Iowa State recap: Phew!

Honey Badger, Optimus Klein, Baby Tebow, Kleinapple Express.  You know which one I've always preferred?  The BillSnyder Kleinsdale, because I love that end zone gallop.

 

I have never been so happy to see a game end.  This one was messy, and I held my breath on every extra point, feeling like the first team to miss would be the eventual loser.  K-State and Iowa State are so similar in what they try to do that the game is usually decided by one or two mistakes and one or two playmakers.  In the past four years, we've been on the winning end of that equation, but it can't last forever.  Thankfully, we got through this one.  Even more thankfully, we only have to play them once a year. 

Good

Loooooooong, sustained drives.  K-State held the ball for over 10 minutes in the second, third and fourth quarters.  It didn't always result in points, but the keep away was effective and gave our defense ample opportunity to rest.  By the time the fourth quarter rolled around and we absolutely had to have the stops, the defense was rested and ready to go.  We crazy dominated the time of possession in this game, 41:54 to 19:06.  And yet we still only won by 6 points!  Iowa State is so dangerous. 

Collin Klein.  Collin scored all of our touchdowns against Iowa State.  All of them.  He also had over 100 yards on the ground, compared to Hubert's 82.  He converted third and forevers on his feet and connected with receivers while the pocket collapsed around him to keep drives going.  He called time-outs that saved us from penalties when there were too many/too few men on the field. He has so much to do and he does it beautifully.  The patience he shows on option reads is just phenomenal. We should appreciate it now because Sams is the jitteriest jitterbug I've ever seen try to run Snyder's offense.

Bad

Pass rush:  For the second time this year, we never got the QB to the ground.  Not so good.  I like the variety of blitzes that Tom Hayes is calling though, and Meshak batted down three passes in the second half, so it's not as if our pass defense is ineffective.  I just like sacks.  Though, is there anything prettier than an Arthur Brown blitz package?  I love that he plays spy for the first two downs and then rushes up the middle, untouched, to wreak havoc.  Can you imagine anything more terrifying than Arthur "Predator" Brown running unimpeded straight at you?  Nightmarish.

Offensive line:  Remember when I warned you to look out for flags flying in the first half?  Once Keenan Taylor got a 15 yard penalty for tripping, I knew it was going to be a bad day for the O-Line.  To their credit, they got through it, and never had a string of penalties, which you sometimes see with undisciplined lines.  I think the offense definitely struggled with focus, and I know there were communication issues from the booth to the sideline to Collin, so overall, they did a good job of minimizing mistakes in a bad situation.

Ugly

Penalties.  In the first 5 games we had a total of 9 penalties.  At Iowa State we doubled that number.  Some were good, some were bad, all could have been avoided.  Braden was flagged for two holding penalties?  Keenan Taylor got a 15 yard penalty for tripping?  Off sides calls?  Pass interference calls?  Delay of game?  It was a mess from start to finish, and though the officiating was a little suspect at times, you just don't want to start the second half with two penalties on the kick return to begin at the 4 yard line.  Super observant nugget - Coach never reacts when the other team scores, or when there's a turnover, or when we score a touchdown.  The only - ONLY - time you'll see a reaction out of Coach is when we get a penalty on special teams.

This was a family victory, through and through.

Rant of the week: why do we call so many offensive plays that start 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage?  Is that really how they're designed?  Does it work against anyone other than KU?  I detected what I thought was a little KU hangover in some of the play calling this week. Take, for example, Angelo Pease.  When Hubert was having success running the ball, they pulled him and put in Angelo, who had a great day against KU last week.  Not so much against Iowa State.  It must be so frustrating to be Angelo Pease.

Favorite play of the game: Collin's 46 yard pass to Tyler Lockett at the end of the second half.  It was a beautiful throw, a great catch and the perfect play call.  After last week's disastrous mismanagement before the half led to no points despite being on the 2 yard line, I was happy to see our version of the quick-strike offense get into the end zone.

Favorite team moment: On a 4th and inches, Collin ran the QB sneak straight up the gut and got buried in a pile.  Shortly after the whistle blew, an Iowa State lineman ran around the back of the pile and started tugging at Collin's foot.  Hubert, who wasn't involved in the play, saw the lineman and ran over to shoo him away.  Family 101.

Second favorite team moment: After Tramaine muffed a punt on the 20 yard line, Ty Zimmerman saved the day by intercepting Jared Barnett on the very next play.  The first person to congratulate him when he got to the sideline was Tramaine.  

Favorite Paul Rhoads similarity: He has a headset guy too!  They've got to be the last two coaches in the FBS without wireless headsets.  Old school football, clap, clap, clap clap clap.