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Arnaud has high expectations for season
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-08-20
It’s a good thing Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud has broad shoulders.
Because this fall he’s putting the offense on his back.
Arnaud believes how many points the Cyclones score depends on how many times he does something he shouldn’t.
“The biggest thing for me is not taking key sacks and not turning the ball over,” Arnaud said. “We win games if I do that.”
That’s a lot of pressure to put on himself, but Arnaud thinks, as a captain with a year of starting experience under his belt, that he can handle it.
And more importantly, it must happen if the offense is to succeed. So Arnaud has no other choice.
“We tell them all the time, if you don’t take sacks and throw interceptions, you are going to win football games,” offensive coordinator Tom Herman said. “We have to manage the game better.”
Arnaud and Herman’s thinking falls in line with coach Paul Rhoads’ mantra that the best way to win a football game is not to lose it.
For the offense, that means protecting the football, moving the chains on third down and finding a way to score
Herman said Arnaud is nearly flawless with his decisions in practice. It’s when the Cyclones scrimmage that problems can pop up, especially when he is under pressure.
That’s what happened in last Saturday’s closed scrimmage. But in the second closed scrimmage on Tuesday, Arnaud looked like a different quarterback.
“His decision making under duress has gotten better,” Herman said. “The old Austen kind of reared his ugly head a little bit on Saturday, and (Tuesday) we got a lot better.”
Herman said it’s different for a quarterback to engineer a 13-play drive in a scrimmage compared to running four plays in practice and then letting the second unit have a go at it. He said it can be more taxing in the scrimmage, both mentally and physically, for a quarterback and that Arnaud has to keep working at it.
“Every time we can put him and this offense in scrimmage situations, that part of it will continue to improve,” Herman said.
With a smile on his face, Arnaud called this the toughest camp he’s gone through in his four seasons at ISU.
He seems happy about it because he thinks by the end of camp, he’ll be ready for his heavy duty lifting.
“We are definitely working through it, and I think we are getting better at this camp,” Arnaud said.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-08-20
It’s a good thing Iowa State quarterback Austen Arnaud has broad shoulders.
Because this fall he’s putting the offense on his back.
Arnaud believes how many points the Cyclones score depends on how many times he does something he shouldn’t.
“The biggest thing for me is not taking key sacks and not turning the ball over,” Arnaud said. “We win games if I do that.”
That’s a lot of pressure to put on himself, but Arnaud thinks, as a captain with a year of starting experience under his belt, that he can handle it.
And more importantly, it must happen if the offense is to succeed. So Arnaud has no other choice.
“We tell them all the time, if you don’t take sacks and throw interceptions, you are going to win football games,” offensive coordinator Tom Herman said. “We have to manage the game better.”
Arnaud and Herman’s thinking falls in line with coach Paul Rhoads’ mantra that the best way to win a football game is not to lose it.
For the offense, that means protecting the football, moving the chains on third down and finding a way to score
Herman said Arnaud is nearly flawless with his decisions in practice. It’s when the Cyclones scrimmage that problems can pop up, especially when he is under pressure.
That’s what happened in last Saturday’s closed scrimmage. But in the second closed scrimmage on Tuesday, Arnaud looked like a different quarterback.
“His decision making under duress has gotten better,” Herman said. “The old Austen kind of reared his ugly head a little bit on Saturday, and (Tuesday) we got a lot better.”
Herman said it’s different for a quarterback to engineer a 13-play drive in a scrimmage compared to running four plays in practice and then letting the second unit have a go at it. He said it can be more taxing in the scrimmage, both mentally and physically, for a quarterback and that Arnaud has to keep working at it.
“Every time we can put him and this offense in scrimmage situations, that part of it will continue to improve,” Herman said.
With a smile on his face, Arnaud called this the toughest camp he’s gone through in his four seasons at ISU.
He seems happy about it because he thinks by the end of camp, he’ll be ready for his heavy duty lifting.
“We are definitely working through it, and I think we are getting better at this camp,” Arnaud said.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
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