Game Thoughts Cincin Loss

[fsanford]

In games where we have played strong offenses last two years: Kansas last year, ASU last year, Iowa had 200+ rushing last year even tho we won, Cincinnati this year, 40 points to Miami last year, 30 points nearly to third string qb Utah last year. When we play any offense with a pulse, it’s more break then bend..

I dunno ASU put 31 on Texas they run a 4-3 with a lot better athletes than ISU has.


Miami averaged the most points in the country last year they lit up every defense..

The Utah game they scored on a blocked punt and interception return
D gave up 14...

Iowa average 195 yards per game in rushing in 2024. ISU allowed 9 more yards than their average

Kansas was an outlier it happens

 

[Pizzapitter]

Remember, when 5-1 was a pipe dream?
This game stung, but....

 

[deadeyededric]

My only criticism of the D the last 5 or so years is that I wish we brought heat a little more. I think Heacock is pretty creative when he does blitz though.

 

[deadeyededric]

Remember, when 5-1 was a pipe dream?
This game stung, but....

I was about to say we are probably 3-3 or 4-2 if we weren't running the 3-3-5. Heacock is a top tier D coordinator and we are damn lucky to have him.

 

[deadeyededric]

We brought up the safeties to play the run more was the halftime change and it worked. The question is why did we wait so long to make the change? They scored every time they had the ball in the first half. Why not after the first two defensive trips out on the field, was the change not made then?

Recruiting defensive lineman is the hardest position in football, so you really have to do what the squawks do and find kids from high schools, red shirt them and build them up and hope they turn out to be great players. They have been doing it for a couple of decades, if they can, we should be doing the same thing. Scouring high schools looking for kids that have tall and can put on an carry weight, they like wrestlers from high school, we should be looking for the same type of kids.

Even when you find talented high school defensive lineman you sometimes find they don't have the mentality to be good at the college level. It takes a different mindset/mentality to play defensive line. You have to be mean. Almost sick in the ******* head. Its a different type of aggression than even linebackers have. Look at guys like Casey Shelton and Hunter Deyo who ended up on offense.

 

[CloneAlta]

30 points is enough to win where? 11 Big 12 teams are averaging over 30 ppg. Cincinnati was averaging nearly 40 ppg coming in. The defense is hobbled with injuries. The offense needed to step up and score like the other top teams in the Big 12, and they didn't come close. 3 of ISU remaining opponents are scoring over 35 ppg. The offense needs to figure it out...fast.

How about our play calling? Anyone think that was a factor in the loss? Runs up the middle against an All Conference run stuffer, short passes when we’ve been told their safety’s & CBs might be the weakest in the Big 12? Much of the time it seemed to me that the Manning playbook was in use!

Also puzzled why CINCY seemed to focus more on the pass vs the run in the 2nd half, which had gouged us badly in the first half. Yes, we finally adjusted and performed better against the run in the 2nd half, but their selection of pass vs run seemed much different. Was that first half the worst half of FB throughout the 10 years of CMC’s time at ISU—both coaching and players?

 

[TheJackWePack5]

I was about to say we are probably 3-3 or 4-2 if we weren't running the 3-3-5. Heacock is a top tier D coordinator and we are damn lucky to have him.

Heacock is awesome, incredible guy and D Coordinator. One of, if not, the best we’ve had.

That said, he’s got his work cut out for him.

 

[ntxcyclone]

I'm sorry for those of you that must have forgotten some perspective but Iowa State was one of the worst teams in all of college football during most of my lifetime. I looked it up today and in the 37 years of my life before hiring MC we won a total of 77 conference games which works out to barely more than 2 conference games won a year. I don't care if JH decides the best way to play is 1-5-5 defense he's going to get my support. I remember when the first half of yesterday's game was the norm not the anomaly. I saw on tv this year that since JH has been here we give up an average of 8.6 points a game in the second half.....I hate that we lost too but I'm not going to act like a cry baby because we might "only" win 9 games. Get some GD perspective.

 

[madguy30]

In games where we have played strong offenses last two years: Kansas last year, ASU last year, Iowa had 200+ rushing last year even tho we won, Cincinnati this year, 40 points to Miami last year, 30 points nearly to third string qb Utah last year. When we play any offense with a pulse, it’s more break then bend..

Are you just ignoring the injuries for the better part of the 2nd half last year for much of these games? Did ISU not shut Iowa's RB down in the 2nd half? Did they not stop Cinci for the most part in the 2nd half yesterday?

What are your thoughts on the offense since it was not good? Throw out the scheme?

Do you think those things really change much with ISU's athletes playing a 4-3 or something?

Btw ISU is often in more of a 4 look when they bring an LB up, so it's not just a numbers thing.

 

[madguy30]

How about our play calling? Anyone think that was a factor in the loss? Runs up the middle against an All Conference run stuffer, short passes when we’ve been told their safety’s & CBs might be the weakest in the Big 12? Much of the time it seemed to me that the Manning playbook was in use!

Also puzzled why CINCY seemed to focus more on the pass vs the run in the 2nd half, which had gouged us badly in the first half. Yes, we finally adjusted and performed better against the run in the 2nd half, but their selection of pass vs run seemed much different. Was that first half the worst half of FB throughout the 10 years of CMC’s time at ISU—both coaching and players?

For starters the Arky State was just about a month ago so no...I'd say what's missing is that Cincy maybe is a pretty good team and was very sharp yesterday.

In two weeks CF has gone from 'we don't really know how good this ISU team is' to 'well there goes the undefeated season!' because they lost a game they weren't favored in.

 

[CascadeClone]

Guy sitting next to me at the bar.
"You're painfully slow on defense,"
followed by, "some of the poorest tackling I've ever seen."
Not sure how we remedy either, beyond massive paychecks.

Agree on the slow, biggest issue and theres no fix.

Tacklng was EXCELLENT vs Arizona. Thats not a system or talent thing, just lack of focus yesterday.

 

[CascadeClone]

Delete dupe post

 

[rosshm16]

Our tackling is really inconsistent (this year, and most recent teams), some games it looks super-solid and other games it's a game-long WTF.

As usual I don't watch enough of other teams to know if this is typical of NCAA major-conference quality.

 

[Cloned4Life]

I'm sorry for those of you that must have forgotten some perspective but Iowa State was one of the worst teams in all of college football during most of my lifetime. I looked it up today and in the 37 years of my life before hiring MC we won a total of 77 conference games which works out to barely more than 2 conference games won a year. I don't care if JH decides the best way to play is 1-5-5 defense he's going to get my support. I remember when the first half of yesterday's game was the norm not the anomaly. I saw on tv this year that since JH has been here we give up an average of 8.6 points a game in the second half.....I hate that we lost too but I'm not going to act like a cry baby because we might "only" win 9 games. Get some GD perspective.

LOL for the 10,000th - perspective is absolutely f*cking useless in the year 2025. The fact that some Cyclone fans love to find solidarity in the "HEY HEY HEY Mr. Terrible Fan tisk tisk - I am righteous and we shall never forget that we USED TO suck at football generations ago!" is fascinating to me.

No one is being a baby whining about 9-3. Fans are simply being fans in sharing frustration that many of the shortcomings yesterday felt self inflicted. Play calling and adjustments didn't feel as crisp as we normally see. Cinci got hot offensively in that first quarter but as the game wen on it was clear to see that - even with significant injuries - that's a game we should expect to win and a team we should expect to best. It's only their second win against an original conference team in 3 years. It's fine. Fans voicing frustration is fine. You'll be fine.

 

[madguy30]

LOL for the 10,000th - perspective is absolutely f*cking useless in the year 2025. The fact that some Cyclone fans love to find solidarity in the "HEY HEY HEY Mr. Terrible Fan tisk tisk - I am righteous and we shall never forget that we USED TO suck at football generations ago!" is fascinating to me.

No one is being a baby whining about 9-3. Fans are simply being fans in sharing frustration that many of the shortcomings yesterday felt self inflicted. Play calling and adjustments didn't feel as crisp as we normally see. Cinci got hot offensively in that first quarter but as the game wen on it was clear to see that - even with significant injuries - that's a game we should expect to win and a team we should expect to best. It's only their second win against an original conference team in 3 years. It's fine. Fans voicing frustration is fine. You'll be fine.

So using ISU's largely bad history for perspective is bad, but use previous seasons to downplay Cincy's team this specific season? In a game they were slightly favored in?

 

[CascadeClone]

Glass half full...
Theyre 5-1. Had a poor performance: penalties, bad tackling, Rocco off day, adjusting to loss of BOTH CBs, o. The road vs team w newfound confidence. You just cant wint them all.

Glass half empty...
If the defense could tackle at all in first half, or if the offense could have got their sh1t together at about any time, could have won even without their fastball vs a pretty decent team on the road. I can forgive the defense, i think. This game was lost by not scoring on about 3 or 4 pissed away possessions. Esp in 2nd half, the defense started getting stops and the offense just could not capitalize. That was what cost the game.

Woulda coulda shoulda. Theyre 5-1, and not dead yet. Beat the buffs, get kyle back, and then you have 2 huge home games that will decide what 2025 really is. Or isnt.

 

[CascadeClone]

Also, we need to talk abt special teams. They were atrocious yesterday.

The failed fair catch putting the ball at the one, short kickoffs with poor coverage leading to big returns that killed any momentum ISU got from scoring, not to mention great field position for Cincy. They have got to find some 5th string walk on who played soccer in junior high and teach him to kickoff so we can get touchbacks.
I am less worried abt Chase and FGs, i think they are ok with him inside maybe 35 or 40. He isnt a weapon but its not as dire as some think, i think.

Idk, maybe the poor coverage was just "bad day" like the tackling overall. But you have to win 2 of 3 phases of the game and this was first time in a while that i thought they got whipped on ST.

 

[BigLame]

This is what was baffling. Game before tackling was no issue. Did that AZ game drain us mentally for some reason? It was definitely chippy but we matched the intensity, if not surpassed it. Cincy's OL was doing great getting 2nd level on our defenders (so much so it hurt them 2nd half when they ran their RPO plays - refs made good calls to catch those)

The narrative being said just before the game was ISU was being disrespected as all they heard this week was how good Cincy had been playing & expected to win. Well, the 1st half it was evident & just too bad the hole dug was too deep to overcome. Winning on the road is damn tough against capable teams having QBs who are threats & this conference is loaded with them.

Agree on the slow, biggest issue and theres no fix.

Tacklng was EXCELLENT vs Arizona. Thats not a system or talent thing, just lack of focus yesterday.

 

[BigLame]

Also, we need to talk abt special teams. They were atrocious yesterday.

The failed fair catch putting the ball at the one, short kickoffs with poor coverage leading to big returns that killed any momentum ISU got from scoring, not to mention great field position for Cincy. They have got to find some 5th string walk on who played soccer in junior high and teach him to kickoff so we can get touchbacks.
I am less worried abt Chase and FGs, i think they are ok with him inside maybe 35 or 40. He isnt a weapon but its not as dire as some think, i think.

Idk, maybe the poor coverage was just "bad day" like the tackling overall. But you have to win 2 of 3 phases of the game and this was first time in a while that i thought they got whipped on ST.

Cincy did well setting up their returns & we didn't do enough to combat against their wall blocking. Maybe the less quality kicks lead to that happening, too?

 

[Dannynoonan]

We aren't in the NFL and we will never be a national championship contender. Let's be real. We don't have the athletes to run a 4-3, especially with the run and gun teams in the conference. We do lack pass rush at times but I think it's essential we have 5 on the back end. If we ditch the 3-3-5 we are going 4-2-5.

Deadeye- we need a big time “sugar daddy” in this era to be any type of threat to go to the CFP. I know most people don’t want to hear this and believe we can do it with small town Iowa kids, but it won’t work. Blum spoke about how important DL are to teams success and how Bama is my getting all of them now with NIL. Tech has an oil tycoon spend 60 mil this off season to buy guys.
Thank God for Sukup and all that family has done, but there needs to be another to help. Is Albaugh a cyclone booster? We need to load up on DL and LB’s and find a way to get NIL money. We are so much better than we used to be, but we aren’t as close to a CFP team as many think. We have great guys and an incredible staff (!) I just think small donations from fans isn’t enough to buy us a seat in the CFP- we need to some huge donations from some wealthy donors. Reward Matt (and staff) for his loyalty. Go Cyclones!