Matt Campbell stood at the podium Saturday following his team’s fifth-straight loss to start Big 12 play and largest defeat of the season.
It wasn’t a postgame press conference to envy. Even with a layer of coach speak on top of the words, it’s been a repetitive five games in defeat through Week 9.
“It’s inconsistency,” Campbell said. “I think that’s been the theme – our inability to play with great consistency for four quarters of a football game. It’s not like it’s been real easy to win. You’ve got to be able to do those things to win a football game.”
The theme didn’t deviate on Saturday. Iowa State’s defense kept the Cyclones in the game. A big three and out forced gave the offense a shot. Then, an interception to crush the momentum.
The defense trots out again, forcing another three and out. This time, it was another pick. In other games, it was something else. In all cases, inconsistencies.
The defense is not getting the help that it could.
“You have to be able to capitalize on those opportunities when momentum is there for the taking,” Campbell said. “That’s hindered us from maybe having the success that we have the ability to have. It will be the thing that gets us out of this, too.”
Throw away the 308 yards that Oklahoma had as a team.
It’s hard to imagine what this game may have looked like without T.J. Tampa’s pass breakups.
“I actually said that downstairs,” Campbell said. “That was probably the best game I’ve ever seen T.J. Tampa play. You’re talking about an elite wide receiver and a really good quarterback. Play-after-play in what he was able to show, that was the final cap for him to become what we think is an elite football player. I think he showed all of those tools in that game.”
What if Iowa State didn’t have MJ Anderson’s quarterback hurries or Tyler Onyedim’s presence and awareness in key spots? That goes for the last four games as well.
“Our defense gave us every chance to stay in the football game and win the football game,” Campbell said. “A lot of things like T.J. are out there in that football game – that’s the hard part. You see the growth in a lot of areas, but you can see the inconsistencies.”
That could take a toll, just like it has on almost every fan watching these games.
The players on the defense fill it – and play through it.
“I feel like we could have been better,” Gerry Vaughn said. “But the only thing we can do is control what we can control.
Iowa State has four games left in its season. Its defense is going to keep grinding out plays like it has all season. That won’t stop.
The only objective, seemingly, is to get the offense to a place where it can compliment that play instead of holding it down.
