*** Official IOWA STATE vs #19 Kansas State Game(Day) Thread ***

HFCS

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Early in the game, there was a lot of buzz about how Rocco, the Florida boy, wasn't ready for a winter game up north. Wrong!

Honestly guys like that just going to practice and class in Ames through the wonderful weather probably partially gets them ready for it.
 

madguy30

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I think in any game, or any three game stretch, if half of your plays are running up the middle for a 0.6 average, that the clearly most risky dangerous thing you can possibly do is keep running it up the middle. I’m 100% certain of that.

It was stubbornness, thankfully stubbornness they got over in time to salvage a very good season. The team wasn’t too young against Ohio and suddenly not too young against OKSt a week later. They stopped banging their heads against a wall, they didn’t suddenly gain years of experience in a few weeks.

Half the plays against Iowa weren't runs up the middle.
 
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sj4

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You have to go back and watch the blocking. One of those runs had a hole so big that even I could have made a few yards. On the first one not only the line did the job but Klotz made a great block and then Samu picked through the hole. Then Klotz agian making a great block at the point of attack. It doesn't seem they hand out helmet sticker but if they did there would be a lot of handed out to the guys making those blocks.

And another helmet sticker to #8 for Kansas State for the push that helped Samu find another gear. Great job!
 
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t-noah

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I cannot emphasize enough the block by Brahmer here! He blocked 3 guys! K-State easily could have stopped that play for only a 14 yard gain (it would have been 4th and 2 and we would have punted, most likely) and they ultimately had 6 guys right there converging on Noel at the first down marker or shortly beyond.

Great move by Noel, and then really turning on the jets down the sideline! Great, great block by Brahmer to spring him!
 

HFCS

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What was our first play of the game last night versus K-State?

Abu Sama up the middle. TD.

Then when they started stacking it keying on Sama and containing him a little we found ways to get the ball to Noel outside and Higgins downfield. It was great. It was not completely predictable which is the whole point.
 
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singsing

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You have to go back and watch the blocking. One of those runs had a hole so big that even I could have made a few yards. On the first one not only the line did the job but Klotz made a great block and then Samu picked through the hole. Then Klotz agian making a great block at the point of attack. It doesn't seem they hand out helmet sticker but if they did there would be a lot of handed out to the guys making those blocks.

And another helmet sticker to #8 for Kansas State for the push that helped Samu find another gear. Great job!
Can anyone with better computer skills than me get a closeup and slow down of that block? Ordinarily blocks don't stand out to me but that one was taking someone behind the woodshed sticks..Klotz drilled him!
 

MJ271

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I think in any game, or any three game stretch, if half of your plays are running up the middle for a 0.6 average, that the clearly most risky dangerous thing you can possibly do is keep running it up the middle. I’m 100% certain of that.

It was stubbornness, thankfully stubbornness they got over in time to salvage a very good season. The team wasn’t too young against Ohio and suddenly not too young against OKSt a week later. They stopped banging their heads against a wall, they didn’t suddenly gain years of experience in a few weeks.
Half the plays against Iowa weren't runs up the middle.
Just to add, the Texas game is the only game where Iowa State averaged anything around 0.6 yards per carry (0.4 ypc). Against Iowa, they averaged 2.8, Ohio was 1.7. Not that those numbers are good (and I thought they ran way too much against Ohio until I learned how sick Rocco apparently was), but to repeat numbers over and over again that aren't close to accurate is pretty dishonest (even if you think it's just hyperbole).
 

Cycsk

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Anyone else checking out any of the kstate post-game pressers? These dudes are all crying. I'm chipping $5 to Kurtz on his talk so I can ask for a tear. How about Howard's eye brows? Why not do your eyebrows when you have Avery Johnson backing you up.


That made me wonder about what might have been if K-State had played its freshman running QB. But they didn't. Too bad.
 

HFCS

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Half the plays against Iowa weren't runs up the middle.

Ok we kept the same offensive game plan the entire year never changing anything and our players just got older while all opposing players stayed the same age in a stasis chamber. Come on. We clearly changed it up on offense or the season would have been toast, it’s a very good thing! Something to be happy about! Not something to write off as humans getting two weeks older while not making other changes.
 

t-noah

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Got me thinking about Kohl in the off-season. We have a starting QB in Rocco and Kohl would have to become NFL good to beat him out. Rocco's a RF so going to be around awhile. I have a feeling one of ISU's most highly recruited players may never start a game for us. Even sicker he'd be a perfect fit at an instate school I'm not mentioning if he hits the transfer market.
I am not even going to think about that today, especially your last point here!

It's a good problem to have though, I suppose.
 

bozclone

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Running the ball up the middle 50 times for a 0.6 yard average is just as bad as turning it over on purpose. That was Ohio/Iowa game strategy. Nothing “safe” about putting young players in that position.

I’m glad they turned it around but there’s no disguising the game plan in those games was crap. We even flirted with it for first half of KU game.
This is over simplifying things greatly. Let’s just forget that Iowa has an outstanding defense and we had sickness running through the team at Ohio. The coaching job done with this very young team this season is truly remarkable. If you choose to be negative rather than celebrate the success, I feel sorry for you.