Nearly 4,000 miles from the house, n ° 22, the state of the Iowa continued its quarter worlds from the remoteness of the history also of the program.
Nothing better reflected the change of attitude in the victory of the 24-21 cyclones against Kansas State n ° 17 on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, that Rocco Becht demanding to strike one more score on final possession.
“The quarter-Arrière shouts against me because he wants to score at the end of the match,” Iowa state coach Matt Campbell told journalists at post-match press conference. “”[Taking a knee at the 1-yard line] is situational football at its best. … [But] I just said to all these guys: “You shouted on me at the end of the game to mark a touch. I think that [mentality] Did you get the victory, right? »»
RIGHT. It was not always, or even often, the most well executed football. The two teams crossed a sloppy first half, tied 7-7 at the intermission, very much resembling new lists that have traveled an ocean for their generally regional match.
And when Campbell asked Becht to kneel on the line of 1 yards rather than scoring in decreasing moments, it is completely plausible that the coach wanted to avoid a repetition of the first trimester of Abu Sama III.
With the second goal in Kansas State 1, Sama lost possession of the second turnover of Iowa State of the match. The unsuccessful possession was wasted a main opportunity that was set up when the special cyclones of the cyclones forced their own line to take on the 8 yards line of the Wildcats, starting with the Dylan Edwards muff of an initial bootye on a game that has fully run the running back for the day.
Even once Iowa State ride in the second half, cyclones have always finished with only 2.8 yards per race. Campbell stressed that the average was injured by the plated at the start of the game for the loss, but it is a problem of another kind. Becht launched for a pair of affected to go with a precipitation score, but only succeeded 14 out of 28.
But winning in circumstances that were not exactly perfectly encapsulated how the state of Iowa has transformed in recent years.
Before the arrival of Campbell in 2016, the cyclone teams won nine games in one season twice. One of these two campaigns took place in 1906, the first season with a legalized front pass.
The 2024 cyclones have established program records with 10 and 11 victories, exceeding the reference. The Iowa 2020 state team reached 9-3 with a Fiesta Bowl victory. However, it was team 7-6 2023 that Campbell referenced in Ireland by reflecting on the ability of his team to win tight matches.
“If this group of guys [in 2023] I did not believe in [the coaching staff’s mission]”Said Campbell:” My boy, it could really go in the other direction quickly. »»
Two years ago, Iowa State opened 1-3 with heartbreaking losses of 20-13 against its Iowa rival and 10-7 to the opponent of the Ohio mid-American conference. Adding an eruption of 50-20 to Oklahoma, the cyclones faced a second consecutive loss record after an unprecedented six of a row, ending on the right side of .500.
The 4-8 arrival 4-8 of the Iowa State in 2022 cooled Campbell as a hot name in the annual training carousel of empty specification; A similar season in 2023 could also cool the fans of cyclones and the brass on the coach.
Given the lack of historical success of the state of the Iowa, the time of such a slowdown following restructured transfer rules and zero possibilities for players could also have indicated that cyclones were unable to compete with the new landscape.
But since this point a month after the 2023 season, the Iowa State has now 18-6 after Saturday’s victory with an appearance of a Big 12 championship match. Despite the loss of a multitude of talents from the 2024 team, especially in the wide receiver, the 2025 cyclones have offered indicators they have recharged.
The Touch of 23 yards of Dominic Overby and the score of 24 yards of Brett Eskiidsen will only forget the receivers of 1110 yoke Jaylon Jackson and Jayden Higgins, but these differences against a top 20 opponent are not a bad start.
And if there is something that this version of Iowa State Football has shown both on Saturday in Ireland and since the start of 1-3 two years ago, cyclones are able to finish better than they start.
