We ran the option every time we were inside the 5-yard line, assuming it wasn't 4th down. Ok ... not every time. There would be that one time each season we passed to (fill in the blank).
The Dan McCarney Method
- Thread starter bos
- Start date
We ran the option every time we were inside the 5-yard line, assuming it wasn't 4th down. Ok ... not every time. There would be that one time each season we passed to (fill in the blank).
I agree with alot of you in saying it was the right move to fire DMac, but in all honesty we haven't seen the type of excitement that we had during his tenure since. I know alot of you will say that CPR and the Neb/Tex wins could equal some of the excitement of DMac's. But TD's and SW's run at the Heisman, multiple bowl games, our chances at winning the north, and beating Iowa 6 straight trump anything CPR has done. I won't even include GC. Now I do think that we are headed for bigger and better things with CPR, but I've never understood the Dmac haters on this board. Dmac is a very well respected coach being on some very good staffs and Iowa, Wisconsin, USF, Florida, and many have respect for what he did at ISU except most Cyclone fans???
Because they just sit and go, "heck of a job taking Iowa State to bowl games. Job well done." Cyclone fans see the talent some of those teams had and wonder how he could've messed it up so bad (cough 2005 cough).
I think you're being a little hyperbolic. I think almost all Cyclone fans respect what DMac did for ISU & respect him as an ambassador for the football program. But you're comparing what DMac did in 12 seasons to what CPR has done in two seasons. Compare what DMac had done in two seasons compared to what CPR has done in two. Hell, I'll even give DMac five seasons, considering the flaming wreck that ISU football had become by the time he took over. DMac had five conference wins in his first five seasons. CPR has six conference wins in his first two.
That team should have won the north but undefeated would have been a tall order for a team that struggled to run the ball on Army. Part of that was coaching but an iffy OL will catch up with you eventually. You guys narrowly lost to us, KU, and NU in games that could have gone either way but beat CU off 2 long defensive scores providing the difference. A conventional offense team that struggles to run the ball will not be expected to win all the close ones against strong defensive teams which all 3 losses were that year.
I think undefeated in your regular season, although possible, doesn't seem realistic and even if it had happened it would have met the 2005 Texas buzzsaw. I think 2005 ISU had strong talent at WR with Blythe and on defense to go with a smart & physical RB that could not break away in the open field. QB Meyer was good but not future NFL caliber although he offered good running ability and a strong arm. TE was pretty average. The defense was where the talent was on that team. Berryman, Dobbins, Curvey, Jackson, and hicks were a strong nucleus but the OL was the weak point and it caught up to both our schools that year.
Last edited:
If you'd watched every down of the KU and NU games that season you would agree that ISU absolutely should have won those games; NU in OT and KU in regulation (should've never gotten to OT).
As for the UT buzzsaw, so what? We'd have gone to a legit bowl anyway and would've shown up bigtime at the CCG. We would've been the happiest fans you ever saw take a beating.
I was around for both Criner and Walden and I think Walden was a better coach than DMac. He was a goofball, but he took chances left and right and somehow found a way to be competitive with no support whatsoever from the administration. He did get spanked by Iowa, but he was also competitive with them a few years. I remember a 10-7 loss and a 45-35 loss. They weren't all 50-7 blowouts.
Walden was a risk taker and I'd take that any day over the conservative crap DMac made us watch.
DMac - Good guy, subpar coach
Walden - Weird guy, ok coach
Walden was a risk taker and I'd take that any day over the conservative crap DMac made us watch.
DMac - Good guy, subpar coach
Walden - Weird guy, ok coach
He did some great things. He did some atrocious things. 2005? Baylor game comes to mind.
One of the most painful games I have ever witnessed at JTS. It is still hard to understand how we lost that game.
The people who will still defend Dmac or will act like everyone else is taking shots at him are the ones happy with just making bowls and don't have higher goals in mind. I, for one, would like to witness us in a BCS bowl sometime or see us at least in contention for a conference title before I die. It wasn't going to happen with him.
Agree on the KU game. However NU I think would be very close to 50/50 if you played it 10 times due to their similar team overall and better passer and offensive speed for NU offset by Blythe & Meyer making strong individual efforts running it and making circus catches. Both teams struggled to run, both had strong DL leading tough defenses, but I really feel Cory Ross would be able to break more explosive plays than Coleman and Zac Taylor would be more accurate than Bret as he led a WCO and Bret was in a running based system with the run effectively shut down. I do think Blythe was better than anyone they had at WR. I figure that both DL should beat the other OL and it would come down to the pass game and who could make explosive plays. One team was built to pass and the other ran all day. Cory Ross was the difference and if its a 7 game series I'd pick NU in 7.
Ross didn't hurt ISU running the football as much as he did with catching screen passes that game. Seems like the Fuskers burned us on little screen passes to Ross over the middle all day long. He had 32 rushing yards that game. He had 8 catches for 131 yards and 2 TD's however. If ISU would have made an adjustment for that screen play the game was over and ISU would have won that game without question.
We should have won the Nebraska. In OT we scored first. On the ensuing possession for Nebraska, an errant pass hit our DT right in the hands and he dropped it. It would not have been an amazing catch, it hit him right. in. the. hands.
Now I don't want to bag on the guy because an all-time great Cyclone, and we miss him dearly, but the game should have been over then and there.
I doubt you would have seen our game with guys (don't think there was any TV), but when we were up 13-10, we were going in to make it 20-10. Our RB fumbled, but all the angles showed the ball had clearly broken the plane, yet it was allowed to stand and Baylor kept the ball.
Regarding the Texas butt whooping: so ******* what? We would have been 11-1 and probably in a BCS at-large berth with Texas in the National Championship. Worst case scenario would have been Cotton Bowl.
With Colorado and Nebraska gone, I hope we have a better chance to get some more of the better players from the state of Texas. While I was glad to see DMac get a good position, I hope his use of old ISU connections won't take any guys that we could get otherwise.
I don't think that anyone who talks about the good and bad with DM is a 'hater'.
Fans who say that Dan took ISU to heights they had never seen before obviously never saw the Earle Bruce teams of the mid 70's. They could play with anyone in the country.
Fans who say that Dan took ISU to heights they had never seen before obviously never saw the Earle Bruce teams of the mid 70's. They could play with anyone in the country.
A combination of terrible play calling (defensively especially)/coaching, and one absolutely horrible call by the refs. Our guys looked heartless and Baylor was inspired, particularly in the 1st and 4th quarters.
I think its needs to be reiterated that Earle Bruce was 5-17 vs top 20 opponents, and Chizik went 5-19 vs everyone.
I agree with the assessment - especially the boldfaced portion. As we Clone fans bemoan what could've been, I still contend that if we could have ponied up the bucks to keep Steve Loney as our OL coach (still not sure that would have kept him from going to the Vikings) - Big 12 North Championships should have been in the bag. I believe it was Steve Deace that recalled talking to both Loney and then later Marty Fine on the loss of key all-big 12 OL performers and the outlook for the following season. Here is the gist of their responses - Loney: "As long as I am OL coach we will always have a good line!"; M. Fine - "I wouldn't want my son back their as our quarterback." --- That, right there, is the issue. DMac was a great motivator, but needed competent assistants in a major way. Can you imagine if we had been able to keep Elliott, Loney and Rhoads on staff for a few more years during the early/mid 2000 years. Imagine Seneca behind a Loney-coached OL.
I will say this about Dmac... you guys are right, he can bring in talent.
In this past class we have now brought in 6-3* and a transfer of a 4* freshman OL from Ark. That is an absolute amazing haul considering the teams overall record and not taking over until Dec..
I still hope to see UNT and ISU meet in a game... Would be worthwhile just to make the trip to tailga
In this past class we have now brought in 6-3* and a transfer of a 4* freshman OL from Ark. That is an absolute amazing haul considering the teams overall record and not taking over until Dec..
I still hope to see UNT and ISU meet in a game... Would be worthwhile just to make the trip to tailga
It is still incredible that people are still trying to rewrite the Dan McCarney era.
He was a great interview, and he was a great face of the athletic department (in his later years, definitely not at first). But his greatest strength was as a self promoter.
The fact is that Iowa State kept him employed much much much longer than almost any school in the country. He tried to leave, and was not considered for jobs that he wanted. His mentor (Alvarez) did not even consider him for the Wisconsin job, instead hiring an unproven coach in his early 30's.
I mean all you need to know was written by a poster in this thread....He wasn't a very good coach, but he's the only one that could have done what he did here....
Do people actually think this way? So what would have happened if we would have hired an actual good coach?
This is the mentality that gets mocked by other fanbases. These very same people angry when that mentality is projected on us by a hawk fan, or a media person. Yet they live it on here. It was the same way with chewey....
Come on people.
He was a great interview, and he was a great face of the athletic department (in his later years, definitely not at first). But his greatest strength was as a self promoter.
The fact is that Iowa State kept him employed much much much longer than almost any school in the country. He tried to leave, and was not considered for jobs that he wanted. His mentor (Alvarez) did not even consider him for the Wisconsin job, instead hiring an unproven coach in his early 30's.
I mean all you need to know was written by a poster in this thread....He wasn't a very good coach, but he's the only one that could have done what he did here....
Do people actually think this way? So what would have happened if we would have hired an actual good coach?
This is the mentality that gets mocked by other fanbases. These very same people angry when that mentality is projected on us by a hawk fan, or a media person. Yet they live it on here. It was the same way with chewey....
Come on people.
