Iowa State Cyclones football head coach Matt Campbell enters the field with his team before the game against Arkansas State in the week-4 NCAA football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES —Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell could stand alone atop the program’s all-time win chart after Saturday’s Big 12 season-opener at Houston.
And he’ll say virtually nothing about it.
That’s Campbell’s modus operandi: Deflect praise and focus on the work.
It’s also how the former Cyclone coach he’s tied with for wins at 56 — Dan McCarney — operated when leading the program, so it should surprise no one that Campbell seeks to downplay any individual milestone. There’s too much at stake for the No. 18 Cyclones to bask in any momentary accolades.
“This is not about any individual,” said Campbell, whose team enters conference play with a 3-0 mark for the second time in the past three seasons. “To be able to be at one place with so many great people for as long as I have, I’m just grateful for that.”
Now let’s delve into something Campbell is eager to talk about: His ISU team’s potential. The Big 12 slate will be rugged and unpredictable, and two of its expected top contenders — Kansas State and Oklahoma State — lost on Saturday. Conference newcomer and favorite to win the league, Utah, beat the Cowboys in Stillwater without star quarterback Cam Rising, who is recovering from another injury. BYU used defense and special teams to trounce the Wildcats in Provo — flipping the script on Chris Klieman’s typically fundamentally sound team.
So Campbell’s taking nothing for granted as the Cyclones seek to open league play with a win against an erratic Cougars team that nearly won at Oklahoma, but was crushed by Cincinnati, 34-0, in its conference opener.
“To win in the Big 12 is hard,” Campbell said. “And to win week in and week out is really hard. It’s gonna take everything we’ve got. I think the challenge for us is can we continue to keep getting better? Can (we) keep improving? Can (we) continue to show up?”
ISU certainly did that last Saturday against Arkansas State, routing the Red Wolves, 52-7, and decisively winning in all three phases of the game. The offensive line added depth and skill when Jalen Travis and Deylin Hasert — both of whom hadn’t played in the first two games because of injuries — returned and performed well. The Cyclones played eight different offensive linemen in the first half alone and that group paved the way for a season-high 237 rushing yards. ISU’s defense totaled four sacks and four takeaways while holding Arkansas State scoreless until the closing minutes.
So it was a complete effort, but the Cyclones are still far from a complete team. That’s what’s exciting for Campbell and his players alike. There’s massive room for growth as ISU seeks to fully ensconce itself in the Big 12’s top tier of contenders.
“I think I’m just really trying to enjoy the moment and the guys that I’m around,” said senior defensive end Joey Petersen, who notched one of those four sacks against the Red Wolves. “I think coach Campbell’s done a really great job of getting really good people around here, whether that’s coaching staff or support staff or our teammates. So I think he’s done a really great job and it just makes all of our leaves easier and more enjoyable.”
Still, Campbell always stresses that nothing comes easy at Iowa State, especially once Big 12 play hits.
Case in point: The 2022 season. The Cyclones started 3-0, but went 1-8 in the conference season while losing six one-score games. So winning the first three games isn’t necessarily a harbinger of what’s to come. Nothing’s guaranteed. Adversity will come and tension will mount. That nine-game journey through Big 12 play starts Saturday at 6 p.m. in Houston (FS1) — and nothing that’s happened before will matter once that clock starts ticking.
“Obviously, we’ve got to go on the road, which isn’t easy to do,” Campbell said. “And it’s really hard to win conference games on the road, so it will be a great challenge for us next Saturday.”
