I figured you guys would enjoy this one, if it hasn't been posted yet:
Cyclones to regroup with eye on rising | GazetteOnline.com - Cedar Rapids, Iowa City
November 20. 2007 11:35PM
Cyclones to regroup with eye on rising
By Eric Peterson
For The Gazette
AMES - Iowa State football players and coaches exited the locker room Saturday night at Kansas' Memorial Stadium and took a collective breath.
Season over.
Now starts the look ahead to a Cyclone team that won't wait long before getting to work on 2008. At 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 Conference play, Gene Chizik's first season as head coach had some shining moments, just not enough of them.
``We got two quality Big 12 wins and beat Iowa,'' Chizik said. ``Obviously three (victories) is not the goal. We are going to really review the season hard. I'm going to start with the coaches and we are going to figure out how to get these
guys to play better.''
Players and coaches will spend the next week-and-a-half away from the Jacobson Athletic Building. When they return, the groundwork will be laid for a Cyclone team that wants to once again become a factor in the North Division race.
How will that happen?
``I'm pretty sure (coaches) have got an idea of what needs to be done,'' offensive tackle Doug Dedrick said. ``It's going to be an interesting offseason.''
It'll be the first in a long while without four-year starters Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe, who leave ISU with all kinds of school records and high places in the Big 12 annals.
Austen Arnaud is the likely successor at quarterback. The sophomore-to-be got some valuable playing time this season, but will be asked to pull the Cyclones out of the offensive cellar. They finished the year with the league's lowest scoring
(18.2 ppg) and least potent (326.9 ypg) offense.
Arnaud has five starters on the offensive line, all three tailbacks and most of his receivers returning next season.
``A lot of these guys are going to be back, so it's going to be good,'' Arnaud said. ``We needed to find an identity as an offense and I think we have.''
ISU opened the Big 12 season with five straight losses, then won back-to-back games over Kansas State and Colorado before last Saturday's 45-7 loss to No. 2 Kansas.
The Jayhawks exposed many of ISU's flaws: team speed, tackling and a lack of playmakers on offense. Tailback Alexander Robinson was stuffed against KU's tough defense, but the red-shirt freshman ran for 502 yards and six touchdowns over the
final four games of the season.
He was the surprise starter in the season opener, then took over for juniors J.J. Bass and Jason Scales as ISU's primary ballcarrier after a breakout game at
Missouri.
``I've adjusted to the speed of the game,'' Robinson said. ``You learn a lot from watching veterans play. You try to pick up little things in the way they run or the way they block.''
The late-season surge was a shot in the arm for recruiting. More than a dozen players so far have verbally committed to play at ISU. National signing day is Feb. 6.
``The guys who have already told us this is where they want to come really feel good about seeing where the improvement is,'' Chizik said.
Starting spots will be open for competition over the next eight months. ISU can stand to upgrade in several spots, some of which will be addressed with the upcoming recruiting class.
``I see a lot of things,'' Chizik said. ``I see a very average element of speed on defense right now that we have to upgrade. Every recruiting class has to be better than the one before. If we aren't doing that we are going backwards.''
There are pieces to build for the future.
Receiver Marquis Hamilton established himself as a star in the making. True freshman receiver/quarterback Phillip Bates was not used very much, but has a bright future somewhere on offense.
Strong safety James Smith had an encouraging season after sitting out 2006 with injury. Former walk-on middle linebacker Jesse Smith and injury-prone defensive end Kurtis Taylor will be the leaders on defense next year.
``We have the guys,'' Blythe said. ``It's a matter of everybody buying into the system. Another year with these coaches and another year in the system is going to do nothing but great things for these guys. I don't think a season like this is going to happen again for a while.''
Cyclones to regroup with eye on rising | GazetteOnline.com - Cedar Rapids, Iowa City
November 20. 2007 11:35PM
Cyclones to regroup with eye on rising
By Eric Peterson
For The Gazette
AMES - Iowa State football players and coaches exited the locker room Saturday night at Kansas' Memorial Stadium and took a collective breath.
Season over.
Now starts the look ahead to a Cyclone team that won't wait long before getting to work on 2008. At 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Big 12 Conference play, Gene Chizik's first season as head coach had some shining moments, just not enough of them.
``We got two quality Big 12 wins and beat Iowa,'' Chizik said. ``Obviously three (victories) is not the goal. We are going to really review the season hard. I'm going to start with the coaches and we are going to figure out how to get these
guys to play better.''
Players and coaches will spend the next week-and-a-half away from the Jacobson Athletic Building. When they return, the groundwork will be laid for a Cyclone team that wants to once again become a factor in the North Division race.
How will that happen?
``I'm pretty sure (coaches) have got an idea of what needs to be done,'' offensive tackle Doug Dedrick said. ``It's going to be an interesting offseason.''
It'll be the first in a long while without four-year starters Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe, who leave ISU with all kinds of school records and high places in the Big 12 annals.
Austen Arnaud is the likely successor at quarterback. The sophomore-to-be got some valuable playing time this season, but will be asked to pull the Cyclones out of the offensive cellar. They finished the year with the league's lowest scoring
(18.2 ppg) and least potent (326.9 ypg) offense.
Arnaud has five starters on the offensive line, all three tailbacks and most of his receivers returning next season.
``A lot of these guys are going to be back, so it's going to be good,'' Arnaud said. ``We needed to find an identity as an offense and I think we have.''
ISU opened the Big 12 season with five straight losses, then won back-to-back games over Kansas State and Colorado before last Saturday's 45-7 loss to No. 2 Kansas.
The Jayhawks exposed many of ISU's flaws: team speed, tackling and a lack of playmakers on offense. Tailback Alexander Robinson was stuffed against KU's tough defense, but the red-shirt freshman ran for 502 yards and six touchdowns over the
final four games of the season.
He was the surprise starter in the season opener, then took over for juniors J.J. Bass and Jason Scales as ISU's primary ballcarrier after a breakout game at
Missouri.
``I've adjusted to the speed of the game,'' Robinson said. ``You learn a lot from watching veterans play. You try to pick up little things in the way they run or the way they block.''
The late-season surge was a shot in the arm for recruiting. More than a dozen players so far have verbally committed to play at ISU. National signing day is Feb. 6.
``The guys who have already told us this is where they want to come really feel good about seeing where the improvement is,'' Chizik said.
Starting spots will be open for competition over the next eight months. ISU can stand to upgrade in several spots, some of which will be addressed with the upcoming recruiting class.
``I see a lot of things,'' Chizik said. ``I see a very average element of speed on defense right now that we have to upgrade. Every recruiting class has to be better than the one before. If we aren't doing that we are going backwards.''
There are pieces to build for the future.
Receiver Marquis Hamilton established himself as a star in the making. True freshman receiver/quarterback Phillip Bates was not used very much, but has a bright future somewhere on offense.
Strong safety James Smith had an encouraging season after sitting out 2006 with injury. Former walk-on middle linebacker Jesse Smith and injury-prone defensive end Kurtis Taylor will be the leaders on defense next year.
``We have the guys,'' Blythe said. ``It's a matter of everybody buying into the system. Another year with these coaches and another year in the system is going to do nothing but great things for these guys. I don't think a season like this is going to happen again for a while.''
