38th Most Painful Loss in College Football History...

[ISUFan22]

Yup. Both Mac and Chizik had bad habits with play calling. God, I would have loved to see us fake A-Rob up the gut @ CU, and rolled Arnaud with Franklin as an option. Remember that bootleg Arnaud ran at UNLV the same year? Thing of beauty.

The Arnaud/A-Rob combo is very solid. IMO, it's simply not utilized to the max potential, and that includes last season to some extent as well. I look forward to seeing this improve this season.

My *** is still chapped over the @KU game last season, when on our last drive A-Rob ripped off a 17 yard run on first down - then never touched the ball again on that drive. He did go out for 1-2 plays after the run, but was back in there. We had extra time and only used our best player and best time killing option once. Ugh.

 

[clonebacker]

I was at that 2005 KU game and that definitely was tougher IMO. 14 point swing on replay calls. Took a TD away from us and then gave them one, neither of which were the right calls.

2005 @ KU to go to the Big 12 championship.

That is my worst. Mac never recovered from that loss.

 

[Frak]

Probably was. Thx.

Most painful one I recall while in school was '92 versus KU, I believe. Had an insane lead in the 4th just to whizz it away. Insignificant game, but still painful the way it went down.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - MIDWEST - COLLEGE FOOTBALL - MIDWEST - Kansas Answers a 40-Point Blitz - NYTimes.com

That WAS a bad one. I remember thinking that ISU would have won if they would have just knelt on the ball and punted the whole 4th quarter. If I remember right, Utter was a turnover machine that day.

 

[clone136]

I was in High School and watched the whole game that Saturday, they even mentioned the game that morning on Gameday that morning and predicted us to win. Mentioned Hicks and Meyer. Then we did that. I wanted to either throw up, cry, or both. It was the most miserable I have ever felt after a game. Why did we just not pound it in with Stevie, still haunts me. Ugh

 

[Cyclonestate78]

I am curious to know if the 23-3 game will make it.

Or the Seneca led comeback win in Kinnick that could have cost the hoks a shot at the national championship as they would have finished the season unbeaten? What a GREAT day to be a Cyclone!!!! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

 

[ISUFan22]

On an upside note from '05...won't ever forget the CU game as Curvey ran that ball back for a TD. All the while watching on the digitron for would-be tacklers.

Or the through the line, juke left, juke right, juke left and 30+ yard run Hicks had near the end of the K-State game. So many Wildcats lost their jocks on that play.

Oh what could have been had we not started 0-3 in conference play that season.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

The Arnaud/A-Rob combo is very solid. IMO, it's simply not utilized to the max potential, and that includes last season to some extent as well. I look forward to seeing this improve this season.

My *** is still chapped over the @KU game last season, when on our last drive A-Rob ripped off a 17 yard run on first down - then never touched the ball again on that drive. He did go out for 1-2 plays after the run, but was back in there. We had extra time and only used our best player and best time killing option once. Ugh.

I was slightly wounded by the lack of touches for A-Rob down the stretch. What killed me in a slow painful death kind of way that day was our secondary getting absolutely torched all game long. That midgit Reesing looked like Warren Moon dropping bombs on them all day long. :sad:

 

[Frak]

As noted, it was 28-7 at half (I often think it was 28-0 at half too, for some reason).

What sparked it was early in the 3rd quarter, we punted. Our gunner had their return man dead to rights and then got blocked in the back - directly in front of the student section. No flag, punt returned for a TD, "game over".

I don't blame the zebras for the lost. Good chance if we had made that tackle, and even if the ball was fumbled for an ISU TD - we still would have snatched a loss from the jaws of victory on that fine day.

But, I can't recall a time more than that moment where I wanted to feed a bunch of inept zebras to a group of rabid, starved lions. K-State is the pus that infects the mucus that cruds up the fungus that feeds on the pond scum - we had 'em beat (a top 15 K-State to boot) and let them get away.

I actually left the game after that PR because I knew ISU was going to lose. Walked home to over on Campus Ave from the stadium and passed out. The one good thing that I see right now is that the culture has completely changed. Our team doesn't just give up or fold when they get hit in the mouth. Fans still get that "here we go again" attitude, but you don't see that with the team.

 

[tazclone]

Or the Seneca led comeback win in Kinnick that could have cost the hoks a shot at the national championship as they would have finished the season unbeaten? What a GREAT day to be a Cyclone!!!! :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

I am expecting that one to be on there somewhere. I was at a bar in Denver, CO for that game. Some !@#@# hawk fan walked by me at halftime and said "sucks to be you." I found him aftwer the game and said "No, sucks to be you because you have to play 4 quarters not two." He didn't appreciate my poetry

 

[Al_4_State]

The Arnaud/A-Rob combo is very solid. IMO, it's simply not utilized to the max potential, and that includes last season to some extent as well. I look forward to seeing this improve this season.

My *** is still chapped over the @KU game last season, when on our last drive A-Rob ripped off a 17 yard run on first down - then never touched the ball again on that drive. He did go out for 1-2 plays after the run, but was back in there. We had extra time and only used our best player and best time killing option once. Ugh.

Yup. I agree. Why there was no more A-Rob was beyond me. I was also disappointed with the way we handled the rush on that 4th down. Arnaud had to scramble quite a bit to even get the ball off.

 

[delt4cy]

adding to the 2005 loss @ KU.

like many others have said, we shot ourselves in the foot plenty earlier in the season but the team kept managing to find a way to stay alive. (victories @ KSU/OSU, CU in the tornado) The team started to really click.

Toward the end of the season the dominoes fell in the exact perfect way they needed to. KSU lost to CU, Mizzou lost, Nebby then lost to a big underdog CU the day before to pave the way to the B12 champ. game. It was like the heavens had opened and finally ISU football would no longer be smited by the football gods.

Then it all came crashing down. (or pushed right should I say)

 

[Cyclonestate78]

On an upside note from '05...won't ever forget the CU game as Curvey ran that ball back for a TD. All the while watching on the digitron for would-be tacklers.

Or the through the line, juke left, juke right, juke left and 30+ yard run Hicks had near the end of the K-State game. So many Wildcats lost their jocks on that play.

Oh what could have been had we not started 0-3 in conference play that season.

True. It isn't often you see ISU looking like they are dead in the water only to come on strong late and drop a 28 point 4th quarter on somebody on the road. :yes:

 

[Cyclonestate78]

I am expecting that one to be on there somewhere. I was at a bar in Denver, CO for that game. Some !@#@# hawk fan walked by me at halftime and said "sucks to be you." I found him aftwer the game and said "No, sucks to be you because you have to play 4 quarters not two." He didn't appreciate my poetry

I went down to Arrowhead earlier that year and watched that heartbreaker to FSU and I also was lucky enough to be able to attend that game at Kinnick. Those were two of the greatest college football games that I have ever attended.

 

[The_Architect]

I went down to Arrowhead earlier that year and watched that heartbreaker to FSU and I also was lucky enough to be able to attend that game at Kinnick. Those were two of the greatest college football games that I have ever attended.

Agreed. I was at both as well. The game at Kinnick I was buried in an Iowa section - talk about miserable the first half.

 

[Bigguns]

Whenever we hear shot about last years Nebraska game we should bring up number 43.

No kidding! The dreaded blackshirts force 9 fumble in one of Tom O's biggest wins of all time. In last years game they gave us those TO's(according to them).

 

[cyclones500]

Most painful one I recall while in school was '92 versus KU, I believe. Had an insane lead in the 4th just to whizz it away. Insignificant game, but still painful the way it went down.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - MIDWEST - COLLEGE FOOTBALL - MIDWEST - Kansas Answers a 40-Point Blitz - NYTimes.com

I only remember seeing the score on ESPN -- at 47-21 and the final. Hard to believe blowing a lead that large, but I didn't consider it "painful" in part because I didn't see the game.
Reading that NYT recap — sheesh.
A couple things I didn't realize (or forgot):
1. KU was ranked at the time. KU finished 8-4 that year. Would've been a win of some significance at least at the time.
2. It was KU's first win in Ames since '81.

Still not close to '04-Missouri/'05 KU — simply because of what was at stake.

 

[TedFlintKansas]

Agreed. I was at both as well. The game at Kinnick I was buried in an Iowa section - talk about miserable the first half.

So was I, In fact since I was the only one wearing red that day in a section of the Hawk student section, someone decided to pee in a cup and throw it all over me, But it was worth it, to stay the whole game and see all the hawk fans with their black and yellow face paint with the tear stains running down the their faces

 

[Cyclonestate78]

Agreed. I was at both as well. The game at Kinnick I was buried in an Iowa section - talk about miserable the first half.

I hear that. I was catching no mercy from the hok fans in my section either. Brutal would be one way to describe it during the first half. The second half brought the sweet sound of silence upon Kinnick. :yes:

 

[cyclones500]

The really sad thing is that we have about 7 games that could make this list

True.

'05 KU has gotta be on it somewhere, if the '04 game is.

'02 OU would be in my top 2 —*I put it higher than '04-Missouri partly because nobody expected ISU to even be in that position. The 2002 OU game*– well, I needn't elaborate.

Others on my Painful list, no order:
2002 UConn
1977 Iowa
1980 @Colorado
1981 @Kansas State
1999 Kansas State

dishonorable mention:
1983 Iowa (first ISU football game I attended. )

 

[ISUChippewa]

Ugh, I remember that Missouri game all too well. Was watching in the Florida Keys at my local sports bar with a neutral buddy. Called my brother right afterwards to mutually b!tch and complain, then went home and took out some aggression by blowing away the Covenant in Halo.

I will beleive to my dying day that had Dan Mac been able to recruit a true Division I caliber kicker he might still have his job here. I know Shaggy got a measure of redemption against Iowa in '07, but I always, always got nervous when I saw him trot onto the field for an attempt.