Instant Reaction: Iowa State Cyclones defeat Tulsa Golden Hurricane 38-21

Sep 26, 2013; Tulsa, OK, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane Shawn Jackson (55) tackles Iowa State Cyclones running back Aaron Wimberly during the second of a NCAA college football game at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

After watching the Iowa State Cyclones show next to nothing offensively through the first two games of the season, it was a bit of a shock to see them cruise to a 17-point victory on the road against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Here are some quick observations right after the game:

• Breaking news: Tulsa is really bad. Not trying to discount what the Cyclones did on the field, but the Golden Hurricane are so young all over on defense it was a matter of time before they got worn down.
• I was simply impressed with Sam Richardson’s play on the field. Suffering injury, he battled back from a shaky start and his throws became more accurate as the game went on. The quick drive for a touchdown to tie the game up before halftime changed this entire game.
• With all this talk on the stable of running backs, it turns out the wild card was the answer. Aaron Wimberly got the nod as starter and answered the call with 19 carries for 137 yards.
• Finally, Jeff Woody comes out on goal-line situations and stuck it in the endzone three times! That should happen EVERY SINGLE TIME, I don’t care if there is no offensive line out there.
• Cody Green is awful, that was an embarrassing performance by him. Tulsa benched him twice, and that last chuck up in the air should probably be his last throw. Immaturity really shows when you’re a senior quarterback that talks trash during the coin flip and then runs to the locker room after playing terrible.
• Everybody needs to chill out on offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham.

Overall, the Cyclones really stepped it up tonight and all the fans should be impressed. Still, make sure to keep it in context — it was Tulsa, and they are worse than all of us thought. Andy Garman of KCCI said it right when calling this Iowa State’s “Western Michigan” game.

Even on the road, the environment was so quiet I’m sure the players could hear Petros Papadakis yapping from the booth.

Still, it’s a win that they’ll take, and now the excitement will build as the Texas Longhorns come in to Ames next Thursday.