Thinking Back to 2005...

**ChrisMWilliams** · 10-15-2009, 07:43 AM

I was talking with some old college buddies last night and we got on the topic of the 2005 season.

Do you guys remember how painful that was? We got on this topic because we were talking about Baylor coming to town.

That loss to the Bears in 2005 was one of the worst I can remember. I still get sick just thinking about that game.

What a bittersweet season that was though...the double-OT Nebraska game, Baylor, the road trip to Lawrence.

Knocking off a top-10 Iowa team was a lot of fun. So was Houston.

I had a blast watching that team but they sure gave me a lot of headaches.

Just thought I would share the conversation I got into last night. Have a great day everybody. I'll be on the road most of the day heading to Ames and back for MBB Media Day.

**CycloneErik** · 10-15-2009, 07:50 AM

I lived in Nebraska in 2005. In one respect, it was fun to see how sheepish Husker fans were following a game with us. On the other hand, besides wanting the win, we watched the end of the game with teenagers that we took to a church youth event, and for some reason, they were all Husker fans.

Although I know that the wife of a pastor friend in Lincoln is a giant Cyclone fan. She walked around that day sporting her "Beat the Huskers" T-shirt, so that was fun!

**jdoggivjc** · 10-15-2009, 07:54 AM

While there were a lot of "ups" in that season, it was the beginning of the end of Dan McCarney, even though a lot of us wouldn't admit it until after the fact. I know it's a lot of ifs and buts, but we should have gone 11-1 that season and ran away with the North, or, at the very least, we should have finished a lot better than 7-6. The fact that the coaches never seemed to adjust to the opponents' adjustments and that the players just never seemed to respond was sickening.

**Cyznutz** · 10-15-2009, 07:59 AM

Don't forget the heart break during the Mizzou OT game that could have sent us the Big 12 championship game! Just had to under throw the ball Brett, didn't you!!!!

**tejasclone** · 10-15-2009, 08:00 AM

The 2005 season comes up in virtually any football thread. The definitive "what if" season for Iowa State football.

Of all the bad losses that year, I actually think the one that hurt the most was that Baylor game. We take care of business in that game, Baylor doesn't get their first road win in the Big 12 ever and we outright win the North. Our only loss at home. And somehow that team, which scored 13 points that game, was the same one that annihilated A&M in their own house.

It was probably also one of the deadest home crowds in recent memory. JT was a mausoleum that day.

**cyfan964** · 10-15-2009, 08:07 AM

My friends to this day swear that I said, "We just lost to Baylor....BAYLOR!" over 100 times that day. One of the worst days I can remember.

**Cyznutz** · 10-15-2009, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by cyfan964

My friends to this day swear that I said, "We just lost to Baylor....BAYLOR!" over 100 times that day. One of the worst days I can remember.

For me too! I was getting married that day, that's way I wasn't there!!! One of my worst days I can remember!

**Al_4_State** · 10-15-2009, 08:10 AM

I'll never forget Shawn Bell, the slowest QB in Big 12 history, running right through the middle of our defense for 16 yards on 3rd and 15 on that game clinching drive. The crowd died because it seemed like the louder we got, the better Baylor played. It was disheartening. It was almost like "maybe if we shut up, the won't get this 3rd and long". I'll never forget that terrible call on the Coleman fumble that would have put us up 17-3.

**swammi** · 10-15-2009, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by ChrisMWilliams

I was talking with some old college buddies last night and we got on the topic of the 2005 season.

Do you guys remember how painful that was? We got on this topic because we were talking about Baylor coming to town.

That loss to the Bears in 2005 was one of the worst I can remember. I still get sick just thinking about that game.

What a bittersweet season that was though...the double-OT Nebraska game, Baylor, the road trip to Lawrence.

Knocking off a top-10 Iowa team was a lot of fun. So was Houston.

I had a blast watching that team but they sure gave me a lot of headaches.

Just thought I would share the conversation I got into last night. Have a great day everybody. I'll be on the road most of the day heading to Ames and back for MBB Media Day.

That season was a tragedy as purely as the best penned by Will Shakespeare.

The Running Back! Ah, there's the rub.

If memory serves, that was Stevie Hicks senior year - and he was hurt a good deal of the time. He was backed up on the depth chart by guys who A) didn't know their assignments, or B) could not secure the football, or C) both. That position cost us a couple games that year. It seemed that we could win with Stevie, but not without him.

Then, at the end of the year with the season completely in the toilet for want of a healthy running back, Ryan Koch, the senior 3d down / goal line RB got the start on senior day, and made the coaches look like horse's patoots by galloping for about a hundred and a half vs Colorado. Had the coaches been able to see what they were doing with their heads in their heinies, perhaps Ryan would have been the first man in to back up Stevie and the Cyclones would have won the North. Alas!

Tragedy at ISU: The drinking school with the football problem.

**Al_4_State** · 10-15-2009, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by swammi

That season was a tragedy as purely as the best penned by Will Shakespeare.

The Running Back! Ah, there's the rub.

If memory serves, that was Stevie Hicks senior year - and he was hurt a good deal of the time. He was backed up on the depth chart by guys who A) didn't know their assignments, or B) could not secure the football, or C) both. That position cost us a couple games that year. It seemed that we could win with Stevie, but not without him.

Then, at the end of the year with the season completely in the toilet for want of a healthy running back, Ryan Koch, the senior 3d down / goal line RB got the start on senior day, and made the coaches look like horse's patoots by galloping for about a hundred and a half vs Colorado. Had the coaches been able to see what they were doing with their heads in their heinies, perhaps Ryan would have been the first man in to back up Stevie and the Cyclones would have won the North. Alas!

Tragedy at ISU: The drinking school with the football problem.

Ryan Koch's wild game was against Mizzou the next year, during Mac's last game. But yeah, that 2005 team was a lot better with Stevie than w/out him. They did take OSU to the woodshed w/out him, but that was the only one.

**CJDelmonico** · 10-15-2009, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by CycloneErik

I lived in Nebraska in 2005. In one respect, it was fun to see how sheepish Husker fans were following a game with us. On the other hand, besides wanting the win, we watched the end of the game with teenagers that we took to a church youth event, and for some reason, they were all Husker fans.

Although I know that the wife of a pastor friend in Lincoln is a giant Cyclone fan. She walked around that day sporting her "Beat the Huskers" T-shirt, so that was fun!

You do realize you lost that game, right?

**CycloneErik** · 10-15-2009, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by CJDelmonico

You do realize you lost that game, right?

Yes, but it didn't leave a lot of bragging rights for Husker fans.

You do realize that it went into 2 OTs, right?

**tejasclone** · 10-15-2009, 08:22 AM

Ryan Kock had 13 touchdowns in 2005 and was our steadiest short yardage weapon. He wasn't the feature back until Missouri 2006.

**brentblum** · 10-15-2009, 08:24 AM

Just to recap that season...Cyclones went 7-5.

First loss was in 2OT to Nebraska..with the game tied late in the 4th Deandre Jackson recovered a fumble with nobody in front of him and fell to the ground. Nick Leaders then dropped an interception in the first OT that would have won the game. I-State could have snapped a 28 year losing streak in Lincoln.

Second Loss was the next week to Baylor 23-13. It was Baylor's first Big 12 road win.....ever. Greg Coleman fumbled twice, including once in the endzone late in the 4th that would have given Iowa State a 17-16 lead.

Third loss was the next week in Columbia 27-24 in OT...another shot to the groin. Mizzou scored twice on defense in 3 plays to take a 14-0 lead only minutes into the game, only to see Iowa State rally back with 24 unanswered. But..after knocking out Brad Smith, the Tigers turned to freshman Chase Daniel, who marched down the field for two scores in 5 minutes to send the game in OT...we know what happened from there.

4th loss was to Kansas...I'd rather not discuss this.

5th loss was to TCU in the Houston bowl 27-24. Cyclones dug a 14-0 hole again, but rallied back to lead 17-14 only to see someone else make a game-winning FG in the 4th quarter.

So, if you're scoring at home. 5 losses, 3 in OT, one to Baylor (their first road win in Big 12 history) all games in which Iowa State led at some point in the game.

Iowa State's D that year was 12th in the nation in rush defense, and forced a ridiculous 35 turnovers, good for 4th in the nation. The only other school to be in the top 12 in those categories was Florida. It's the year that defines Cyclone football for good and bad.