Getting to 6 wins??? TRAP GAMES

isukendall

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Nov 30, 2006
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Three wins down, three to go. Where do they come from?

Right now, Kansas and Baylor look like the most easy wins, although in this league nothing is a given. Where does the other win come from? As my wife pointed out, look for trap games, where our opponent had a bigger game to look at the week before. Upcoming games:

Oct 14 vs. Kansas - previous loss to Texas Tech 65-19
Oct 21 @ Texas Tech - previous @ West Virginia (TRAP)
Oct 28 vs. TCU - previous vs. Kansas (not a trap game)
Nov 4 @ WVU - previous vs. Oklahoma State (TRAP)
Nov 11 vs. OSU - previous vs. Oklahoma (Bedlam, huge TRAP)
Nov 18 vs. Baylor - previous vs. Texas Tech (TRAP)
Nov 25 @ KSU - previous @ Oklahoma State (TRAP)

Point is, most teams we are playing have a very tough game the week before. Based on this, I find it very likely that we can get a win against Tx Tech, WVU, OSU, or KSU due to a "hangover" game putting a lot of stock in the week before. TCU is the only one without a tough opponent the week prior.

Again, credit to my wife for this idea, and she is totally right. As she always is, right? :)

Thoughts?
 
If teams look past us from here on with our weapons on offense it's just poor coaching. Montgomery and the WRs are a real handful if they catch the ball and the staff/QB gets the ball to them in the right positions.
 
Isn't a traditional trap game one where your opponent has a big game coming up the week after they play you? Not before?

For example, this past weekend was a trap game, as Okie has the Red River Showdown coming up this weekend and likely was already overlooking us.

Exactly what I was going to say. What the OP describes is a let down game, the game after a big win. Kansas could be one for us.
 
Isn't a traditional trap game one where your opponent has a big game coming up the week after they play you? Not before?

For example, this past weekend was a trap game, as Okie has the Red River Showdown coming up this weekend and likely was already overlooking us.
Exactly...you want the team that is looking ahead. Probably little chance of that the rest of the way given the Okie game. That being said, getting to 6 wins is a motivator too...will be interesting to see how that plays out given that there are a few 3-2 teams in the league right now.
 
I'd say a culture change would be for the fan base to not be focusing on the path to '6' victories. I have absolutely no fear with any games left on the schedule. Doesn't mean we can't get rolled in any of them (WVU last year) & I hate counting certain games as already won (KU), but we've played in close games versus all P5 opponents & rolled the non-P5.

OU did the same thing offensively against us as we did versus UT. Having to go with Kempt forced us to go more with running & horizontal passing, yet we still mixed in & used vertical routes effectively. Essentially we ran to pass. Think we'll need to know when to flip the script & pass to run, especially if Kempt continues behind center.
 
I'd say a culture change would be for the fan base to not be focusing on the path to '6' victories. I have absolutely no fear with any games left on the schedule. Doesn't mean we can't get rolled in any of them (WVU last year) & I hate counting certain games as already won (KU), but we've played in close games versus all P5 opponents & rolled the non-P5.

OU did the same thing offensively against us as we did versus UT. Having to go with Kempt forced us to go more with running & horizontal passing, yet we still mixed in & used vertical routes effectively. Essentially we ran to pass. Think we'll need to know when to flip the script & pass to run, especially if Kempt continues behind center.

Very true. 3-3 after taking care of business with KU for a winning Big 12 record is definitely not crazy and more than the 6 wins everyone brings up. If we somehow beat KU and then go 4-2 (which would be very difficult but not impossible) I think it opens up 2-4 way tie for second place scenarios at 6-3 in which I would hope beating a potentially first place Oklahoma is helpful. Back in the days of divisions it wouldn't be that strange for 2 and 3 way ties to make that title game birth without an amazing record.
 
If anyone overlooks us at this point, they are stupid and deserve to lose. Consequently, if we overlook anyone, we are also stupid. We need to prove that last Saturday wasn't a fluke to our opponents and ourselves.

Campbell's stoic and businesslike demeanor immediately after beating Oklahoma was perfect for his culture change. It made me feel like he has no intention of letting this team get overconfident.

Take care of Kansas, acknowledge the let-down didn't happen, take a deep breath, then start knocking down the rest of the opponents.
 
Good analysis, this is an interesting way to think about it, accept after last week I don’t think too many will overlook us. An OSU surprise in early November would be awesome!!!
 
Isn't a traditional trap game one where your opponent has a big game coming up the week after they play you? Not before?

For example, this past weekend was a trap game, as Okie has the Red River Showdown coming up this weekend and likely was already overlooking us.
You are correct. Should have been worded as "hangover game" instead. Tequila may have contributed.
 
It sounds crazy and it might still be crazy, but a la @BigLame, I do sense an important culture change -- depending on how the QB situation shakes out (in particular, does Kempt have enough skill to overcome defensive gameplans built to counteract what we did last weekend?), I now think we have a non-negligible chance to win out. It will be extremely difficult, but I believe now that we have the talent and coaching that at least makes it possible. If you had asked me last week, I would have said it was impossible.

I'm not jumping on a hype train for that to actually happen, but I think that should absolutely be the team's goal now, and not just in a pie-in-the-sky way...
 
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For example, this past weekend was a trap game, as Okie has the Red River Showdown coming up this weekend and likely was already overlooking us.

I don't think OU's coaching staff was overlooking ISU, but after I watched the game again I think it's very possible that many of the players did. OU had chances to put that game away early, they let ISU hang around, and next thing you know Everett Edwards is planting a flag at midfield.
 
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Oct 14 vs. Kansas - previous loss to Texas Tech 65-19
Oct 21 @ Texas Tech - previous @ West Virginia (TRAP)
Oct 28 vs. TCU - previous vs. Kansas (not a trap game)
Nov 4 @ WVU - previous vs. Oklahoma State (TRAP)
Nov 11 vs. OSU - previous vs. Oklahoma (Bedlam, huge TRAP)
Nov 18 vs. Baylor - previous vs. Texas Tech (TRAP)
Nov 25 @ KSU - previous @ Oklahoma State (TRAP)

So, a lot of this:

its_a_trap_star_wars.gif
 
If anyone overlooks us at this point, they are stupid and deserve to lose. Consequently, if we overlook anyone, we are also stupid. We need to prove that last Saturday wasn't a fluke to our opponents and ourselves.

Campbell's stoic and businesslike demeanor immediately after beating Oklahoma was perfect for his culture change. It made me feel like he has no intention of letting this team get overconfident.

Take care of Kansas, acknowledge the let-down didn't happen, take a deep breath, then start knocking down the rest of the opponents.
Very well said, excellent. Campbell is razor focused on KU. He's been in this situation before. He knows that KU will be highly motivated. KU sees this as a winnable game and now we have even a larger target on our back. Campbell knows that we are good but that that is only about half the battle. Motivation, execution and consistency are part of the other half. Kempt and Lanning, etc. are like Campbell; smart, focused, calm and businesslike.

When Campbell, the team and staff got off of the bus after the game, every single one of them had the same demeanor as Campbell. There was no jumping up and down, screaming, high fives, trash talking, flag waving nor pep rally. "Stoic and businesslike" is a perfect way to describe them. Even we greeters bought in to it. After the cheering as the buses came down the street we very quickly realized how Campbell wanted the greet to go. Quiet "way to go's" given, hand shakes and slaps on the back, an atmosphere that said "we've been here before", now back to business.

It's all part of the culture change. One game at a time. Attention to detail. Discipline. Team cohesiveness. Execution. Preparation. etc. The realization that winning a game is one thing but winning the next game is even harder, no matter who the next opponent is. Just ask OU. What we did to OU, KU fully expects to do to us.
 
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Getting better as the year goes on is a big part of being a successful program. It is so great to watch ISU develop depth and talent as the year goes on. Lots of guys got reps on Saturday during critical times (Sutton, Alexander, McMillan, Johnson, White to name a few). There is a higher ceiling for this team than six wins if they take care of business. It will be fun to win some conference games for a change.
 
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Very well said, excellent. Campbell is razor focused on KU. He's been in this situation before. He knows that KU will be highly motivated. KU sees this as a winnable game and now we have even a larger target on our back. Campbell knows that we are good but that that is only about half the battle. Motivation, execution and consistency are part of the other half. Kempt and Lanning, etc. are like Campbell; smart, focused, calm and businesslike.

When Campbell, the team and staff got off of the bus after the game, every single one of them had the same demeanor as Campbell. There was no jumping up and down, screaming, high fives, trash talking, flag waving nor pep rally. "Stoic and businesslike" is a perfect way to describe them. Even we greeters bought in to it. After the cheering as the buses came down the street we very quickly realized how Campbell wanted the greet to go. Quiet "way to go's" given, hand shakes and slaps on the back, an atmosphere that said "we've been here before", now back to business.

It's all part of the culture change. One game at a time. Attention to detail. Discipline. Team cohesiveness. Execution. Preparation. etc. The realization that winning a game is one thing but winning the next game is even harder, no matter who the next opponent is. Just ask OU. What we did to OU, KU fully expects to do to us.

Pretty much all of this. And, I wanted to make sure there was a callback to @tolfbfan, who has told us all for a couple years now to Trust The Process(TM). I think the Process might have just turned a big corner this weekend.
 

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