Oklahoma vs Iowa State football: Five takeaways from loss to Sooners
By Brian Spaen
Iowa State suffered their worst loss of the season against Oklahoma. We look at the realistic odds of the Cyclones making a bowl game, the terrible defense, and how the offense apparently forgot how to catch as we evaluate the 59-14 beatdown at the hands of the Sooners.
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1. Iowa State will miss another bowl game this season.
Mathematically, the Cyclones still have a chance, but the writing is on the wall. There’s still West Virginia and TCU left on the schedule, and after watching those two teams play an excellent battle after ISU getting beat down by Oklahoma, at this point it’s highly doubtful the Cyclones can pick up a win against both of those teams.
2. There’s still a chance to redeem pride this season.
Iowa State is clearly in the bottom of the Big 12 with a group that consists of Kansas and Texas Tech. The good news? Those are the two teams the Cyclones face next. You saw what happened with momentum. After beating Toledo, Iowa State had all kinds of chances to defeat Texas a week later. If they can get that momentum back against the conference’s worst, they could finish with a higher win total than last season.
3. Iowa State’s defense is back to being horrible.
Nov 1, 2014; Ames, IA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Michiah Quick (16) stretches for extra yardage against the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Giving up 751 yards in one game, especially over 500 rushing yards, is incredibly embarrassing even if a team had to spend 60 full minutes on the field. The absence of Nigel Tribune and losing Jevohn Miller early in the game, the team’s leading tackler, clearly were two shots the defensive unit couldn’t handle. Oklahoma looked as great as they have all season offensively.
4. The offense may have to abandon the up-tempo offense.
I know Iowa State wants to have an fast offense, but it’s simply too inconsistent to keep going at the pace they work at. By not using the play clock, the Cyclones extend the game. That means their defense is out on the field longer, and guess what happened? They gave up over 700 yards. To save their depleted defense that is playing extremely bad right now, they have to shorten the game. Use the play clock. Run Sam B. Richardson more. Have more screen plays if the running game can’t get going — and it probably won’t.
5. Somebody needs to teach Iowa State how to catch a football.
We’ve seen the Cyclones have their fair share of dropped passes over the years, and it was at an all-time worst on Saturday. Allen Lazard showed up, but the ball was dropped by multiple receivers early in the contest. Richardson didn’t throw that well, but when the team can’t reel in the on-target throws, it made his day look a lot worse. That all was part of the equation in Oklahoma’s 21-0 early jaunt. Iowa State had no chance to win the game thanks to receivers that looked more like high school kids in a gym class playing football than actual college athletes.