It’s an advantage to us, love the field
Field is rough
- Thread starter spierceisu
- Start date
He was actually slipping consistently, we were lucky! But we also slipped on big plays too, unfortunately.
Perhaps repetition will help here: We are slipping just as often as the opponent. Stevo had 2 critical slips that cost 1st downs, Freyler again had several slips that allowed for big plays, etc, etc, etc.
It's only a true advantage if we're not also having major (non-dew, non-moisture) related slips.
Iowa State's turf/Hort teams essentially grew/developed their own turf back in 2022. At the time it was thought to be best of the best, but I think the last two years has proven it hasn't held up to expectations. In hindsight, it was a pretty big gamble to take and got to think the turf team will have some decisions to make in the offseason.
Iowa State one of first to grow its own turfgrass football field - Athletic Turf
ISU began harvesting and installing homegrown turfgrass in May 2022, one of the first universities to grow its own sod for its football field within a year.
athleticturf.net
Homegrown effort: Iowa State units team up to grow new turf for Jack Trice Stadium
The first Iowa State University home football game of the 2022 season will not only be a test of Iowa State’s football team, but also of the new, homegrown turfgrass installed earlier this spring.
Be real pioneers and install a mulch field
For what it's worth, the field is the exact same seed as the previous turf. I don't see how a hort department growing the sod would make a difference. Perhaps the upkeep in the stadium has changed? Maybe they have less drainage than before. Not covering the field enough? Let the irrigation run when it shouldn't? Who know? I don't see it any different than any other year, but maybe it is. Our zone and time of year are a bigger deal than the hort dept growing the grass. I'll call this home field advantage versus teams that have artificial turf.
If it's so bad, why haven't the kickers been slipping or falling down on field goals and extra points. I don't recall that happening. If the weather and air becomes more dry, I think field conditions will fix itself.
If it's so bad, why haven't the kickers been slipping or falling down on field goals and extra points. I don't recall that happening. If the weather and air becomes more dry, I think field conditions will fix itself.
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IMO this has had a role in the conditions the last few years. Another is that around this time was also when Tim VanLoo left. Tim was the head of athletic fields during the run of winning all those awards. Appears its compounding effects of doing something different for the sake of different vs the approach that made the field award winning.Iowa State's turf/Hort teams essentially grew/developed their own turf back in 2022. At the time it was thought to be best of the best, but I think the last two years has proven it hasn't held up to expectations. In hindsight, it was a pretty big gamble to take and got to think the turf team will have some decisions to make in the offseason.
Iowa State one of first to grow its own turfgrass football field - Athletic Turf
ISU began harvesting and installing homegrown turfgrass in May 2022, one of the first universities to grow its own sod for its football field within a year.
Homegrown effort: Iowa State units team up to grow new turf for Jack Trice Stadium
The first Iowa State University home football game of the 2022 season will not only be a test of Iowa State’s football team, but also of the new, homegrown turfgrass installed earlier this spring.www.cals.iastate.edu
People are lying to themselves if they think this years turf is normal or its just dew at night. There is something off with the field. We all played evening games in high school on grass and never experienced chunks of the field flying because of dew. Every game the field has had slipping issues this year.
JTS should always be grass IMO. But the athletic department needs to be honest with itself the field is in bad shape and changes need to be made.
Pretty sure I heard Nebraska is going to transition from Field turf to natural grass next year.
It happens everywhere, but our games have had guys taking out massive divots trying to make cuts very frequently. It’s an unseasonably warm November and a dry fall. It’s as traction friendly a fall as you are ever going to get in Ames.
I don’t want to change to turf. I like it, even if the field has bad traction. But there is no way someone can watch our games and other games on natural surfaces and not see that our field is beyond typical in terms of traction.
November has nothing to do with it. It happened in Sept and Oct too.
We just need to go xeriscape. Mostly gravel, and a few well placed cacti and ornamental grasses.
Reminds me of playing playoff games on my high school field. Played on the old UNI turf too. That **** was horrible.
I’m not a fan of injuries. Our grass isn’t the best but I’m sure it’s saved a few ACLs over the years
I love that this type of thread pops up every few years. Do you want a turf field that is more consistent, but unforgiving or grass that will have natural challenges such as rain and temp and late seasons wear.
You can’t have both. Well, I guess you could spend millions on your grass field, but we’re not Texas so that’s probably not money well spent in the big scheme of things.
You can’t have both. Well, I guess you could spend millions on your grass field, but we’re not Texas so that’s probably not money well spent in the big scheme of things.
While this would not solve the problem, one thing the conference could do is use some common sense in scheduling. We are the northernmost team. Perhaps we should not have three of our home games in November. Why not put a bye week in November and have only two games in November? Maybe our November games should be in the daytime.
Please don't compare conditions in Ames with Salt Lake City and/or Boulder ever.
Relative humidity at SLC(4200') and Boulder(5400') is <15% almost always. We were fogged out Friday morning in Muskieville. Has SLC or Boulder ever experienced fog?
Tell your golf course super "why can't this place look like Augusta?"
And then be prepared to duck for cover.
Relative humidity at SLC(4200') and Boulder(5400') is <15% almost always. We were fogged out Friday morning in Muskieville. Has SLC or Boulder ever experienced fog?
Tell your golf course super "why can't this place look like Augusta?"
And then be prepared to duck for cover.
