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Despite 0-2 Big 12 start, ISU likes what it's seeing
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-10-13
Iowa State has lost its last two football games, but the Cyclones couldn’t be more encouraged.
At the midway point of the season, coach Paul Rhoads likes the progress he has seen out of the Cyclones (3-3, 0-2 Big 12), especially from the offense in the last two weeks.
And if the progress continues, Rhoads believes ISU could snap its 11-game conference losing streak, possibly as soon as Saturday against Baylor (3-2, 0-1)
“Our goal is and our expectations are to continue to improve as a football team, and we are doing that,” Rhoads said. “We are pleased with that. We are not pleased with losing.”
Just because Rhoads has said he’s judging this season on forward progress doesn’t mean he’s ignoring the win total.
He said nail-biting losses to No. 17 Kansas and Kansas State by a total of six points are dissatisfying and that the Cyclones can’t continue to let opportunities for victories slip away.
Rhoads believes ISU needs to improve a little bit in a lot of areas like pass coverage comprehension and offensive and defensive third-down conversion rates if the second half of the season is to be a success.
“The improvements have to be matched on game day, not just on the practice field,” Rhoads said. “But to get it done on the game field, we’ve talked about executing better and doing things well on the practice field.
“Doing them hard is OK, but when we go to scout team work, the offense and defense should dominate those scout teams, and we are not doing that well enough right now to put us where we need to be to finish games out,” Rhoads said.
Safety Michael O’Connell likes how the team is playing better than it did a year ago. But he knows the Cyclones won’t be able to win Big 12 games until the pass defense, which gave up 442 yards to Kansas last week, takes a step forward. He also said the Cyclones can’t settle for executing in short bursts, they must do it for a full game.
“As tough as the last two losses are, they came down to the wire,” O’Connell said. “There is a lot we can build on.”
That starts with the reemergence of the passing game.
Quarterback Austen Arnaud had his best game of the season against Kansas, throwing for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Arnaud called his performance a nice starting point as he believes the offense, like the rest of the team, hasn’t reached its full potential yet.
“It felt good to have a good day, but in the same sense, we could have had a better day,” Rhoads said. “It’s encouraging that this offense had over 500 yards on Saturday, but there were still yards left on the field.”
And he believes that will be the case until the close losses turn into big wins.
“Our goals are still in front of us — getting better, then along with that comes wins and bowl games,” Arnaud said. “We have half the season left and three wins. I wish we could be in a better position, but we are what we are, and we have a chance to be better.”
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929 or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-10-13
Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said he's encouraged by the Cyclones' improvement. "We are pleased with that," Rhoads said. "We are not pleased with losing."
Tribune file photo
Tribune file photo
Iowa State has lost its last two football games, but the Cyclones couldn’t be more encouraged.
At the midway point of the season, coach Paul Rhoads likes the progress he has seen out of the Cyclones (3-3, 0-2 Big 12), especially from the offense in the last two weeks.
And if the progress continues, Rhoads believes ISU could snap its 11-game conference losing streak, possibly as soon as Saturday against Baylor (3-2, 0-1)
“Our goal is and our expectations are to continue to improve as a football team, and we are doing that,” Rhoads said. “We are pleased with that. We are not pleased with losing.”
Just because Rhoads has said he’s judging this season on forward progress doesn’t mean he’s ignoring the win total.
He said nail-biting losses to No. 17 Kansas and Kansas State by a total of six points are dissatisfying and that the Cyclones can’t continue to let opportunities for victories slip away.
Rhoads believes ISU needs to improve a little bit in a lot of areas like pass coverage comprehension and offensive and defensive third-down conversion rates if the second half of the season is to be a success.
“The improvements have to be matched on game day, not just on the practice field,” Rhoads said. “But to get it done on the game field, we’ve talked about executing better and doing things well on the practice field.
“Doing them hard is OK, but when we go to scout team work, the offense and defense should dominate those scout teams, and we are not doing that well enough right now to put us where we need to be to finish games out,” Rhoads said.
Safety Michael O’Connell likes how the team is playing better than it did a year ago. But he knows the Cyclones won’t be able to win Big 12 games until the pass defense, which gave up 442 yards to Kansas last week, takes a step forward. He also said the Cyclones can’t settle for executing in short bursts, they must do it for a full game.
“As tough as the last two losses are, they came down to the wire,” O’Connell said. “There is a lot we can build on.”
That starts with the reemergence of the passing game.
Quarterback Austen Arnaud had his best game of the season against Kansas, throwing for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Arnaud called his performance a nice starting point as he believes the offense, like the rest of the team, hasn’t reached its full potential yet.
“It felt good to have a good day, but in the same sense, we could have had a better day,” Rhoads said. “It’s encouraging that this offense had over 500 yards on Saturday, but there were still yards left on the field.”
And he believes that will be the case until the close losses turn into big wins.
“Our goals are still in front of us — getting better, then along with that comes wins and bowl games,” Arnaud said. “We have half the season left and three wins. I wish we could be in a better position, but we are what we are, and we have a chance to be better.”
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929 or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
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