The Cyclones were in the position I thought they would be with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter. JJ Bass had just scored from one yard out and Iowa State led Toledo 35-24. It was going to take a major collapse for the Clones to lose this game…and then the collapse happened.
Iowa State dominated Toledo in the statistical categories.
First Downs: Iowa State 22 Toledo 14
Rushing Yards: Iowa State 146 Toledo 98
Passing Yards: Iowa State 251 Toledo 199
3rd Down Conversions: Iowa State 10-19 Toledo 4-12
However, Toledo won the only important battle…scoreboard.
The Cyclones continue to beat themselves. On the kickoff return for a touchdown, that had all the makings of a 5 yard return, the Cyclones somehow managed to miss what seemed like 10 tackles. On the botched punt the Cyclones hand-wrapped the football, placed it in their own end zone and watched as the Rockets opened up their gift. I am not sure what happened on the blocked field goal, once it was blocked, I couldn’t watch it again.
The good news is that the Cyclones continue to get better, the bad news is that the preseason is over. The mistakes can no longer be tolerated. The Big 12 conference season opens up next week at Nebraska. The Cyclones are talented enough to go on the road and beat the Cornhuskers in Lincoln. The question is…Can they get out of their own way?
