What was the beginning of the end?

[boone7247]

Gotta say that was bad but barely putting up 300 yards on UNI was my cue. Quarterback change should have happened halftime of that game.

All that happened after realignment. I would say ISU lost more out of realignment than anyone else in a Power 5 conference, maybe KU, but we were the most targeted team, easiest to pick on CPR had the program going in the right direction but he lost any advantage that gave him on the recruiting trail, and those two classes were the difference between getting more talented and being less talented. CPRs first recruiting class was weak due to transition other than the notables. I would say now we have recovered to where we were before, but we could have been ahead. That was also coupled into a huge increase in difficulty of the schedule and losing Herman, which whether you like him or not, was a huge difference.

 

[everyyard]

Jake Knott having surgery. We haven't been the same since. To me there is a very clear break when I felt things were going upward and we could compete and when everything went bad. (Also corresponds roughly with when Herman probably wasn't focusing on ISU so much so it might have been him, too). (Also, realignment happened here too, which affected psyche and recruiting so maybe constellation of things)

 

[awd4cy]

After seeing the UNI loss in 2013 and the way the team was going to look for that season, I knew it was going to be over. Then to see the team fired up to start the 2014 season to lose to an FCS school in record fashion, you had to know this thing wasn't getting turned around until Rhoads was gone.

 

[VTXCyRyD]

Woody's fumble against West Virginia.

 

[ExCyment]

Tom Herman's departure and a lack of any competent replacement until the last few weeks. Never understood the hatred some had for Tom, he did fairly well without ever having the players to fit his system. I think his coaching ability has been proven since.

 

[amishclone]

The BS call against Texa$.

 

[ThatllDoCy]

It was the decision to go with smaller more athletic Offensive Lineman that doomed us. I believe that was Herman's idea.

Rhoads should have gone with a pro style or at least power run game from the gitgo. Remarkable we won as many as we did.

 

[CyBobby]

Rhoads stated that he was going to the spread offense because it was soooo Hard to Defend....Well Mr Rhoads in the last three years you won 8 paltry games...so your spread offense was NOT hard to Defend...

Its time to hire a power I or option running offense where you don't need so many skilled players that we cant recruit...A new coach who can recruit big run blockers for lineman and a good option qb just like Lanning and we could go bowling next year...........

Go Clones Bury the Mountain Men

 

[LindenCy]

I feel like this question should have just been asked to dirtyninety. :wink:

 

[chuckd4735]

I know people don't like to hear it but it was around this ^ time. I would argue it was even a few games before that. I'm going off memory so don't kill me but I think we had games as a ranked team vs Kansas State (loudest game I have ever in my life heard, ears were literally ringing every time ksu had a 3rd down, and WV after that who was ranked but beatable. Both **** d down our leg, deflating any hope we had for turning the corner that year.

After Knott's last game, we had a home game against OU, the Richardson game at KU, and the home game against WV. I think the first sign of how things were going to go was that WV game. We had Holiday Bowl reps in house. ISU was destined for their best bowl game ever as long as they won. WV was coming off a 5 game skid and was playing on the road. Small lead and momentum late. Fumble in the end zone as we were about to go up 7. WV then goes 75 yards in one play for a TD.

 

[BCClone]

Rhoads stated that he was going to the spread offense because it was soooo Hard to Defend....Well Mr Rhoads in the last three years you won 8 paltry games...so your spread offense was NOT hard to Defend...

Its time to hire a power I or option running offense where you don't need so many skilled players that we cant recruit...A new coach who can recruit big run blockers for lineman and a good option qb just like Lanning and we could go bowling next year...........

Go Clones Bury the Mountain Men

ironic that over the last couple years we have recruited many skill position players and our line is killing us. So your suggestion would look to have us have poor line,an and poor skill positions for an offense, triple option, that would get blown up in the big xii. Triple O gets killed by good dline men and speed, what other teams have. Running that offense against the big xii defenses would be like trying to hit a hole in one. Will happen so often, but highly unlikely.

 

[cytown]

2011 victory over OSU. Irony considering it could have been a launch pad for this program.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

I think hiring Mess as OC was the beginning of the end. It also points to what is likely the biggest issue, personnel decisions. Imagine Sturdy as OC instead of Mess with Sturdy's pick for Oline coach instead of Klenakis.

Hiring Bill Bliel as O line coach and his long and lean philosophy, Plus the man was supposed to recruit Iowa and he didn't or couldn't.

 

[Dolokaju]

2011 victory over OSU. Irony considering it could have been a launch pad for this program.

My thoughts exactly. We lost the last 3 games that year. 2012 was the aberration. ISU went 6-7 due to the strong senior class in spite of Moronic coaching. Though I also give a lot of credence to the Messingham hire. Plus I could point to the fat man as well.
Is ISU better with Sturdy as OC that whole time? In a nutshell, yes...

 

[Turn2]

Sweet Caroline.

...and conference realignment talk, and Mess, and key injuries and dismissals, and...

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Day 1? The signs were there as soon as he looked over what we had returning and decided to go with the spread followed by how he went about implementing that "plan". Then the QB jockeying but never development, followed by Mess. It was one high-level/management mistake after another. Nevermind the actual on Saturday mistakes. The final straw for me was how poor the Klenaksis hire ended up being.

 

[besserheimerphat]

I agree Losing to schools Like UNI and North Dakota State was the beginning and the sat KState Meltdown was the end of the Paul Rhoads Era.

KState lost to NDSU the year before we did and managed to end the season 8-5 with a bowl win over Michigan. Losing to an FCS school does not, in and of itself, mean an FBS team won't have a successful season.

 

[ThatllDoCy]

Hiring Bill Bliel as O line coach and his long and lean philosophy, Plus the man was supposed to recruit Iowa and he didn't or couldn't.

Was that Bliel's idea? That absolutely killed us. There is no Offensive design that will work when you cannot provide time for a QB, and no running play design that will work when your OLine cannot clear room.

Wasn't Bliel a friend of Paul's? We really need a Coach that brings in guys that can succeed at this level, not just guys they know. Killed both Rhoads and Chizik.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

KState lost to NDSU the year before we did and managed to end the season 8-5 with a bowl win over Michigan. Losing to an FCS school does not, in and of itself, mean an FBS team won't have a successful season.

Right, but anyone capable of turning on their computer knows Synder losing to NDSU is BFD, whereas for Rhoads it was likely just another sign the end was near.

 

[cc1091]

I have to agree with those who say that the hire of Messingham to replace Hermann was he big moment that exhibited the decision making process of Paul Rhoades as being faulty. At the time (and even to this day) I could not understand why so many on this forum had a problem with Hermann. I also could not fathom why so many showed such broad support for Messingham (I felt his selection was a mistake from the moment I heard about it). I was willing to let it play out, because I've never been a football coach, nor even much of a player, but to me it didn't make sense. Now I think that those who bring up the conference realignment as a possible source for Iowa State to have poor recruiting seasons may also have a very valid point. Certainly the expected recruiting benefit from the win over OkState never materialized.

Here's something else I never understood: Didn't we have three QBs we worked with during Hermann's final season. None were very good. To me, one of those QBs in that season showed consistently that he managed the offense better than the others. Of course, he was also the guy who was probably at the most disadvantage due to his size and that his relative athletic ability was considerably less than the other two. Yet Jared Barnett was able to lead Iowa State to two great wins that season. The next season, he lead a smackdown of TCU. After that, he rarely saw the field. He transferred after 2012 despite his quite impressive list of victories as QB at Iowa State. I know he was undersized, and was unable to make consistent throws, yet he seemed to know how to manage the game and to help out his team mates. I interpret his departure as a sign of inner turmoil, and a notice from a somewhat successful QB that certain players cannot make headway at Iowa State despite proving competence.