22 BIG 12
IOWA STATE CYCLONES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
lowa State quarterback Austen Armau (4) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of the Cyclones' 2-4-10 victory against Baylor last Saturday. Arnaud and the Cyclones are preparing to play Nebraska this weekend.
Quarterback Arnaud recovering from injury
By Chris Cuellar Iowa State Daily
AMES, Iowa — With the faint scent of bowl eligibility only two wins away, Cyclone fans came away confident from the 24-10 win over Baylor this past weekend, but nicks and bruises required quarterback Austen Arnaud and running back Alexander Robinson to leave the game. The backfield starters will be undergoing treatment throughout the week in order to play against Nebraska this Saturday, and overall improvements and strong practices have made Iowa State (4-3, 1-2 Big 12) one win better under first-year coach Paul Rhoads than the team has been in the last two seasons.
"I think we go about our business in the right way," Rhoads said. "It is cliché in that we work one day at a time, one play at a time and one game at a time, and I feel blessed and fortunate that I have young men that have bought into that philosophy."
The swelling of Arnaud's throwing hand occurred early in the game against Baylor, and while he played through the pain for the
rest of the first half, coaches felt switching to backup Jerome Tiller was the best option.
"It hurt for a little bit, but it didn't hurt that bad, so I kept playing," Arnaud said.
"Once the cold got to it, it started to swell up, made it hard to grip the ball. I'm stubborn, and [offensive coordinator Tom] Herman took me out. It is what it was."
Arnaud's early performance didn't suggest a problem, but even at Monday's weekly press conference, his hand looked recently unwrapped and was indeed visibly puffy and more swollen than his left.
"The first throw into the dirt is what we wanted to get a good look at, and after that it was time to make a change," rhoads said. "When you're in the middle of the game, you play through a lot of pain and a lot of issues, and Austen's a tough cat."
Tiller, a redshirt freshman, played most of the second half as quarterback for the Cyclones, and while he will remain the backup come Saturday game time, his 7-for-8 passing and impressive 20-yard touchdown run were greeted pleasantly by teammates and the coaching staff.
THE WAVE OCTOBER 23, 2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN