AMES – Winning had been the constant for Iowa State football this season. Until last weekend, of course, when the Cyclones suffered their first defeat of the season as they fell woefully out of character both in the result and the process.
Lost the turnover battle. Committed penalties. Shaky on special teams. Failed in situational football.
So not only did the Cyclones lose the game, they lost their identity against Texas Tech.
But even amid that defeat, another constant remains for the Cyclones, one which appeared through those first seven victories and was not extinguished in that first loss.
Resiliency.
Even as the momentum repeatedly swung against them while playing the Red Raiders, Iowa State never seemed to flinch. They failed to execute, sure, but it wasn’t because they had shrunk from the moment.
No, the Cyclones still stood up in the face of adversity during their 60 minutes on the field.
But is that resiliency the same sort that will need to be called upon to deal with the loss column growing for the first time this season?
“I think they’re different,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said.
I think Campbell’s right. Bouncing back from throwing an interception or getting back on the horse after surrendering a touchdown is a different kind of deal than stewing on a loss for a week or expelling the doubt that can creep in when the likelihood of your goals takes on water.
It’s that doubt that might be the most insidious.
Are we as good as we thought? Was our schedule soft? What if we already peaked?
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If any of those questions permeate the Iowa State locker room, there will be trouble.
If, though, there is mature self-reflection and correction? That’s the ticket to getting back on course Saturday against Kansas (2:30 p.m.; FS1).
“You’re going to come into those blips,” Campbell said. “You’re going to have a setback. If you’re humble enough to understand the setback and then courageous enough to make the response that needs to be responded … then you have a chance to have great success.”
The Cyclones have had little problem responding within those 60 minutes and between those white lines. When trouble has struck, the Cyclones have hit back. Even in dire situations, there has been no panic.
Will that be the case in the Bergstrom Football Complex, too? Is that the response in classrooms and on Welch Ave. when the inevitable chorus of, ‘What happened Saturday?’ comes for these players?
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“At the end of the day, you have to understand why the game didn’t get won and how we have to strain to make those corrections,” Campbell said. “We’re going to find out. Can one loss not lead to two?
“You’ve got to be ready to play and learn and grow, but what an opportunity for us to showcase are we who we would like to be and certainly the team we believe we have the ability to become.”
If the Cyclones can replicate the resiliency off the field that they’ve shown time and again on it, the chance for a special and historic remains very much a possibility.
If they don’t, it joins the lengthy list of ‘What ifs?’ for a program that needs no more additions in that category.
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Time, TV, line: 2:30 p.m.; FS1; Iowa State favored by 3 points
Where Kansas has the edge: The Jayhawks have the Big 12’s second-best running game, led by Devin Neal, who already has gone for over 750 yards and averages nearly 6 yards per carry this season. The Cyclones, meanwhile, are ranked 13th in the Big 12 against the run and have given up huge days to running backs in recent weeks. Plus, if KU quarterback Jalon Daniels can use his legs some, that’s been an issue for the Cyclones.Where Iowa State has the edge: Outside of its running attack, Kansas has been mediocre pretty much across the board in what has been a hugely disappointing 2024 campaign. The Cyclones should have advantages pretty much everywhere other than in its run defense this week in Arrowhead.
Prediction: Iowa State 24, Kansas 17: I’d expect a healthy contingent of Iowa State fans making the trek down Interstate 35 this weekend to give the Cyclones a lift and put them back in the win column after last week’s first defeat of the season.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
