By now, you know where Iowa State stands when it comes to Thursday night’s road trip to Tulsa. The Cyclones are 0-2 and if they admit it or not, in total desperation mode.
But at 1-2, the Golden Hurricane haven’t exactly set the world on fire to start the 2013 season.
Tulsa head coach Bill Blankenship held his weekly press conference on Tuesday. Here are some notable quotes regarding his thoughts on the Iowa State Cyclones.
On Iowa State QB Sam B. Richardson: "He’s a dual-threat guy. He can create. Any time you have quarterbacks that can create, they make you a little antsy. They appear to have designed a little more quarterback run into their offense this year. They’ve certainly changed some of their formations and sets. They’re using a little more of what people call the Pistol (formation), with a back in a deep set behind the quarterback. I think that’s a direct result of them trying to use what Richardson brings to the table."
On Iowa State program right now: "I think we’re probably in the same boat – teams coming off of a successful run a year ago. We’re both in search of the next win. We both desperately need to get back on track."
What are the differences in the two teams now compared to when you met in December: "I think there are a lot of differences. Philosophically, you don’t see much difference in either one of us, but there are a lot of personnel changes. This is just an estimate – I would say there will be 30 new faces on the field for both teams, and maybe more than that, who were not an active part of the Liberty Bowl."
On the opportunity to defeat a Big 12 opponent: "One of the measuring sticks for this program over the last several years has been BCS wins. Notre Dame was our last BCS win until you get to the Liberty Bowl last year with Iowa State. The fact that (the Cyclones) are at a Big 12 school, and they’ve had some big wins over the years, that’s a big motivation for us. I think we will always try to measure ourselves against the BCS-caliber teams, and this is the next opportunity."
