The Formula to Win at Iowa State

[iowa_wildcat]

We should just do exactly what K State does. That school sucks, but their model works.

Please keep thinking exactly that way. Your comments demonstrate exactly why ISU has not been successful in football. ISU has lacked an identity in football for as long as I can remember.

Jukebox is much closer to being right on.

 

[laminak]

Please keep thinking exactly that way. Your comments demonstrate exactly why ISU has not been successful in football. ISU has lacked an identity in football for as long as I can remember.

Jukebox is much closer to being right on.

What's wrong with his comment? KSU has been a dormant school in football until Snyder came to town. The schools are fairly similar. I think ISU should borrow some of the KSU approach to be successful.

I'd rather be a KSU clone and win over having our unique identity of being a dumpster fire with apology letters.

 

[chuckd4735]

Please keep thinking exactly that way. Your comments demonstrate exactly why ISU has not been successful in football. ISU has lacked an identity in football for as long as I can remember.

Jukebox is much closer to being right on.

He's not too far off on what he said. I think what he is trying to say is if you can have a winning program in Manhattan, you can have one in Ames. A lot of people will comment and say "it just can't be done in Ames", and I'm sure KSU fans might of said the same thing up until 15 years ago. But you are right, it starts with finding an identify, which ISU still had never done.

 

[everyyard]

Set up a satellite campus in Texas. Let players take online ISU classes. Fly them in on gameday.

 

[CyArob]

Hoiball.

 

[2020cy]

Hookers and blow. I can't believe that hasn't come up yet.

 

[CyCloned]

ISU's best chance at success is to mimic KSU. Get some Juco defensive players, soften up the schedule as much as possible, and develop a physical running game that eats up the clock. Most of the issues at ISU are related to line play and lack of LBers. It isn't impossible, but the coaching staff has certainly made a lot of mistakes in terms of recruiting the last couple years. I am not completely sold on the strength and conditioning program either. They produce a lot of great numbers, but when the ball is snapped the Clones tend to be physically dominated.

 

[im4cyclones]

1. Schedule 3 non conference wins. This should include a terrible FCS team, two bad mid-major FBS teams.
2. Lobby like hell for the B12 adds two teams north of Texas and splits in north-south divisions.

Thats gets us a bowl more often than not.

 

[isuforlife]

MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY GET RECRUITS TO BUY IN! TAKES MONEY

 

[CyinCo]

I don't know **** about coaching football but here are mine from what I've seen:

- An offense and defense that fits the players you have, NOT what others teams are having success with.
- An easier non-conference schedule: The team needs time to gel before being thrown into the round robin BIG XII.
- The best QB and Line (O and D) assistant coaches money can buy!!! I have yet to see any improvement, particular from QB play over that last several years. Why?
- Determine, through actual research, why we have so many players having season ending injuries: This is more than a coincidence. We have something present that causes more injuries than other schools. Why?

 

[Wesley]

Pay refs.
Do the UNC academic flop.
Dress up an engineering school robot as a player.
Control the weather at gametime. Use sprinkler heads to trip up the opposition,
Play sweet caroline throughout the game.
Give reflection mirrors to the band.

 

[ExCyment]

wear visitor jerseys. :shocked:

 

[mustangcy]

I've been vocal about dropping the Iowa game in the past but after reading all these posts about softening up the schedule it's hard not to think...."how can our non conference schedule get any easier"? I mean...UNI? NDSU? Toledo? Tulsa? Iowa? That is not murderers row there...Iowa is the only one that you could make an argument agaisnt because they are power 5 but c'mon...we've beat them 3 of 4 and 10 of 17. Without having the chance of beating them this year our season would have been even MORE of a disaster.

 

[WalkingCY]

Oh and cheat. We must pay players better to sway them.

 

[CyDude16]

Ask Dan McCarney.

Cause his sub .400 record here must mean he knows how to.

 

[WhatchaGonnaDo]

Let's start by not scheduling home and homes with ******* MAC teams

 

[blutarsky]

The formula? ... First, create about 50 alternate uniforms. Include atleast 15 new helmet designs. Second, watch the wins pile up. Oh, and in there somewheres, get a capable QB.

 

[Bader]

Let's start by not scheduling home and homes with ******* MAC teams

I don't get people's obsession with this. We haven't lost at a "lower conference" school since UNLV in '08. Iowa State isn't going to win any of the bidding wars that go on with buying out the return game for these teams.

 

[BigLame]

So we don't get 5* & 4* rated recruits - so what.

What I'd like to see are players who have a chip on their shoulders and are developed to a point physically they can stand up to conference teams no matter what. Agree this starts up front on both sides of the ball. But not only do we need maulers, we need players who play with a streak. Farniok may be the only one on the OL who has this component to his game. We tend to downplay the MAC and FCS teams, but when those teams come in they play with a chip because they know they are playing a Power 5 team and they are not on it. Well, when we play another Big XII team full of higher recruited players, where is that 'fire'? Where is the mentality of hitting the opponent right after they get off the bus? What I've seen too much is teams come to Ames and drive their bus all over the field of JTS then get off that bus and proceed to play more physical football than we do.

I believe this starts with Strength & Conditioning first. The players exhibiting that fire have to become contagious with that part of their game. Some of our DBs seem to have this. Miller was getting there but his injury has deflated this intangible to the Defensive side of the ball. KO had it here & others on the offense fed off of that. KO had the size & talent, but his demeanor on the field was the ultimate difference maker.

Maybe we lack this because we do not have confidence, which ultimately comes only with experience. Mutcherson & KCM have shown this component most to me on the D & D'Vario has shown this somewhat on the O, mainly with his blocking from the WR position. Bibbs started more slowly with his complete games to start the season beings he had an injured knee (think his play suffered first couple games, in particular his blocking more so than his receiving). Others have shown or flashed, but not much has been sustained or consistent.

 

[Clonefan94]

Ask Dan McCarney.

He'll tell you that CU, Nebraska, K-State and Baylor all starting to suck at that time helped him a lot. Didn't hurt that aTm took a little dip for a couple of years as well. Also, not having to play Texas and OU for two years really boosted our look. Oh and don't forget to lose to a couple of teams you shouldn't have lost to as well. KU, UConn, Baylor when they sucked.

I'm not saying Mac's teams would have looked this bad, but there is no way his teams would have been bowling as much with the way our schedule is now.

to the OP, I like what others have said about going the JUCO route and good player development. The only way to build a winning program at ISU is to win. (yeah, I know captain obvious) but, we've got to find a way to get a season or two under our belts of hitting 8 wins. It's the only way to convince kids we are moving in the right direction.

We are going to have to fill a lot of spots with JUCO players, then be able to deveolop the younger kids we do recruit. If there is one thing about the Rhoads era that seems to overshadow all else, is his staff's inability to develop players. Everything, especially our lines, just seem to kind of suck all the time.