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| Iowa State hangs around in loss to Tigers
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| Staff CollegeFootballNews.com | Nov 21, 2009 | ||
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2009 Iowa State Cyclones ... Head Coach: Paul Rhodes
Iowa State Cyclones Nov. 21 Missouri 34 … at Iowa State 24 Danario Alexander caught a 63-yard touchdown pass and Jerrell Jackson took a pass 70 yards for a touchdown as Missouri overcame a 17-10 deficit with two big third quarter scores. Iowa State bounced back with a 12-yard Scott Haughton run to tie it, but the Tigers owned the fourth quarter as the defense stopped the Cyclone offense while the offense got a 38-yard Grant Ressel field goal and a DeVion Moore ran for a one-yard score. Missouri outgained ISU 539 yards to 336. Player of the Game: Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert completed 23-of-32 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran 12 times for 51 yards Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 28-40, 249 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 14-56, Receiving: Darius Darks, 9-107, 1 TD Missouri: Passing: Blaine Gabbert, 23-32, 337 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Derrick Washington, 11-62, 1 TD, Receiving: Danario Alexander, 11-173, 1 TD What It All Means: Iowa State fought hard despite being outplayed and despite getting torched for a few big plays. Austen Arnaud did his best to keep the passing game moving with Alexander Robinson and the ground game bottled up, but the defense couldn’t get enough pressure on Blaine Gabbert and it proved costly in the second half. Because the Big 12 has a ton of bowl ties, Iowa State won’t have any problems getting a 13th game, and considering how bad the team had been in previous years, this season now has to qualify as an unmitigated success. Paul Rhoads has done a great job in his first season at the helm. Nov. 14 at Iowa State 17 … Colorado 10 Austen Arnaud connected with Alexander Robinson for a 20-yard touchdown and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Hamilton for a score on the way to a 17-3 lead. Colorado rallied with a 36-yard Markques Simas touchdown catch and had one final chance, but a mad scramble was stopped. Iowa State is bowl eligible with the win. Player of the Game: Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson ran 30 times for 138 yards, and he caught a pass for a 20-yard score. Colorado: Passing: Tyler Hansen, 18-38, 259 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Rodney Stewart, 19-85, Receiving: Scotty McKnight, 8-107 Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 12-25, 116 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 30-138, Receiving: Collin Franklin, 3-38 What It All Means: While the Cyclones could use a win over Missouri next week to guarantee a bowl spot, just getting eligible is a tremendous accomplishment for Paul Rhoads in his first season. It might not have been pretty against the Buffs, but Iowa State didn’t make as many mistakes, took advantage of Buff errors, and got the sixth win needed. Alexander Robinson is a workhorse who makes things easier on everyone else, while the defense came up with stops time and again before a late touchdown to make things interesting. To beat Mizzou, the Cyclones will have to win the turnover battle and need to get more out of the passing game. Nov. 7 Oklahoma State 34 … at Iowa State 8 Oklahoma State rolled without a problem as Keith Toston ran for a career-high 206 yards with three touchdown runs in the second half. The Cowboys were up 27-0 before Iowa State finally got into the end zone with a 45-yard Alexander Robinson touchdown catch. The Cowboys were mistake-free, while Iowa State lost three interceptions and gained just 242 yards of total offense. Player of the Game: Oklahoma State RB Keith Toston ran 25 times for 206 yards and three scores, and he caught a pass for 12 yards. Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 14-27, 188 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 16-51, Receiving: Collin Franklin, 4-46 Oklahoma State: Passing: Zac Robinson, 19-24, 142 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Keith Toston, 25-206, 3 TD, Receiving: Hubert Anyiam, 5-48 What It All Means: Iowa State can’t be sloppy and win. The three interceptions from Austen Arnuad, who didn’t appear to be sharp after having problems with his hand the last few weeks, were killer, and the running game wasn’t there to pick up the slack. The defense that was so good at times at taking the ball away couldn’t get the job done to turn the game around, and now the dreams of winning the Big 12 North are gone. Colorado is playing better, but ISU has to find a way to get the running game going again or else it’ll take a win at Missouri to be bowl eligible. The Cyclones can’t run for just 54 yards and win. Oct. 31 at Texas A&M 35 … Iowa State 10 Texas A&M dominated from the start as Jerrod Johnson ran for a one-yard score and threw two first half touchdown passes including a 32-yarder to Jeff Fuller. He threw a third scoring pass early in the fourth on a seven-yard play to Howard Morrow. Iowa State was outgained 501 yards to 324 and didn’t get into the end zone until early in the fourth quarter on a four-yard Jerome Tiller run. Player of the Game: Texas A&M QB Jerrod Johnson completed 23-of-28 passes for 234 yards and three scores, and he ran for a touchdown. Iowa State: Passing: Jerome Tiller, 18-27, 155 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 20-76, Receiving: Josh Lenz, 7-63 Texas A&M: Passing: Jerrod Johnson, 23-28, 234 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Cyrus Gray, 21-119, Receiving: Howard Morrow, 6-49, 1 TD What It All Means: The Cyclones got Alexander Robinson back from a groin injury and he helped make the ground game go, but Jerome Tiller, who’s playing in place of Austen Arnaud, doesn’t add as much pop at quarterback and it showed against the Aggies. The bigger problem was a defense that couldn’t get off the field and struggled to make a stop on third downs. The lack of a pass rush continues to be an issue, and there’s no way the Cyclones can beat Oklahoma State unless the offense does more and the defense come up with more key plays. Oct. 24 Iowa State 9 … at Nebraska 7 Iowa State stunned the Huskers with eight takeaways and including four inside the Cyclone five. Nebraska, as poorly as it played, still had a chance late, but Zac Lee was picked off. All the scoring was done in the first half as Iowa State got a 47-yard Jake Williams touchdown catch in the second, along with a 52-yard Grant Mahoney field goal in the first, while Nebraska scored on a three-yard Dantrayevous Robinson run. Nebraska outgained the Cyclones 362 yards to 239. Player of the Game: Iowa State LB Jesse Smith made 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, forced a fumble and picked off a pass. Nebraska: Passing: Zac Lee, 20-37, 248 yds, 3 INT Rushing: Dontrayevous Robinson, 15-77, 1 TD, Receiving: Niles Pau, 6-143 Iowa State: Passing: Jerome Tiller, 9-19, 102 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Jerome Tiller, 19-65, Receiving: Josh Lenz, 3-32 What It All Means: 5-3 with a win at Nebraska?! The Cyclones are roughly two big plays away from being 6-1, but being in range of a bowl game and Big 12 North title contention is enough for now. The offense didn’t do anything against Nebraska, and it has to be a concern that QB Austen Arnaud wasn’t under center and the offense was so bad with him on the sidelines, but the defense that had struggled so much at times this year came up with big turnover after big turnover. If the Cyclones can win at Nebraska, it can win at Texas A&M next week. Oct. 17 at Iowa State 24 … Baylor 10 Baylor scored first on a 38-yard Ben Parks field goal, and then it was all Iowa State with Austen Arnaud running for a one-yard score and connecting with Derrick Catlett for a four-yard score in the second quarter. Jerome Tiller closed off the 24-point Cyclone run with a 20-yard scoring dash. Baylor turned it over three times and didn’t get into the end zone until Justin Akers caught a three-yard pass with nine seconds to play. Player of the Game: Iowa State LB Jesse Smith made 11 tackles and a tackle for loss Baylor: Passing: Blake Szymanski, 23-38, 223 yds, 3 INT Rushing: Jarred Salubi, 10-44, Receiving: Ernest Smith, 7-125 Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 18-28, 166 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 19-83, Receiving: Marquis Hamilton, 9-97 What It All Means: After tough losses to Kansas State and Kansas, Iowa State proved it could win a game when everything isn’t working quite right. The offense was fine and it came up big when it had to on third downs. Austen Arnaud helped keep the defense off the field, and he’s going to have to keep being just as effective with road trips to Nebraska and Texas A&M up next. A bowl game is still possible, but the O needs more pop and the pass defense needs to be stronger, but there’s a lot to be excited about in Year One of the Paul Rhoads era. The win shows that the team appears to be on the right track. Oct. 10 at Kansas 41 … Iowa State 36 Todd Reesing threw four touchdown passes and Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe combined for 28 catches and four scores as KU rolled up 551 yards of total offense, but the defense had to hang on as a last-gasp touchdown pass attempt sailed just out of the end zone. Iowa State got a huge day from Austen Arnaud, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for a two-yard score, but Reesing and the KU passing game were too much with a 46-yard scoring pass to Briscoe and a six-yarder to Kerry Meier. Alexander Robinson ran for two short scores in the first half for the Cyclones. Player of the Game: Kansas WR Dezmon Briscoe caught 12 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns and Kerry Meier caught 16 passes for 142 yards and two scores. Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 25-40, 293 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 27-152, 2 TD, Receiving: Jake Williams, 7-58 Kansas: Passing: Todd Reesing, 37-49, 442 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Toben Opurum, 24-98, 1 TD, Receiving: Kerry Meier, 16-142, 2 TD What It All Means: After the Cyclones close to turning a corner and being good, or was this just an aberration? With the 1-2 punch of QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson leading the way, the offense is moving the ball well. Now there needs to be more consistency after struggling against a bad Kansas State defense and lighting up KU this week. The Baylor game next week is a must to keep bowl hopes alive, and with the special teams playing well and the offensive line playing as well as any in the Big Ten, there’s a shot to get a key win before going to Nebraska. Oct. 3 Kansas State 24 … Iowa State 23 (in Kansas City) Iowa State’s Austen Arnaud hit Grant Gregory for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 32 seconds to play to seemingly force overtime, but Emmanuel Lamur blocked the extra point to give KSU the thrilling win. The Wildcats got two Grant Gregory touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 54-yard scoring pass to Brandon Banks, but Arnaud did what he needed to do to get the Cyclones back in the game. He threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Catlett in the second quarter and ran for a three-yard score in the third. Player of the Game: Kansas State’s Emmanuel Lamur made seven tackles and blocked the extra point to give KSU the win Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 13-27, 164 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Austen Arnaud, 16-84, 1 TD, Receiving: Jake Williams, 5-61, 1 TD Kansas State: Passing: Grant Gregory, 16-23, 206 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Daniel Thomas, 25-96, Receiving: Daniel Thomas, 5-38 What It All Means: The Cyclones didn’t get a good day out of Austen Arnaud and the passing game, but he ran well to make up for loss of RB Alexander Robinson to a pulled groin muscle. Arnaud tried to win the game on his own, and while he came close, the special teams couldn’t come through and now all bowl hopes might be gone. It’s going to take a more balanced offensive effort, and a whole bunch of firepower, to keep up with Kansas next week, but there’s a chance to stay with a Robert Griffin-less Baylor in Ames the week after. Getting Robinson back, though, is a must. Sept. 26 at Iowa State 31 … Army 10 Alexander Robinson caught a two-yard touchdown pass and ran for a 68-yard touchdown in the second quarter, on the way to a 17-3 lead, and he put the game away in the fourth quarter on a 32-yard scoring play. Army stayed alive in the first half with a five-yard Ali Villanueva touchdown catch with 13 seconds to play, but the offense was shut down in the second half as Robison took over. Austen Arnaud threw two touchdown passes and ran for a 14-yard score for the Cyclones. Player of the Game: Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson ran 21 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught three passes for 51 yards and two scores. Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 8-21, 87 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Patrick Mealy, 8-54, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 6-77, 1 TD Iowa State: Passing: Austin Arnaud, 11-20, 175 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 21-127 yds, 1 TD, Receiving: Marquis Hamilton, 4-76 What It All Means: This was a more dangerous game than it might appear. Army has a quirky offense that stopped working when starting QB Trent Steelman got hurt, but the Cyclone offense did its part with the spread starting to produce nicely in the second half. Alexander Robinson and Austen Arnaud are handling the new spread well, and if they’re playing at the high level they were at this week, they should be enough to get by Kansas State on the way to a 4-1 record before hosting Kansas. The defense got 13 tackles from Jesse Smith, 11 of them solo, as he’s emerging as the star of the defensive front. Sept. 19 Iowa State 34 … at Kent State 14 Iowa State broke a 17-game road losing streak with two touchdown passes and a touchdown run from QB Austen Arnaud, and a 15-yard scoring dash from Alexander Robinson. Kent State held an early 7-3 lead on a 44-yard Dri Archer touchdown catch, but the Cyclones scored 31 straight points before Derek McBryde found the end zone on an eight-yard catch late in the fourth. Player of the Game: Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson ran 23 times for 143 yards and a score Kent State: Passing: Spencer Keith, 21-32, 255 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Andre Flowers, 21-45, Receiving: Andre Flowers. 4-21 Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 13-21, 144 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 23-143, 1 TD, Receiving: Jake Williams, 4-51, 1 TD What It All Means: After getting benched against Iowa, QB Austen Arnaud came back with a decent game, but not a great one. He wasn’t quite sharp enough in the passing game, completing 13-of-21 passes, but he moved the offense in the easy win. Alexander Robinson is the star to work around, but he’ll be the main focal point of every defense the rest of the way. The success of the season rests on Arnaud, who has to be nearly perfect for the Cyclones to do much in the Big 12. Sept. 12 at Iowa 35 ... Iowa State 3 Tyler Sash came up with three interceptions and Ricky Stanzi threw four touchdown passes as Iowa overcame last week's clunker agaisnt Northern Iowa to win a laugher. The Cyclones scored first on a 46-yard Grant Mahoney field goal, and then it was all Iowa with Stanzi connecting with four different receivers for scores, highlighted by an 18-yarder to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, while Brandon Wegher got the ground game going with 101 yards and a one-yard score. Player of the Game: Iowa SS Tyler Sash made ten tackles, two tackles for loss, and three interceptions. Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 10-22, 79 yds, 4 INT Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 19-100, Receiving: Darius Reynolds, 7-19 Iowa: Passing: Ricky Stanzi, 18-34, 197 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Brandon Wegher, 15-101, 1 TD, Receiving: Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, 3-39, 1 TD What It All Means: Iowa State has to be perfect to have a shot against the brand name teams. The six turnovers against Iowa never gave the team a chance, and while the ground game did a nice job, rushing for 190 yards, Austen Arnaud couldn't stop throwing the ball to the other side. With Kent State up next, the Cyclones have to be far tighter, far better through the air, and far sharper before dealing with Army and its dangerous attack. Sept. 3 at Iowa State 34 … North Dakota State 17 Paul Rhoads got his first win as the Iowa State head man with Austen Arnaud throwing two touchdown passes to Marquis Hamilton, with the second one coming from 42 yards away to finally allow the Cyclones to pull away. Arnaud also added a five-yard scoring dash for a 14-0 lead, but NDSU worked its way back coming within seven on a 15-yard Matt Veldman catch in the third quarter. ISU’s Grant Mahoney connected on a 50-yard bomb, to go along with a 38-yard field goal, to stop the Bison run. Player of the Game: Iowa State QB Austen Arnaud completed 16-of-28 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns and ran 17 times for 78 yards and a score. Iowa State: Passing: Austen Arnaud, 16-28, 227 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Alexander Robinson, 16-83, 1 TD, Receiving: Darius Reynolds, 6-53 North Dakota State: Passing: Nick Mertens, 15-27, 178 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Pat Paschall, 21-146, 1 TD, Receiving: Warren Holloway, 4-68 What It All Means: It might just have been a win over North Dakota State, but Paul Rhoads has already won a third of what Gene Chizik was able to come up with during his time in Ames. The defense might not have been a rock against the run, and that’s going to be a major problem against Iowa next week, but Jesse Smith got in on everything with a 15 tackle game with a key forced fumble. Grant Mahoney showed that he’s going to be a major weapon with his 50-yard field goal and his miss coming from 57 yards away, but the excitement has to be over the way Austen Arnaud played showing a good command and a nice connection with Marquis Hamilton that has to continue. Copyright © Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com | |||