A win despite a 160-yard deficit it hard to do, as is the kind of game that ISU is often on the losing end.

Our goals for Cyclone teams has always been the same: get games into the fourth quarter, and win more than half of the games from there. The last three losses all fit this bill, and the win in Fort Worth did two. Sometimes your grinding pays off.

Just keep grinding. 

Running uphill

Another loss, another disappointing game for an offense that seems to be running uphill.

Six trips into the Red Zone, 19 points. Sub-optimal. 

-1.8 YPP. Teams almost never win when getting out gained at that rate.

18-37 for 186 (numbers inflated by the last possession) is not the QB play that Iowa State needs to win games.

The defense was torched for 300 yards of rushing, but only gave up 25 points. 

And yet- Iowa State had the ball in the Red Zone with 35 seconds left. 

The offense moves the ball and generates opportunities to score, but falls apart in the big moments.

Last season, they made plays when they needed to make plays. This year, the offense has reverted to Cyclone football of the past.

For 20 years there was a running joke in the tailgate lots that if the defense can stay below 24 points, Iowa State probably wins, and if the offense can score more than 24 points, the Cyclones probably win. 

under almost any yardstick, the game against ASU was a loss on both sides of the ball. And yet- it was this close to being a slump-buster.  Frustrating. 

Advantage

The list of teams that have come into Trice and had their ground game limited by the ISU defense is long. Those teams then have to hand the ball to their QB and ask him to find a way.

Often, the QB isn't up to the task,  he makes some critical mistakes and the Cyclones win. Bachmeier was up to the task, both passing and throwing.

Most of the 50/50 plays went BYU's way, and a great first half by the ISU offense was wasted. The second half offense was a disaster: 3-and-out; Red Zone settle for a FG; pick six; Red Zone TO on downs; Red Zone INT.

There's plenty of blame to pass around, but the offense absolutely could have overcome Bachmeier's heroics. But BYU also looks like a team that has the winning pixie dust, just as ISU had handfuls of it in '24. 

You just have to keep working your plan, get the percentages on your side, and hope the dice come up 7.