Be thankful for this team and not negative

[blood94]

Everyone who is being negative has not been thru what most cyclone fans have had for football teams thru the times of criner, chizik, early part of mcarney, and then the ending of paul rhoads.

This team was in ever single game this year with a chance to win!
This team was was always being talked about on all the media outlets (espn, fox, etc)
This team had a soph quarterback that led the Big 12 in passing (never has happened for isu)
This team had a soph TE have over 600 yards of receiving (never happened at isu)
This team had 4 receivers over 600 yards of receiving
This team had a true freshman running back coming in half way thru season and rush for over 600 yards
This team has 7 wins for the 3rd year in a row and Big 12 winning record for 3rd year in a row
So please lay off the negative crap and be happy that we are not being 1-11 or 2-10 every year

 

[CyBobby]

Hey Blood 94....you forgot someone....Jim Walden and his 0-10-1 record where Gene Smith FIRED him halfway thru the season. That was without a doubt the Lowest Point in the history of ISU Football.....GO Cyclones!

 

[SouthernCy]

It's hard not to be disappointed when we had the best offense in school history and our defense, which should have taken a step forward, took a HUGE step back this year. It was glaringly obvious. With so many starters that returned, we (or at least me) expected a much stouter defense. Am I happy we are going bowling? Hell yes. Just wanted more since it was so close. Hopefully next year though!

 

[LincolnWay187]

If you cant distinguish your own posts from the trolls... You're doing it wrong. Still an ok year, bright future ahead

Agree with OP.

 

[BCClone]

Hey Blood 94....you forgot someone....Jim Walden and his 0-10-1 record where Gene Smith FIRED him halfway thru the season. That was without a doubt the Lowest Point in the history of ISU Football.....GO Cyclones!

Who is this Walden guy you speak of? Some of us have erased a few years from our memory.

 

[GTO]

Don't tell me how I should feel.

 

[BryceC]

It's perfectly reasonable to be disappointed this year. I still had a great time, I'm grateful for this group, and I'm incredibly grateful for Campbell. But this was a team that under performed W/L to it's talent level. It had tons of missed opportunities which is basically the hallmark of this program for decades. Even in some wins (UNI, KU) the game was a slog that wasn't particularly fun to watch.

That said, I've watched enough 2, 3, 4 win teams to be thrilled at the consistent performance of this team and there are still a ton of talented players in the pipeline. Put together a decent offensive line for next year and we keep it rolling along. Win the bowl game and it's 3 years in a row of 8 wins or more. There are a lot of positives here, but the blown leads and close losses can gnaw at you.

 

[cyclone4L]

It was a disappointing season because of the #proveit expectation we had going in. I thought they would go 10-2 (and they probably should have). I wouldn't even say it was a good year, just a year with some good moments. We only beat one team that is going bowling... and we almost blew that one, too.

As much as this team could be 10-2... it could be 4-8 (losses to UNI, Texas. and Kansas)

I don't care about records. They are stats made by good players with the right scheme. They do not translate to wins. We should all know this by witnessing Troy Davis.

Am I happy we are a good team? Of course. Do I think we are a good team that underachieved? Absolutely.

Don't call me greedy for having reasonable expectations.

 

[jctisu]

It's perfectly reasonable to be disappointed this year. I still had a great time, I'm grateful for this group, and I'm incredibly grateful for Campbell. But this was a team that under performed W/L to it's talent level. It had tons of missed opportunities which is basically the hallmark of this program for decades. Even in some wins (UNI, KU) the game was a slog that wasn't particularly fun to watch.

That said, I've watched enough 2, 3, 4 win teams to be thrilled at the consistent performance of this team and there are still a ton of talented players in the pipeline. Put together a decent offensive line for next year and we keep it rolling along. Win the bowl game and it's 3 years in a row of 8 wins or more. There are a lot of positives here, but the blown leads and close losses can gnaw at you.

I think this is a great post. I truly don't think any true Cyclone fan doesn't love the fact we are 7-5 and a little disappointed by that because we have had a great three years here compared to our history. That being said, you are spot on in that this fan base (especially the ones that have been fans for 25+ years are just getting impatient and angsty because they want to see that special 10-win season just once like almost every other program has had. Just once. This year we were so close with a rather pedestrian year for the conference (kind of like '05) and we just couldn't get over the hump. To be that close to what we all want to see this program do is hard, and people are just anxious and venting because we are that dang close to seeing that special season.

 

[cyfamily]

Perspective....most of us who lived through Criner, Walden, Chiz, and AD Van Der Velde have it.
What CMC has done in 4 years is amazing and thrilling to this old fan. Throw in the fact that he doesn't dodge OU and Texas every 2 years, and the parity in the Big 12 makes it even more amazing.
What I am most proud of is the culture around our whole Athletic Dept. Our coaches and players represent our university so well....these are good times folks, and we're just getting started! Loyal, Forever True.

 

[Statefan10]

I think you're able to be a little negative about a team's performance / disappointed and still have a grasp on where the program is at compared to the non-successful seasons Iowa State has had. This was another solid year for Iowa State football no doubt about it, but just because it was a solid year and better than what we used to have, doesn't mean we can't be critical.

I also think some of the criticism has been warranted. This football team has been very sloppy in some games this year and the sloppiness has caused a lot of games to come down to the wire, most them resulting in losses. There were only a few games this year where we played clean games, and in those games we came out victorious. Maybe that's just who this team was this year, but it seems like some of the losses last year came in similar fashion.

You look at the bowl game last year and saw false start penalties left and right in critical moments that definitely made an impact on the game, and it seemed to even carry over into the first game of the year this year. Now this past weekend, in week 12, we had a ton of false penalties that absolutely killed drives. If it wasn't a false start, it was a missed block or a dropped pass. Special teams is another thing that has continued to hurt us greatly in games.

Like I said earlier, maybe that's just who we are this year and next year those things will get cleaned up. I know those variables happen to many teams throughout the course of the season but it seemed apparent that the "little things" that Coach Campbell preaches about were the reasons why we lost some of the games we did this year.

With all of that being said, the direction of the program is still trending in the right direction. To those who said we've taken a step back, you're wrong, we just haven't made the next step, which I am confident will happen next year. Iowa State football is in a good place to be and Matt Campbell is the reason for that. I have full confidence that this team will be ready for the bowl game and win 8 games which would be phenomenal. We're in good hands folks.

 

[JM4CY]

Man, for so so many reasons, we really need to win our bowl game.

 

[FinalFourCy]

Thankful for this team and staff, but also disappointed we didn’t have the great season that was very much realistic. Some bad breaks and some untimely poor play.

Hopefully more games go our way next year. The players, staff, and program deserve it.

 

[Trice]

It's perfectly reasonable to be disappointed this year. I still had a great time, I'm grateful for this group, and I'm incredibly grateful for Campbell. But this was a team that under performed W/L to it's talent level. It had tons of missed opportunities which is basically the hallmark of this program for decades. Even in some wins (UNI, KU) the game was a slog that wasn't particularly fun to watch.

That said, I've watched enough 2, 3, 4 win teams to be thrilled at the consistent performance of this team and there are still a ton of talented players in the pipeline. Put together a decent offensive line for next year and we keep it rolling along. Win the bowl game and it's 3 years in a row of 8 wins or more. There are a lot of positives here, but the blown leads and close losses can gnaw at you.

I think this nails it perfectly. It's possible to be both disappointed in the way this season played out and still very upbeat about the direction the program is trending in.

 

[CycloneErik]

Hey Blood 94....you forgot someone....Jim Walden and his 0-10-1 record where Gene Smith FIRED him halfway thru the season. That was without a doubt the Lowest Point in the history of ISU Football.....GO Cyclones!

Note to the program: Don't take this as a "challenge accepted" idea.

 

[Clonefan32]

I think it's perfectly reasonable to be disappointed. I think you can think the program is in great hands, support what CMC is doing and be thrilled about our future, while also looking at this year and being underwhelmed. This really seemed like the year things were going to align. KU, Tech and WVU in rebuilds. Kansas State, Baylor, Okie State and TCU not as tough as they've been in the past. Texas being very average. Oklahoma being good but not untouchable.

You couple that with having as much returning talent as I can remember. Likely the best QB in program history. Tons of returners on the offensive and defensive line. A great returning linebacker corps. An All Big 12 safety. Exciting new prospects at WR and RB. While others were trending down, we were trending up.

As a school that is far from a perennial power, it just feels like when we do have that window of opportunity we can't miss it. And that's not to say the window is gone. We have a bunch of young talent and will be good again next year, but so will the rest of the conference.

I also think the disappointment has alot to do with how the games went. Just about all of these games were a complete slog. The ones we lost it completely felt like we should have won if we'd played well, and the ones we won felt like we'd done just enough to avoid defeat. A total lack of exciting, memorable moments. It was just kind of all around "meh".

I'm glad we still have a reason to be talking about football and I hope we can get to 8 wins again. But between us having what is on paper our best team in years, plus the conference being unusually tame this year, it just feels like we've missed an opportunity of the likes we haven't seen very often in this program.

 

[CloneFan4]

Boy I love these idiotic takes. I've chosen to take the positive outlook on this season and believe the mistakes made are due to youth and they'll be cleaned up next.

HOWEVER, this team and staff are not immune to criticism and the majority of posters on here are pointing this out in a respectful, constructive manner. Its like some of you sunshine pumpers want to take the disappointment out of losses and not meeting expectations. That's as much of a part of being a fan as getting enjoyment out of winning. Its called having an emotional investment and there's nothing wrong with it when done in healthy doses

 

[ISUChippewa]

I'm disappointed in Saturday's outcome, as well as how we played (dominated at the LOS, dropped passes, way too many false start penalties for the 12th game of the season), but I'm also old enough to remember the days when it would take two or even three seasons to win 7 games total, much less be playing in our third straight bowl game.

I understand the relative disappointment, but historical perspective also lends itself to knowing that it has been and could be so much worse. Look at TCU; they were ranked earlier in the season only to finish 5-7, with a widely respected head coach at the helm. I'd much rather be in our position than theirs right now.

 

[atlantacyclone]

In my view any season that ends in a bowl is a good season. This team could have been great. That is the frustration...

 

[CyCloned]

I think everyone, including the players and coaches, are and should be a little disappointed in how the season turned out. So many close games, where ISU was not outclassed, but out executed. In the history of ISU football, that is a statement that would not apply to most seasons. As a very long time ISU fan it is hard not to look at 7 wins and think, great, but man should have gotten a couple more this year.

The team is pretty young still, and a lot of the talent is back next year, so plenty to look forward to. Plenty to work on.