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Official Post-Game Thread - ISU vs. SDSU

Observations about the game and atomosphere:
I was really impressed with SDSU's turnout. They had more fans than our Big 12 opponents typically have, except for Nebraska and KState. (I'm not counting the Texas and Oklahoma wannabees from Iowa). Saw a lot of them milling about in the lots, and they all seemed to be having a good time.

Place looked pretty full, except the SE upper deck had 2 pretty empty sections.

Concourse movement on the west side is MUCH better. Wife gives a good report on the women's bathrooms.

I was disappointed in the crowd at the start of the game. Maybe the turnovers were too disheartening. And the students seemed to not be into it. (Maybe freshmen learning the drill?) But by the end, the students were top notch. I used to hate Sweet Caroline, but the waving arms looked awesome from my vantage point on the west side.

As for the football. Turnovers happen in football. Hope ours in the first half was a fluke and not a trend.

I was really irked at the personal fouls. One was a garbage call, on a ball that had popped out. But the other two of ours--one was just stupid--the pushing game going on, and the other bordered on dirty. I don't want to see that against SDSU (KU-maybe!)

I could live with the 2 quarterback system as it went tonite. AA seemed to have a better game. Bates is awesome though. I'd stick with AA as the starter.

What is with that get set, and half the team look to the sidelines thing? Kinda cool actually.
 
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Stumpy said:
Speaking of this, did anybody notice the difference in Mahoney's kicking style? Very unusual compared to traditional kickers, he drops virtually straight back three paces, rather than three paces back and three to the side.

I'm not sure he gets the same power, but I wonder if this helps with the accuracy. Certainly can't hurt the release timing either.

Great game from the true freshman kicker!
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I didn't really notice this, but if true he was clearly watching me kick during intramural flag football a few years back.

I was definitely happy with Mahoney's kicks as well though. He got good height and they all went right down the middle. While his longest was only 36 yards or so, it looked to me like he had at least another 10 yards of distance in him.
 
Our tackling was pretty bad and the interior d-line needs major improvement. They could have ran all over us in my opinion. Otherwise, the game was good. Lots of mistakes were to be expected. Mahoney was better than Guyer, but nice to see some good kicking.

Leonard Johnson looked like he should start at CB and Kennard Banks was doing well before he got hurt. For some reason, I felt more comfortable when Arnaud was in the game. I think its because Bate had a lot of what looked to be broken plays. Scales also had a good game.
 
When Arnaud is in, I just get that sense that everything is under control. That's reassuring. The team will make the plays it needs, and it's not so up-and-down.

I loved watching Bates, but there is a roller coaster effect there. He does have the potential to be awesome!
 
Random observation: did anyone that was at the game notice a difference in the Alpha Sig's Cannon? It seemed like they were using firecrackers rather than the usual loud shells. Just something I noticed.
 
Just got back home. Much better feeling than this time last year, and work tomorrow will be a lot more enjoyable than Friday after the first game last year. This whole opening weekend of college football will be easier to enjoy as well.

Anyways, great crowd tonight, and the future is definitely looking bright here in Cyclone Country! I loved what I saw out of the young players, I hope Kennard Banks is ok, but it's not sounding good. If that's the case, I hope they can redshirt him and bring him back full strength next year.

Go Cyclones!
 
imo, the kickoffs were being placed well. he was putting them within the five by the sidline rather than booting it straight out of the end zone. also I thought the roughness penalties were largely a result of refs not blowing it dead. when that doesn't happen and the two players matching up to each other have to decide when a play is done disagreements are gonna happen.
 
The game was a good time.

I really loved the way AA would come out on the field and congratulate Mahoney on his kicks... I think AA played and acted like a leader.

Bates looked good, but I think he needs more time. AA should be the starter.
 
Very satisfying game. Some concern with some of the holes their RB was finding, but you have to expect tof find some things to work on after game #!.

Great crowd. This should put to rest any thoughts that the Thursday night game is not a good idea.
 
Quick hitters from me:

Where was J.J. Bass?

Need more pressure on the QB. Only had one sack that I can remember.

Too many dumb personal foul penalties (4). Make 'em run stairs.

Bates was trying too hard to make an impact when he fumbled.

Athleticism has obviously been upgraded.

Defense look really good for the most part....but my exuberance is tempered in light of the opposition.

Should have been up about 35-0 at half. Those were some really careless turnovers.

Felt good to have a comfortable win at home for the first time since probably the Okie State game in 2005.
 
ISUAlum2002 said:
Quick hitters from me:

Where was J.J. Bass?

Need more pressure on the QB. Only had one sack that I can remember.

Too many dumb personal foul penalties (4). Make 'em run stairs.

Bates was trying too hard to make an impact when he fumbled.

Athleticism has obviously been upgraded.

Defense look really good for the most part....but my exuberance is tempered in light of the opposition.

Should have been up about 35-0 at half. Those were some really careless turnovers.

Felt good to have a comfortable win at home for the first time since probably the Okie State game in 2005.
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I heard that JJ tweaked his ankle. He was also kinda still suspended, I hear, and it was just convenient that his ankle was tweaked. Should be good to go next week...

We did miss some opportunities. But, we also capitalized and nearly every SDSU mistake. Can't complain about much tonight, really...
 
Great atmosphere, pretty good ISU football against an FCS opponent. I hope the SDSU fans had a good time, their tailgate seemed pack south of the endzone. They seemed to bring a lot of fans, and most seemed to really be having a good time. Way better representation than CU and some other in conference schools even.

ISU: Way faster and more athletic than in the past. Interior D is worrisome, as I thought it would be. Young guys are athletic, just need time to learn, grow, eat and build up body strength. Weakest spot on our team, but not for a lack of effort or coaching.

Banks is a loss. That long haired guy was out there to hurt people and I loved it. I said to my friend it looks like we have our own Pacman, hopefully without the legal problems.

Linebackers were quite impressive, as was our pass defense. I don't know if we had SDSU scouted very well, but our coverage drops were fantastic. For the most part, if you watched, it looked like almost all passing lanes were covered, which is why we got so many interceptions.

Our execution was pretty good, only real penalties were some dumb PF's. Those will be addressed I am sure. RB's looked pretty solid. They seem to read the blocks well and don't hurry the play much. I think they looked pretty well coached.

QB's are both fun to watch. AA just seems Mr. Smooth, and PB is indeed Mr. Electric. Too bad we couldn't put their skills into one person and have Seneca part 2. I still am happy to have 2 quality QB's though.

Overall, a very satisfactory game. I give it a B. Some stuff to feel good about, with enough errors to keep the players motivated to practice and improve. The thing it felt best about was that the ISU players were fired up to play in the early season, and they were having a good time. The ISU sideline looked like it was all smiles beginning to end, and the team chemistry seemed great. I do think Chizik is building this thing the right way. We may not win a whole lot, but I think ISU will be fun to watch this year, and losses will not be due to a lack of effort. I am more excited for the season now than yesterday. Hope to make the next CF tailgate.
 
Real solid game...lots of room for improvement. Hope Banks is ok, although it looked bad, he is a player. Have to throw in a mention for another player no one is mentioning Jerrod Black I thought played well on the DL.
 
Someone else earlier in the thread said it best, that was the most ho-hum 27 point win I think I've ever really seen. It's not a bad thing... maybe I've just forgotten what it's like for them to really whip a team we have no business making a close game with.

I don't know the history behind the SDSU QB... if he was just a first time starter or had a bad night... when our front seven, including the DL, are making multiple interceptions, something is up. They were reading the poor guy like a children's book! Maybe our guys just studied up well on their QB, but hell, I was following their QB's gaze from the stands! He didn't telegraph his passes, he mailed them by the pony express!

I don't mean to take anything away from their play tonight, because it is nice finally having a defense that will take advantage of these mistakes again. It's too early to say if this will translate into good play down the road, but this is the kind of game that was necessary to start the season.

I thought the offense played well, and SJ is going to be something else. I like how the RBs looked, and Arnaud and Bates were both very impressive at QB. Although it's my personal choice that Arnaud takes the lead, I honestly don't know how the coaches can decide between such gifted athletes. Arnaud looked very impressive in the pocket, and Bates looked outstanding scrambling. Far cry from the deer-in-headlights scrambles he made last year (as few as he made).

All in all, I truly believe that this is just a taste of things to come. They didn't look like world beaters out there, but the progress they've made under Chizik... only a fool would refuse to recognize it. The team has not missed a beat since since its impressive end-season tour when it battled Missouri and Oklahoma, and outright beat KSU and Colorado.

Last year, the dominoes did not fall in their favor. I strongly believe they should have been able to make it to a bowl, beating UNI, Kent State, Iowa, Toledo, KSU, and Colorado along the way. This year, the dominoes are falling a new direction. If they improve like they have throughout the end of the season last year, and throughout the off season, ISU will be bowling.
 
What caught my eye in Section O was the perfect field goal kicking; the longest run from scrimmage that I can remember; the 1st defensive touchdown in a couple years; the speed on defense; the confidence overall; and the putting away of a lesser opponent without collapse. What also caught my eye was a team that didn't show much blitz-wise; still needs consistent returners and run blocking that I thought would be better. All in all, I saw a team effort that looked cohesive and organized. Few penalties other than over aggressiveness (sp?). Something to build on. Light years ahead of 2007. IMO.
 
if my buddy recorded the game for me, i can rewatch it tomorro and get a better feel for how things went down. Seems my perception from in the stands to on the tv is usually different.

While the 5 INTs were great(ball-hawking as a matter of fact) many happened somewhat deep in ISU territory. Overall im happy with the end result and am optimistic about this season, but will really try to gauge things properly based off the next few games. Kent State and iowa will be a couple real tests for this team.
 
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