The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Kansas
By Ross
It wasn’t pretty but the Cyclones pulled out the win today against Kansas. The Cyclones were beating themselves for a majority of the game as they committed three turnovers but Zach Guyer made two key field goals to give ISU the win.
The Good
– I’ll start with Zach Guyer. For most of the year, Cyclone fans had to hold their breath on field goal attempts. Not anymore. Zach Guyer has been perfect for the last four games and was a big reason the Cyclones topped the Jayhawks. He made a 32-yarder before kicking the game winning points on a 42-yarder with 4:30 to go in the game.
– Jared Barnett had another big game running the ball. He led the team with 125 yards rushing on 22 carries. What really impresses me is his knack to find and get first downs with his legs.
– Iowa State only committed three penalties today. I’ll have to check but that has to be the lowest of the season. However, two of the penalties weren’t necessary, I’ll get to that below.
– Jarvis West could not be tackled on the first try today. West was juking and running around KU defenders all day. He is also so explosive and can put it into second gear in a second. I think West, who is only a freshman, will be a big playmaker for the Cyclones in the future.
– Jeff Woody had a great game today especially on the last drive. He rushed for a career-high 61 yards on only 9 attempts. When the Cyclones needed to get some first downs to run out the clock, they went to Woody and he got them.
– Today’s attendance: 51,475. That is the fifth game of the year that more than 50,000 people witnessed the game at Jack Trice.
– Albert Gary led the team today in receptions. Who? The sophomore WR came into the game with only 2 catches on the season but caught 5 today for 40 yards. Like West, I can’t wait to see how well he does in the future.
– The fake punt was a brilliant call by Paul Rhoads. Instead of punting into the wind on a 4th-and-5, he decided to fake it and it worked to perfection. Most of the KU defenders turned their backs and started running down to set up the blocks. I watched one particular defender who didn’t turn around until Van Der Kamp was already past the first down. Once again, amazing call by Paul Rhoads.
– The Clones now have a bye week before taking on Oklahoma State. It gives extra time for players to heal up for the primetime game against the Cowboys.
The Bad
– The Cyclones only committed three penalties today, so I can’t be mad about that. However, it should have only been one penalty on the day. Both Leonard Johnson and Ter’Ran Benton were called for unsportsmanlike penalties. Leonard Johnson was in somewhat of a tussle with a Jayhawk WR and then had some choice words for the referee for not calling a penalty on KU. Ter’Ran Benton had a hard hit and then followed it up with flexing which was enough for the referee to throw a flag. I know both players are pretty dang good (Ter’Ran Benton is one of my favorites) but both penalties weren’t needed.
– Senior WR, Darius Reynolds, mysteriously didn’t play today. Rhoads said that Reynolds “failed to live up to the standards of the football team.”
The Ugly
– Turnovers. ISU fumbled the ball twice and Barnett threw an interception. The turnovers kept the game close the entire day. The offense definitely should have scored more than 13 points but turnovers really stopped them. They cannot turn the ball over three times and expect to beat Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, or Kansas State.