This fan got all dressed up for Iowa State
Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Army Black Nights at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, IA and GoIowaState.com was there to catch all the game action. Check out all the Iowa State photos, Army photos, cheerleaders, fans, players, coaches, band members, jumpmasters, hall of fame inductees and more.
Jerrod Johnson is off to a sizzling start for the Texas A&M Aggies
Nebraska moves from 5th to 3rd this week and is the big mover of the week. My gut just tells me they are better than Kansas and Missouri.
Texas Tech drops two more spots to 8th, but I could see them climbing back up the rankings by the end of the year.
One Big 12 matchup (Iowa State vs Kansas State) this weekend, should be a close battle between two even teams.
1. Texas (4-0) – (Texas 64 UTEP 7) – If you think the score was bad, look at the total yards 639 to 53
2. Oklahoma (2-1) – (idle) – Sam Bradford looks to make his return this week as the Sooners travel to Miami, Florida
3. Nebraska (3-1) – (Nebraska 55 Louisiana Lafayette 0) – Nebraska had two defensive scores and pitched a shutout
4. Kansas (4-0) – (Kansas 35 Southern Mississippi 28) – Kansas beats a good Southern Miss team despite off the field fighting with the bball team
5. Missouri (4-0) – (Missouri 31 Nevada 21) – Danario Alexander had a break out game on ESPN (9 catches, 170 yards, 2 TD)
6. Oklahoma State (3-1) – (Oklahoma State 56 Grambling State 6) – The Cowboys rushed for 321 yards in the blowout
7. Texas A&M (3-0) – (Texas A&M 56 UAB 19) – Jerrod Johnson season-to-date 9 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 68% completions
8. Texas Tech (2-2) – (Houston 29 Texas Tech 28) – Two tough road losses against top 20 teams in last two weeks
9. Baylor (2-1) – (Baylor 68 Northwestern State 13) – The injury to Griffin is tough, can the Bears overcome his loss?
10. Iowa State (3-1) – (Iowa State 31 Army 10) – Iowa State has nine game Big 12 road losing streak coming into the K-State game this Saturday
11. Kansas State (2-2) – (Kansas State 49 Tennessee Tech 7 ) – Defense gets better each week, Brandon Banks returns to kickoffs for TD (91, 92)
12. Colorado (1-2) – (idle) – Big game for the Buffs on Thursday, must beat West Virginia to save the 2009 season
Big 12 North
1. Nebraska
2. Kansas
3. Missouri
4. Iowa State
5. Kansas State
6. Colorado
Big 12 South
1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Oklahoma State
4. Texas A&M
5. Texas Tech
6. Baylor
Austen Arnaud accounted for three touchdowns in the win over Army
Ames, IA – It was an absolutely great day Saturday, the festivities surrounding the game were awesome and so was the game. The Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Black Knights from Army 31-10. Alexander Robinson and Austen Arnaud led the Cyclone offense, Josh Lenz and Michael Brandtner shined on special teams and the ISU defense did a very good job of shutting down Army’s triple option attack. Photographer Reese Strickland did a great job of catching all the action on the field.
Reese Strickland’s photo gallery can be found below.
View photos on Flickr to save pictures.
Todd Meyer Photo Gallery on Flickr (GoIowaState.com)
The Iowa State cheerleaders had plenty to cheer about last Saturday
Ames, IA – It was an absolutely great day Saturday, the festivities surrounding the game were awesome and so was the game. The Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Black Knights from Army 31-10. Alexander Robinson and Austen Arnaud led the Cyclone offense, Josh Lenz and Michael Brandtner shined on special teams and the ISU defense did a very good job of shutting down Army’s triple option attack. Photographer Todd Meyer did a great job of catching all the action including the flyover before the game, the Lil Clone kids forming the player tunnel and some tremendous play on the field.
Todd Meyer’s photo gallery can be found below.
View photos on Flickr to save pictures.
Alexander Robinson has 3 straight games with over 100 yards rushing
Alexander Robinson and Austen Arnaud led the way for the Iowa State Cyclones as they pummeled Army 31- 10 Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium. The victory improved the Cyclones to 3-1 on the season, a surprising start that a lot of people were not expecting out of the Cyclones this year. Alexander Robinson has emerged as an every down back that presents a true big play threat to opposing defenses, something the Cyclones have been without since Cyclone All American Troy Davis.
Once again, this week was showcased by QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson carrying the offensive load. The two juniors combined for 190 yards rushing and accounted for almost all of the scoring and total yards gained on offense. They had 28 of our 31 points and all but roughly 30 yards of total offense! They have been incredible together in Tom Herman’s offense and look very comfortable moving the ball in the spread offense.
Austen Arnaud plows through the Army D to score a 14 yard TD
Austen Arnaud– Austen had another solid game as he moved the ball well and avoided turning the ball over. He was 11/20 for 175 yard through the air and 2 touchdowns. Arnaud also added 62 yards rushing and scored from 14 yards out on a scramble. He had three total touchdowns and is proving that he can handle Tom Herman’s spread offense. He has shown that he is a dual threat as he has torched opposing defenses for 4 rushing touchdowns and an average of 60 yards rushing.
Army – 3, Iowa State – 0 : Army Black Knight kicker Alex Carlson opened the scoring with a 32 yard field goal to give the Black Knights their first and only lead of the game with 4:52 left in the first Quarter.
Army – 3, Iowa State – 3 :Just 2 and a half minutes later, Cyclone kicker Grant Mahoney answers with 50 yard field goal to tie the game at 3’s with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Army – 3, Iowa State – 10 : Cyclone RB Robinson scores the first touchdown of the game when Arnaud hits him for a 2 yard TD reception half way through the second quarter.
Army – 3, Iowa State – 17 : Iowa State stretches the lead to 17-3 just 2 and a half minutes later when Alexander Robinson scores on a 68 yard TD run that came with 5 minutes left in the half. It was the second consecutive touchdown drive that Robinson scored on.
Army – 10, Iowa State – 17: Army struck with just 15 seconds left in the half when back up QB Chip Bowden found Ali Villanueva for a 5 yard touchdown strike. Black Knight starter Trent Steelman was injured earlier in the half and was replaced by Bowden.
End of Half
Robinson scored 2 of his TDs on two big plays, a 68 yard run and a 32 yard recption
Army – 10, Iowa State – 24 : Austen Arnaud scores on a 14 yard touchdown scramble after shaking a tackle in the back field and running over defenders on his way to the endzone. The score squashes any hopes for the Army Black Knights to get back in the game.
Army – 10, Iowa State – 31 :Alexander Robinson scores on a 32 yard touchdown reception from Arnaud in the fourth quarter to put the game away. The Cyclone defense shut down the Army Black Knights and held them scoreless in the second half. They have held 3 of their 4 opponents this year to under 17 points, a big improvement for a defense that gave up nearly 36 points per game in 2008.
End of Game
Ames, Iowa – Attendance 50,532
The Iowa State Cyclones continued to take steps forward with their 31-10 win over the Army Black Knights on Saturday night. Paul Rhoads talked after the game about the team growing up this week and growing up during the game. He was very encouraged by ISU’s effort late in the game this week; after a lackluster performance in the second half against Kent State last week, he was pleased with how the team played four quarters.
Alexander Robinson had his third straight 100 yard performance and scored three touchdowns to lead the Cyclones. Leonard Johnson came up with a big interception late in the third quarter to preserve Iowa State’s 24-10 advantage. Robinson later finished the scoring, hauling in a 33 yard pass from Austen Arnaud on a circle route.
Alexander Robinson breaks a long run for a 68 yard touchdown
1. The Running Game – The offensive line continues to do a great job and continues to improve each week. Iowa State rushed for 201 yards on a Black Knight defense that was only surrendering 77 yards a game coming in.
2. Austen Arnaud – Austen continues to improve in Tom Herman’s offense. He wasn’t great, but he was really good. Arnaud threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 62 yards and another score. His best play came on the first drive of the second half when he seemingly carried the entire Army defense into the endzone on a 14 yard run.
3. Wally Burnham drew up a great defensive scheme that put 5 DB’s in the ball game to counter Army’s triple option attack. Army gained 186 yards on the ground, but that is more than 70 yards below their average.
4. Josh Lenz changed the momentum of the game with a 44 yard punt return to Army’s 18 to set up the Cyclones first touchdown with 11 minutes left in the second quarter.
5. Michael Brandtner was absolutely huge again tonight with a 47.2 net on his punts.
6. Grant Mahoney drilled a 50 yard FG to tie things up early
7. No turnovers and only 2 penalties – a huge improvement after two sloppy weeks
8. Explosive plays – ISU had four plays for more than 25 yards (Lenz 44 yard punt return, Robinson 68 yard TD run, Arnaud to Marquis Hamilton for 35 yards and Arnaud to Robinson for 33 yard TD)
9. Christopher Lyle continues to emerge as a playmaker on defense. Lyle had 7 tackles, 1 sack and 2 TFL.
10. The coverage on special teams has been tremendous all year and the same was true tonight. ISU will get tested next week by a Kansas State team that returned two kickoffs for TD’s today.
11. Offensive Rhythm – each week the offense seems to get more and more fluid. The running game is definitely ahead of the passing game at this point, but the guys are looking more and more comfortable in the offense.
12. Play by back ups – Roosevelt Maggitt and Patrick Neal really stepped up with nice games after Rashawn Parker went down with a left knee injury. Also, Jeremiah Schwartz came in and got some tough yards to chew up the clock at the end of the game.
Rashawn Parker gets helped off the field after a left knee injury
1. Injuries – As I mentioned above Parker left the game with a knee injury and he was on crutches on the sideline in the second half. Alexander Robinson strained his groin on the 33 yard TD reception. We can’t afford to lose two of our key leaders on the field.
2. Army controlled the clock as we expected they may – the Black Knights held the ball for 34:37 compared to Iowa State’s 25:23
3. Black Knights were 3-3 on 4th down conversions. ISU had their chances to put this game away early, but couldn’t come up with a key stop.
4. Key wide receivers still aren’t getting the ball enough – Darius Darks 1 reception, Sedrick Johnson and Collin Franklin goose eggs
5. Defense on Ali Villanueva – give Army credit for exploiting a mismatch, but it seems Iowa State could of done something to give Banks some help with three straight fade passes in his direction
6. I am being picky here, but both starting DB’s (Leonard Johnson and Kennard Banks) had chances for a pick six and both had the ball go right through their fingers
Alexander Robinson – 21 rushes, 127 yards, 1 TD and 3 receptions, 51 yards, 2 TD
Austen Arnaud – 11-20, 175 yards, 2 TD and 18 rushes, 62 yards, 1 TD
Michael Brandtner – 5 punts, 239 yards (47.8 average) and 4 punts inside 20
Christopher Lyle – 7 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFL
Jesse Smith – 13 tackles
Austen Arnaud and Kennard Banks
Video courtesy of Cyclones.com
First and foremost, I am very excited to have the opportunity to provide my thoughts on the Cyclone Football program. As a former player and co-captain of the 1992 team, I am excited to add my insight into the program that I love so much.
Malcolm Goodwin will be writing a column each week for GoIowaState.com
So, three games under our belt and we are 2-1. But what does that mean in terms of our potential success over the next nine games? There are many areas that Iowa State needs to work on and here are a few areas where I see they can make improvement:
Turnovers
Iowa State has the size, talent, and offensive and defensive schemes to win any game on our schedule. However, if we want to compete and win some of the close games, we need to stop turning the ball over. In the first three weeks of the season, we have averaged 3 fumbles a game. Not all of these were lost, but we need to stop putting the ball on the ground. The worst sound that a defensive player can hear is a coach calling for the defense because your offense turned the ball over. In addition, our quarterbacks need to realize that a strong arm does not mean that you can fit every pass into tight coverage. I would like to see Austen pull the ball down and run for even a couple of yards instead of trying to make the perfect throw. If we can control this portion of the game, it will definitely have an impact on the win total for the season.
Malcolm would like to clone David Sims
Defensive Intensity
If I were able to clone one person on the Iowa State defense, it would be David Sims! Not only does he have speed and size, but he also plays with the intensity that I would like to see from some of his other teammates. It is fairly obvious that we are a little light in the pants on our defensive-line and linebacker positions. What can really make up the difference is attitude and intensity from our players. It wasn’t too long ago that an undersized and out-manned Iowa State Team went against Nebraska in 1992. There were a number of reasons why we won that game, but the main reason is that we played at an intensity level greater than Nebraska that day. I would like to see our team come out with some fire from the very first snap, and keep it up throughout the entire game.
Playing the Freshman Quarterback
Simply put; Stop It! While I have no doubt about Jerome Tiller’s athletic ability, and that he will contribute to Iowa State’s success in the future, this is Austen’s team. In our last game against Kent State, Iowa State was being efficiently run by Austen and it resulted in a 24-7 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Then the coaches (who seemed to have this already in the game plan) brought in Jerome in the 2nd quarter to run the offense. It was obvious that the momentum that was built up was lost when that change was made. I could care less if the coaches had decided that the 2nd quarter was going to be run by Jerome; when you are beating a team, you need to continue with what is working. At that point, Austen had the offense clicking on all cylinders. If the coaches continue to think that giving Jerome some playing time is more important then letting Austen build a cohesive offensive unit, this will ultimately cost us some wins in the long run.
Well, that is it for this week! Up next a breakdown of the Army game!
Malcolm
Donovan Travis is Army's playmaker on defense
1. Army’s opponents have a combined record of 1-8 (Duke’s only win came against Army).
2. The Black Knights have done a good job of controlling the clock this year, holding the ball for almost 34 minutes each game.
3. The starting kicker (Matthew Campbell) was replaced after missing 2 extra points in the opening game. New starter Alex Carlton is 2-2 on XP and 3-4 on FG since taking over, but this will be his first game on the road.
4. Ali Villanueva is the leading receiver with 6 catches for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Villanueva is 6 ft 10 inches tall and weighs 283 pounds.
5. Army fumbled six times last week, but only lost one in the win over Ball State last week.
6. Expect 4-5 guys to get significant carries against Iowa State. The runners include RB’s Patrick Mealy and Jameson Carter, fullbacks Kingsley Ehie and CeDarius Williams and QB Trent Steelman.
7. Donovan Travis is the playmaker on defense. Travis has intercepted three passes this year, 2 came last week including a pick six that won the game for Army.
1. If Kennard Banks doesn’t play Saturday expect Ter’ran Benton to get most of the snaps. With the flexbone offense coming to town, Iowa State will needs the best tackling cornerbacks on the field.
2. Marquis Hamilton and Jake Williams have emerged as favorite targets for QB Austen Arnaud. I think a healthy Darius Darks will burst back on to the scene this Saturday.
3. Stephen Reumpolhamer has unseated Austin Alburtis as the starter at defensive tackle.
4. Coaches seem to be gaining confidence in redshirt freshman OT Brayden Burris
1. Slow down the option – Army is as one dimensional as a team can be averaging 258 yards on the ground and 62 in the air. Starting QB Trent Steelman has completed just 7 passes in three games. If Army gets behind and needs to throw Carson Williams will most likely enter the ball game. The assignment on defense is pretty straight forward, the Cyclones just need to execute.
2. Convert Fumbles into Turnovers – The Black Knights are going to put the ball on the turf, Cyclone defenders need to get on the loose footballs.
3. Develop a Rhythm on Offense – The Cyclone offense started to click in the second quarter last week and it carried into the first possession of the third quarter. After that, the offense failed to move the ball the remainder of the game. I am going to chalk it up to playing inexperienced players. I would love to see the Cyclones play the up tempo, quick snap style they played at certain times last week.
Will Kennard Banks play on Saturday?
1. Alexander Robinson – Alot of people are predicting a big game for Arnaud this week and that very well could happen. Army defends the run well and is susceptible to the pass. However, I think we will stick with what we are doing best, which is running the ball. Robinson has back-to-back 100 yards games and that streak will continue.
2. Kennard Banks/Ter’ran Benton – I really don’t think we will see Banks in this game, but if we do I think he will have a nice game. If Benton gets the nod watch for him to try to stake claim to the spot.
3. Darius Darks – One of these weeks Darks, Johnson, Franklin or Reynolds is going to break out. I am betting it’s this week and it’s Darks.
I can’t wait for Saturday. The suspension/reinstatement of the three players has dominated the talk all week and it will be good to get the discussion back to the play on the field. I really expect the Cyclones to come ready to play. Rich Ellerson, has done a nice job in his first year at Army, but transitioning a team to a flexbone option offense doesn’t happen in four games. The Black Knights have victories over two bad teams and this will be their first tough test on the road. Wally Burnham will have a good game plan drawn up and I expect the Cyclones to create a few turnovers. If the ISU offense is on their game, which I think they will be, they should have their way with the Black Knight defense. I like Iowa State big in this game.
Iowa State 41 Army 10
Video: Iowa State Defensive Coordinator Wally Burnham breaks down Army
Video courtesy of Cyclones.com
Video: Iowa State Offensive Coordinator Tom Herman breaks down Army
Video courtesy of Cyclones.com
Alexander Robinson: 326 yards, 2 TD's in three games this year
The Iowa State Cyclones‘ morale is high coming off their big road win last week against Kent State and they have regained their confidence after the beat down that the Hawkeyes put on the Cyclones two weeks ago. They look to make a statement this week when Army comes into Ames this Saturday. Iowa State plays host to a 2-1 Army team that has looked mediocre so far this year. The Cyclones are 2-1 now and feel that their offense is finding its rhythm.
The spread offense the Cyclones run is really starting to come together under offensive coordinator Tom Herman. The Cyclone spread has surprisingly opened up the running game for Alexander Robinson and has improved the rushing more so than it has the passing game. In fact, Iowa State’s rushing numbers are actually higher than the passing yardage through the first three games. The Cyclones have rushed for 628 yards and passed for 521 yards; showing just how much success the rushing game has had in the spread formation. The Cyclones rush game will have to show up on Saturday if the ‘Clones want a shot at winning the ball game.
The Cyclones offense will have a hay day if they can successfully move the ball on the ground. The Cyclones offense looks to exploit the Army defense in their spread formation. The Army defense has proven to be able to stop the run game so far this year, as they are 16th in the country against the run, but have shown a serious weakness against the pass. The Cyclone spread offense should be able to take advantage of this weakness and Austen Arnaud should throw all over the Army secondary. The spread offense should make it more difficult for the Army defense and Linebacker Andrew Rodriguez to plug gaps and make stops against the run. Arnaud will be able to throw the ball at will, since the Army defense is susceptible to the pass. The real question is, Can Alexander Robinson run the ball with success? If they can, the Cylcones will have a field day on the Army defense.
The main concern for the defense is stopping the run. The Cyclones defense must slow down the rushing attack of the Army Black Knights. Army is 7th in the nation in rushing yards per game and a horrible 120th in passing. Army rushes for an average of 257 yards on the ground each game, and they only pass for 71 on average per game. The Cyclones have looked pretty good against the passing attack but have been suspect to the rushing attack, as they give up roughly 150 yards a game on the ground. Army relies solely on their run game, so the Cyclones need to load pu the box to stop the running game and force Army to try and beat them through the air.
Iowa State Spread Offense Is Moving The Football Well So Far
This will be a great game and will be a true battle in the trenches, as the key to winning this game lies in who can have more success running the ball and stopping the rush. The Cyclones will shut down the Army pass game, but can they stop an Army run game that puts up 257 yards a game? Austen Arnaud has been inconsistent lately but if he can manage a game like he did last week at Kent State, that should be enough.
I expect to see Arnaud throw for 200 yards and two touchdowns and an interception, and add 40 yards on the ground. WR Marquis Hamilton will have a game more like the one he had in week one, and should have 100 yards and a touchdown. The Black Knights from Army will have success running the ball and I can see them putting up 200 yards or more rushing. Iowa State’s secondary will shut down the practically non-existent passing game of Army. The real question is what will Alexander Robinson do to the Army defensive front line? The spread offense of the Cyclones will create enough space that he will run for 100 yards and a score. I have the Iowa State Cyclones winning this one, but not as easily as last week against Kent State.
ISU Men’s Basketball Coach Greg McDermott talks about the new Basketball Practice Facility
Video courtesy of Cyclones.com
ISU Women’s Basketball Coach Bill Fennelly talks about the new Basketball Practice Facility
Video courtesy of Cyclones.com
The men's side is named Wetter Court
Photo courtesy of Cyclone Report
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