Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers (12) throws the ball against Southeast Missouri during the first quarter in the season-opening home game at Jack Trice Stadium Saturday, Sep. 3, 2022, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
Happy Labor Day, Fanatics!
A wild week one of college football is in the books after starting with Thursday’s Backyard Brawl classic in Pittsburgh and ending with a fantastic finish between Florida State and LSU last night in New Orleans.
There are few guarantees in life, but the first weekend of college football being absolutely electric from beginning to end is usually one of them.
Of course, an electric week one leads us right into a solid week two that will see Alabama visit Texas, Baylor visit BYU and, of course, Iowa State visit Iowa for the renewal of the Cy-Hawk rivalry.
Before that, let’s muse.
*** I’m not sure the Iowa State coaching staff could have asked for a better debut performance from Hunter Dekkers.
The redshirt sophomore gunslinger from Hawarden was every bit as impressive as the fall camp rumblings made him sound. In his debut start, he completed 25-of-31 passes for 293 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
He’s only the third Iowa State quarterback since 2000 to complete 80 percent of his passes, throw for more than 275 yards and post three touchdown strikes in one game.
The other two are Seneca Wallace (Baylor, 2001) and Brock Purdy (UNLV, 2021).
Now, that certainly isn’t to say Dekkers belongs in a conversation with the two best quarterbacks of the millennium (and probably all-time), but he certainly did some things that get you awfully excited for this program’s future.
First of all, the ease with which he throws the football is truly mesmerizing. His pure arm talent is a sight to behold.
His second touchdown pass, a 33-yard stripe across the middle to Xavier Hutchinson on the first play of the second quarter, was an absolute laser beam despite him putting about half his strength into it.
The play before his third touchdown connection, he dropped a perfectly thrown ball right into Darren Wilson‘s hands along the far sideline for a 39-yard gain and didn’t even step into the throw while navigating pressure.
Those were big-time, big-time plays.
Plus, his interception right before halftime gives the staff some tape to use in the teaching process. Not everything was sunshine and roses.
But, man, most of it smelled awfully sweet and made the program’s future look awfully bright.
*** Hutchinson became only the second player in Iowa State history to catch eight passes for 125 or more yards and three or more touchdowns.
The other is Cyclone Fanatic podcaster Todd Blythe (Texas A&M, 2005).
I’d take the CF flag football roster against any publication in America.
The type of performance we saw from Hutchinson on Saturday was All-American stuff. He looked stronger and faster than he did even a year ago when he was one of the best wide receivers in the Big 12.
Dekkers’ ability to put the ball right where it needs to be when it needs to be there could help unlock X’s abilities in whole new ways.
This is not a knock on Purdy, but I think Dekkers’ early flashes indicate we’re about to see the absolute best version of Xavier Hutchinson.
*** There was one thing that jumped out to me when I watched the game again on Sunday. Iowa State’s offense looks fast — all over the field.
Now, you have to consider the level of athlete the Cyclones were squaring up against in this game, but the speed of Iowa State’s skill position players was noticeable.
Jaylin Noel, Wilson and Sean Shaw all looked to be in the best physical shape we’ve seen in their time at Iowa State. Dimitri Stanely brings another burst of elite speed to the group.
DeShawn Hanika also showed high-level speed during his touchdown catch and run in the third quarter.
I also loved the pace Iowa State ran its offense with, especially in the first quarter. That was made even more notable by the fact Iowa State got behind the chains early on its first drive.
Despite facing 2nd and 16, Dekkers connected with X for a quick pass to make it 3rd and manageable then they hustled to the line and completed another pass to convert the third down.
They didn’t look back much from there.
Iowa State’s offense will give a lot of teams trouble if they’re able to put that level of speed on the field each week and run their offense with that level of precision at that pace.
*** After a settling-in period on the first drive, Iowa State’s defense settled in well to play a really solid game. Even more importantly, they got a lot of guys on the field and allowed some young players to get their first real college experience.
Four true freshmen made their collegiate debut, including Jeremiah Cooper, who started the game at one of the safety spots. Will McLaughlin, Trevon Howard and Dominique Orange all rotated in later in the game.
That’s in addition to Rocco Becht and Cartevious Norton making their debuts on the offensive side. Hopefully, Norton will be back on the field sooner rather than later with an apparent hamstring injury.
Matt Campbell said Norton was dealing with cramps more than a hamstring and would be day-to-day. We all know what day-to-day can mean around here sometimes.
*** Let’s turn our attention to the Hawkeyes, who averaged 2.7 yards per play in their 7-3 win over FCS power South Dakota State on Saturday in Iowa City.
That’s the lowest yards per play number for a winning team in college football since Boston College did it in 2016.
Yikes.
One has to wonder if Kirk Ferentz and his staff will truly consider the possibility of replacing starting quarterback Spencer Petras. Alex Padilla played in spurts last year, but Ferentz and his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, have been resistant to a full-scale change at the position.
The boo-birds were out for the Hawkeye offense already against the Jackrabbits. How loud could they get if Iowa State can force some early three and outs on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium?
*** Of course, forcing three and outs might be playing straight into Iowa’s hands considering it would give them an opportunity to run all-world punter Tory Taylor out onto the field.
That guy is an absolute weapon, and I’ll propose transferring the nickname “Punt God” over to the Australian-born Hawkeye in light of… recent events.
Iowa State will have to be on-point with its special teams units this week. We learned last year how impactful that area of the game is when these two teams go head-to-head.
*** I will see Jack Campbell and the Iowa defense in my nightmares all week.
*** Nebraska finally got its first win in 10 months on Saturday after using its run game to pull away from North Dakota during the second half.
As you’d expect, it did not come without some level of controversy for Scott Frost and the Cornhuskers.
After spending the entire offseason talking about giving up play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, the Huskers’ head ball coach was seen on the sideline in the second half with a play sheet and the offense took on a decidedly different flavor.
One season of Nebraska football has more drama than the latest season of Love Island.
*** Only two Big 12 teams allowed more than 14 points this weekend, and they were Oklahoma State and West Virginia in the league’s first two games on Thursday.
I know most of the teams in the league were playing against competition well below their level, but the defenses across the conference are going to be nasty again this year.
*** One more thing and I’m out of here.
I want to give a super sky point to a few gentlemen from my past who recently passed away.
Stan Archer was my best friend Alex’s father and one of the genuinely nicest men I ever met. He raised a phenomenal friend, and I’ll miss being able to chat with him in their living room every year when I go back to Clarinda during the holidays.
Larry Scherf was one of the most supportive people I ever met and his impact will be felt in Clarinda for a long time. If there was a sporting event in Clarinda, Mr. Scherf was there. I’m glad he was able to be honored on the court before my team’s state semifinal game against St. Edmond’s at the state basketball tournament in 2012. He was a truly awesome man.
I know the Cardinals will always have an advantage with two people like them rooting for them from above.
