Williams & Blum Pod: Licking our wounds ... up next, Vegas

[quasistellar]

Chris always appreciate you and Your teams work. Thanks for all you guys do.

CMC was pissed but I think mostly at himself. It’s not just the TOE game but also UNI. Just like he was pissed at the defense a few years ago and they came up with the three man front. I think we see a similar change in the offense. I trust the coaches to figure out how but you hit on a few key concepts. I think we become simpler, faster and start changing tempo up. I almost wonder if we’re too complicated with guys thinking too much?

Maybe this loss winds up spurring some change and innovation that pays off down the road.

Generally, I think our offense has been playing “not to lose” instead of playing to win.

It's really easy to forget Campbell is still young for a head coach. He's 6 months younger than me! Put that into perspective and it's amazing he's done so much so soon with ISU.

He's got time to improve, and that probably has opposing coaches shitting their pants.

 

[Dandy]

I can tell you this——unless we luck out and get to the Big 10, I’m in favor of dropping this game. I did not miss it last year and it is no fun. Since our new conference is so great, no need to play Iowa.

We have to make our schedule as strong as possible. If this new Big 12 wants to continue to get big boy TV money we have to continue these high profile games.

 

[Cycsk]

If we factor out the early attention given to our playoff possibilities, we are can go back to focusing on the Big 12 Championship. You know that Campbell is using the experience of these first two games with a long view. We melt down. I'm certain that he still has his eye on the prize. This will be a great season if we win the Big 12, period.

 

[Jkclone15]

I do think this game will be a turning point in the coaches' mindsets regarding Iowa. Before this game it seemed like the thinking was always "Iowa State just needs to get better and execute the plan". But despite the fact that execution wasn't great I think this game showed that even with the most experienced, most talented team we've probably ever fielded, the plan is flawed. Time to go back to the drawing board, at least for this matchup.

 

[BCClone]

Does anyone remember time of possession on this game? Seems like defense would be right back on the field after the turnovers in the heat and still played great.

Against a big line like Iowa’s I think Purdy is only effective if you let him be Purdy. He’s not particularly tall and keeping him in the pocket seems to affect his field vision negatively. I think the old scrambling throwing on the run pump faking slinger might have had a better chance. But I also think he may be blaming himself a bit too much as well. Pretty disappointing the number of drops or passes bouncing off hands.

We were doing pretty well with the Hawk jerks in our section when we had a security guy up there but when Cyclone fans started fleeing at end of the third, he left for other duties. A 10 year old and his dad sit by us and they started filling in vacated sits next to the kid and bullying and cursing at him. The kid loves to stay until the end but the dad had to get him out of there. I hope he just moved him to a less hostile location in other vacated seats. Was grateful for the effort at the end of the game because when they realized the deal on the field goal attempt, they got nervous at least briefly and shut up for a bit.

My 14 year old had a douche start to get in his face while just watching the game in the 4th. This kid(whatever you may think of me) Is by far the nicest kid I have ever met (I tell him at times he needs to stick up for himself and not just be nice) and doesn’t trash talk. So I know he did t say anything to this chubby douche. One more step and he could have been sent back down where he came from.

These loser hawks like to go crazy on social media, jump young kids, or try to go 5 on 1; bunch of cowards that run away when it’s one on one though.

 

[clonehoodie]

If Iowa State wants to feature Breece, it will be with 2-and 3 tight end sets, as the O-Line can't block.
A 3 tight end set means 1 WR on the field. Eventually the WRs will ask why they aren't playing, except for X.
And then you won't be able to recruit WRs. It is a dilemma. (and Brock can't throw the deep ball....but he can throw 15 yards to one of 3 tight ends)

And it doesn't matter who says it. It's true.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Until CMC swallows his pride and stops going out against Iowa trying to be Iowa, this will keep happening. Disgusting football really.

But also, stop throwing terrible passes Brock.

 

[CyBobby]

Until CMC swallows his pride and stops going out against Iowa trying to be Iowa, this will keep happening. Disgusting football really.

But also, stop throwing terrible passes Brock.

I AGREE GUNNERCLONE...If CMC doesn't know now that he can't beat Iowa and Ferentz... USING THEIR GAME PLAN.....HE WILL NEVER BEAT IOWA ....AND OF COURSE THAT MAKES LITTLE BROTHER LOOK EVEN LITTLER IN THE EYES OF THE SQUAWKEYES

 

[Brandon]

FWIW, I heard purdys shoulder is banged up and was questionable for Iowa game. Not making excuses just what I had heard prior to Iowa game

 

[madguy30]

Why is beating Iowa and having successful seasons mutually exclusive to you and others on this site? What happend Saturday (given the vast experience that was returning on this team) is simply unacceptable. Given we have seen this same urgency of play for 2 weeks now, I am beginning to question some of the player leadership of this team (and not on the defensive side of the ball). Coaches can only do so much, at some point the players have to execute, and to put it bluntly execution is a far cry from what this offense has done the first two weeks.

Because beating Iowa doesn't mean a whole lot on the season as a whole.

Yes, ISU beating Iowa Saturday would have been great. ISU's issues have little to do with Iowa or the series or anything like that. I like the series and think it's a really good early test.

But ISU generally has the same issues every season regardless of the opponent in the first 2-3 weeks and the disappointment is more that it didn't get corrected with a roster that should know its ****.

 

[madguy30]

Are you sure you're not also twisting some words here? I don't see anyone here wishing for only one win each season.

The poster I'm talking about can't let it go that CMC hasn't beaten Iowa and refers to CPR or McCarney in the 'at least they could beat Iowa' mantra and called this weekend the Game of the Century.

CPR beat Iowa last, and then ISU went 2-10.

It's a weird thing to still pine for after ISU won a Fiesta Bowl.

 

[Remo Gaggi]

FWIW, I heard purdys shoulder is banged up and was questionable for Iowa game. Not making excuses just what I had heard prior to Iowa game

I heard the same thing. I liked what I saw with Dekkers. Too bad Skylar Loving Black didn't wind up coming to Iowa State. I would have liked to have seen some big touchdown passes to him. Black and Dekker could have provided some big NIL dollars to those two.

 

[jsb]

We have to make our schedule as strong as possible. If this new Big 12 wants to continue to get big boy TV money we have to continue these high profile games.

I’ve been told over and over again how great our new conference is.

 

[harimad]

The poster I'm talking about can't let it go that CMC hasn't beaten Iowa and refers to CPR or McCarney in the 'at least they could beat Iowa' mantra and called this weekend the Game of the Century.

CPR beat Iowa last, and then ISU went 2-10.

It's a weird thing to still pine for after ISU won a Fiesta Bowl.

In most seasons Iowa isn't a make or break game. This year it absolutely was. When your goals include CFP, every game ends up being Game of the Century. Now they have to win out to have a chance at it.

 

[ozzie8]

listening now.

It's not a system thing.

You can spread out a defense with ISU's system with consistency in your tempo, not just speeding it up. Complimentary football. Playing forward with your best players and being the hammer.

RE: If Purdy doesn't know what his identity is at this point that's bad management from a coaching stand point.

You're right, it's not a system thing. It's playing clean, fundamentally sound football. People can ***** about systems and scheme all they want. You have Breece Hall carrying the ball like a loaf of bread deep in your own territory, not catching punts, dropped passes, late throws by the QB, etc.........If Iowa State cleans up their own stupid ****, that is all correctable, they'll stop losing games like Saturday where they hold an offense to 173 total yards.

 

[Trice]

I appreciate Chris and Brent's frankness. They were frustrated and critical but kept it constructive.

This stubborn streak is a side of Campbell that's wearing pretty thin. Not returning punts was a cute novelty - just Campbell being conservative! - but it's costing us a chance to win games, doubly so now that the offense is struggling. For whatever reason, we made no adjustments during UNI and as a result never managed to put that game away. Then we came out and tried to do the same thing against a similar but much better team in Iowa and thought it would work. At some point unwillingness to change is a competitive disadvantage.

I thought the conversation about the offense was right on target. It's absolutely maddening that this staff can't watch the programs Iowa struggles with in the B1G and simply follow the blueprint: spread them out, make them cover space, push the tempo.

I understand that our style is to be the B1G program in the Big 12, but we're quite capable of playing like a typical Big 12 offense when we have to. How many awful first halves have we had the last few years and had to furiously rally to catch up? How do you not learn something from that?

 

[isufanz1]

Because beating Iowa doesn't mean a whole lot on the season as a whole.

Yes, ISU beating Iowa Saturday would have been great. ISU's issues have little to do with Iowa or the series or anything like that. I like the series and think it's a really good early test.

But ISU generally has the same issues every season regardless of the opponent in the first 2-3 weeks and the disappointment is more that it didn't get corrected with a roster that should know its ****.

So you just admitted we can either beat Iowa or attempt to have success in the rest of the season. Not both. I could not disagree more. In prior years, I equated early season struggles to a building program that is continually putting in new/better parts until we reach a level of consistency. We should have been there this year - virtually the entire team was returning. We Sh** stomped Oregon in the bowl. New year - same Oregon team sh** stomps OSU on the road missing their 2 best players; we just played at home with everybody starting and the offense litterally decided to collectively not give a rats ***. That is not a coaching problem, that is a player problem - specifically offensive player problem.

 

[Dandy]

I’ve been told over and over again how great our new conference is.

Our new conference is best possible outcome we have available. Get over it.

The only way we make it better now is to make the product as good as possible as well and one way to do so is strong non-conference scheduling.

Who would you rather watch? ISU vs Iowa. Alabama vs Mercer. Georgia vs UAB. Oklahoma vs Western Carolina.

 

[madguy30]

In most seasons Iowa isn't a make or break game. This year it absolutely was. When your goals include CFP, every game ends up being Game of the Century. Now they have to win out to have a chance at it.

Yeah I get that and every team should have their own aspirations but on the whole, the CFP dream is just that. I'd guess they drop at least two conference games.

Aside from the fact that A LOT has to go well even for the most recent CFP regulars to even get there, the 3rd level for ISU needs to be more of an impact on both sides of the ball among other things and I'm not sure when that's going to happen.

There's some straight iconic ISU players on this team for a bunch of reasons; I'd like to enjoy what they can do from here and hope it goes well.

 

[jbhtexas]

So you just admitted we can either beat Iowa or attempt to have success in the rest of the season. Not both. I could not disagree more. In prior years, I equated early season struggles to a building program that is continually putting in new/better parts until we reach a level of consistency. We should have been there this year - virtually the entire team was returning. We Sh** stomped Oregon in the bowl. New year - same Oregon team sh** stomps OSU on the road missing their 2 best players; we just played at home with everybody starting and the offense litterally decided to collectively not give a rats ***. That is not a coaching problem, that is a player problem - specifically offensive player problem.

In the game I was watching, one unit was certainly giving a "rats ass", while the other unit looked lost. I think that is because one of the units has coaching leadership and a plan, and the other unit is continually trying to figure out something that will work.