Nov 17, 2018; Austin, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell watches his team warm up before the game against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Gutierrez-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State saw its five-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, but Matt Campbell has not seen a change in his team in the days since.
Iowa State’s head coach said on Monday’s Big 12 teleconference the team has maintained the same mentality regardless of wins, losses or anything in between.
“The thing that’s been really rewarding about this team is they haven’t changed,” Campbell said. “Whether it was a losing streak, a winning streak, whether there were no games going on, May, June, July and August, this has really been the same group. You get to this time of year, you pretty much know what you’ve got. That’s the thing I really do appreciate about this group is they’re young, they’re hungry and it’s a group that’s kind of just continued to stay the course.”
While the loss brought dreams of a berth in the Big 12 title game to an end, there is still a lot for the Cyclones to play for this week with Kansas State visiting Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday for a 6 p.m. kickoff on FS1.
It has been more than a decade since the last time Iowa State beat the Wildcats, something Campbell does not think his team is considering entering their 2018 Big 12 finale.
“The thing that’s been really great about this team is we’ve kind of worried about ourselves,” Campbell said. “How can we continue to get better? We’re a really young team that continues to grow and really have every game this year. We’ve kind of let all the other factors lie to themselves and us really work on us to be the best version of us we can be.”
Other Teleconference Notes
*** Campbell said true freshman quarterback Brock Purdy was fine and practiced on Sunday after leaving the loss to Texas during the fourth quarter with an apparent knee injury.
*** Senior defensive back D’Andre Payne is considered day-to-day throughout the week with an injury he suffered during the second half of the loss to the Longhorns. It is unclear what Payne’s status will be for Saturday against the Wildcats.
*** The same can be said for redshirt freshman cornerback Datrone Young, who has missed the last two games with a shoulder injury. Campbell said his status for Saturday will be clearer around mid-week.
*** Kansas State’s defense was lights out on Saturday in a 21-6 win over Texas Tech, prompting Campbell to heap a great deal of praise on the Wildcats’ defensive unit.
“One of the things about Kansas State in their history is they’ve always been really good on defense and they play a very matching brand of football in terms of its very compatible on offense, defense and special teams,” Campbell said. “I think that they’ve played in a really good rhythm the last couple weeks and you can tell both offensively and certainly in terms of their defensive play. I think the whole thing has looked and felt very cohesive. That’s the biggest thing I would say. They’ve got really good guys back on the defensive side of the football. Some guys on that side who have played really good football for them for a long time. Knowing what they do, even the young guys who have played through the season, you can see them starting to become comfortable with what they’re being asked to do.”
