Utah is just a tremendous team that has way more talent across the board. That is obvious.
My chief complaint is with the idiot that scheduled the game in the first place. Talk about what playing a Kent State would do for you versus this prior to the heart of the conference run. Whoever scheduled the game should be tarred and feathered.
To answer your question:
Another person watching Saturday's game from afar will be Bruce Van De Velde, Iowa State's athletic director in 2001, when the game was scheduled.
"At that time, Utah was not nearly the power that it is now," said Van De Velde, the athletic director at Louisiana Tech. "It was a quality program, but middle-of-the-road back then. They were a good opponent we thought we could compete with."
The Utes compiled a 4-7 record under coach Ron McBride in 2000. They became a national power after Meyer took over in 2003.
"It shows you how things can change," Van De Velde said. "I've seen Iowa State play on TV. They'll do fine. They'll be competitive."
The Utes became the talk of college football during the 2008 season that ended with a stunning 31-17 upset of fourth-ranked Alabama in the BCS Sugar Bowl.
At 13-0, Utah was college football's only unbeaten, yet finished No. 2 behind 13-1 Florida on the final Associated Press poll and fourth on the final USA Today coaches' poll.
"We've started to get more recognition after that game," said Schlauderaff, who started in the Sugar Bowl. "More people know what Utah football's all about."
Source:
ISU Football: Grandmother is Cyclone royalty, grandson is a Utah lineman | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register
