Non on-field thoughts

[wartknight]

Might get blasted for some of these, but here it goes.
-Our replay board operator has got to know not to show a replay when something positive could come from it for the other team. Showing a fumble replay on the kickoff right after they scored to take the lead in the second half. I was right there and it sure looked like a fumble to me. Refs never saw it. Then our replay board operator plays it right away and the head coach is watching to see if its a fumble to challenge it. Fortunately the camera angle didn't show it. That right there is part of home field advantage.
-Sweet Caroline after the opponents first score? Come on. Either find a good time to play it or get rid of it completely.
-We have some very stupid fans. Booing a coach in his first game? That was bad. I had people in my section literally throwing McFarland under the bus after our first series. Everyone who thinks they can call plays for a college offense because they won a National Championship with ISU on Playstation needs to realize there is a LOT more at stake when you try to throw a bomb to Blythe every play on a real football field.
-I'm starting to think there's a reason we don't use Blythe. This is 2 coordinators now who don't throw to him. I don't think he saw a ball in his general direction until the end of the first half. There's something to that. I'm not sure what, but something. We have some fans that won't be happy until we throw it to him every down.
-JTS is NOT a family-friendly venue. Don't know if it should be or not? What's everyone's thoughts on that. I realize that things will naturally be vulgar in the student section, but its bad throughout the stadium right now. No way I can take my 18 month old there anymore right now as she is learning to talk and several people around me tonight would have made a sailor blush. Don't know any way around it I guess other than to not bring kids.
-Those of you frustrated tonight probably should be. I'll tell you this-I honestly think we got about the most out of our talent that we have right now. Bass is a playmaker and we tried to use him, but we just don't have the talent all around right now. Hopefully as guys (these guys, this year) become more comfortable with the system, they will start to play faster and with more confidence, but tonight it sure wasn't there.
-I really think Thursday night games need to be done. As exciting and great as it is to have a game mid week, it is TOUGH to get to Ames in time for Kickoff. We actually rolled into Ames at 6:10 and got to the top of the stadium stairs to see the first tackle on the opening kickoff. Didn't do any tailgating whatsoever. Went straight from our parking spot to the gate.

 

[SuperCy]

Another thought about the board/music operator. How about turning down the treble or something on some of those commercials? There were a few, especially right after the game, that made me cringe because they were so loud and high.

 

[AirWalke]

I agree with you on several of those. I had fun singing Sweet Caroline, but good god, to use it right after Kent State scored is horrible. I feel like those controlling the PA system up in the press box are giggling to themselves and saying "look what we can make the students do".

I left a minute to go in the game. Did the remaining fans REALLY boo Chizik as he left the stadium? I would think that all the sour fans would have left, and the real fans stayed behind to show their support.

 

[wartknight]

I don't know about boos at the end of the game, I would hope we're above that. I give in to the fact that I was ready to get going and left about 2 minutes to go. There were boos earlier on in the game on some time that the offense came off the field.

 

[Cyfan322]

I didn't hear any booing. If that was the case then it would be an absolute embarrassment to the fans of iowa state. It's his first game as a college head coach for cryin out load.

 

[SuperCy]

I stayed until the end and I didn't hear any booing. I'm disappointed we lost, but not surprised. This was a decent team w/ a lot of returning players and a couple all conference players in the right positions.

At the end of the season this might not look as bad as some think it does now.

 

[cycloneinmonaco]

Unfortunately I think the reality is that Kent State is simply not a good team. I know that the talent is there for Iowa State, can the coach do something with it? What is for sure is that at this level of play we are looking at an 0-12 season.

 

[wartknight]

End of the first half stands out in my mind right now, with 2 seconds left we down the ball. Nothing wrong with that. A lot more chance of something bad happening than something good. Definitely boos from various places around JTS and drunkards in my section yelling about
"thinking McCarney wasn't around anymore"
Does anyone think any D1 coach in the exact situation wouldn't have done the same thing?

 

[wartknight]

Unfortunately I think the reality is that Kent State is simply not a good team. I know that the talent is there for Iowa State, can the coach do something with it? What is for sure is that at this level of play we are looking at an 0-12 season.

You really think the talent is there for Iowa State? We may not have a single OL that would have started for Kent State, maybe not half of our defense either.

 

[SuperCy]

End of the first half stands out in my mind right now, with 2 seconds left we down the ball. Nothing wrong with that. A lot more chance of something bad happening than something good. Definitely boos from various places around JTS and drunkards in my section yelling about
"thinking McCarney wasn't around anymore"
Does anyone think any D1 coach in the exact situation wouldn't have done the same thing?

Yeah, that did bother me. There are so many things that could go wrong. Just take a knee.

We were in the playoffs one year and right before half our coach decided to run a play instead of taking the knee. Well, the RB fumbled the ball and it was run back for a TD. We lost by 7.
It's the right call to make in this case.

The problem is that too many people aren't thinking when the do react with boos.

 

[cycloneinmonaco]

We had impact players at the sophmore level who are failing as seniors. That's coaching.

 

[wartknight]

We had impact players at the sophmore level who are failing as seniors. That's coaching.

2 of them. Kind of hard for 2 guys to make up for 20 others.
Someone mentioned earlier that those guys will be playing on Sundays. No way Meyer is an NFL QB. Blythe has a lot of work to do to get there. He got shut down by a corner that was something like a foot shorter than him tonight.

 

[jbhtexas]

As for JTS being a family-friendly venue...it will be very hard for that to happen. Folks that can't handle their alcohol go to tailgates, drink too much, stagger into the stadium, and then the ole' tounge breaks loose, and stupidity abounds. Complicating the matter, many folks can, in reality, handle much less alcohol than they think.

I think the only way to maybe clean up the language a little bit would be to have 11:00 AM kickoffs. Less time for folks to get plastered before the game. The games will finish by about 2:00, which leaves plenty of time for tailgating after the game.

 

[cycloneinmonaco]

Meyer was looking like one two years ago. What you say is true, but winners take control. They need to learn to be winners.

 

[jamesfnb]

Terrible football tonight, terrible intro, terrible music selection, terrible annoying fans in my section............for the first time I am asking myself, "Do I want to be a Cyclone anymore"?

 

[wartknight]

As for JTS being a family-friendly venue...it will be very hard for that to happen. Folks that can't handle their alcohol go to tailgates, drink too much, stagger into the stadium, and then the ole' tounge breaks loose, and stupidity abounds. Complicating the matter, many folks can, in reality, handle much less alcohol than they think.

I think the only way to maybe clean up the language a little bit would be to have 11:00 AM kickoffs. Less time for folks to get plastered before the game. The games will finish by about 2:00, which leaves plenty of time for tailgating after the game.

Had a poster on CN suggest those that are interested email JP about having a specified family section where there is zero tolerance for alcohol and swearing. I think that would be a great idea.

 

[CHim]

Terrible football tonight, terrible intro, terrible music selection, terrible annoying fans in my section............for the first time I am asking myself, "Do I want to be a Cyclone anymore"?

I kind of hope you say no and don't go the the games and ruin other people's experience.

 

[wartknight]

I know there are stupid fans everywhere, heck half of hawk fans can't even pronounce their head coach's name. I was at a game at Kinnick with my inlaws(can't believe I admitted to that) and even in a blowout win, there were people complaining about playcalling and players.

 

[jamesfnb]

you mean kirk furr-entz? His name is easy to pronounce.........

 

[Flag Guy]

I did notice booing at the half - while it reminded me of Iowa game last year, booing was uncalled for. I didn't hear it at the end, though it's possible people booed Kent State. Thats just how it goes... I know in the student section if the other team is comign out when we come out they still boo the other team, which is stupid because our team thinks they're being booed but...

What I did hear at the end of the game was nothing. Band played the fight song, no one clapped with it or sang. Nor did they clap for the team as the left the field. Not that we had much to clap about but... kinda drives me nuts how quick people are to boo, how quick they are to cheer when there is a camera on them, but how little they'll cheer when we're down and our team could use a pick up or we need to break up the oponet's drive. Homefield advantage my @$$