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Iowa State Cyclones
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma running back Brennan Clay, left, avoids a tackle by Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein, right, in the fourth quarter.
Weary Iowa State loses to Oklahoma, looks to Kansas game
BY JAKE LOVETT
Iowa State Daily
The Iowa State football team was tired and beaten up before it went to Norman to face No. 6 Oklahoma. After the Iowa State defense faced 94 plays from the Oklahoma offense, surrendered 52 points and the Iowa State offense was held to just three yards per play, the Cyclones returned with even wearier legs.
At wide receiver, Darius Darks left the field Saturday after a shot to the ribcage sent him off the field. A junior, Darks will likely be limited on Saturday against the Longhorns.
Running back Alexander Robinson has been hobbled with foot and ankle injuries this season, but will be "fine and ready to play," Rhoads said.
Defensive end Rashawn Parker left the loss to Oklahoma with a knee injury, Sophomore Roosevelt Maggitt filled in for the injured Parker and would do so if Parker isn't ready to take the field in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.
Junior defensive end Jacob Lattimer is listed as the starter at the end opposite Parker and Maggitt, supplanting Patrick Neal, who has started at left end since the 2009 season.
While the defensive front four has been a point of emphasis, Rhoads insisted the Lattimer move and any future playing time for Maggitt are not looks toward 2011 or beyond.
The coach made a similar change on the offensive side of the ball, moving wide receiver Darius Reynolds to the top spot at his position, supplanting Sedrick Johnson.
Reynolds has 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown this season, while Johnson has 14 catches for 94 yards this season.
Closing the speed gap
For back-to-back weeks, Rhoads has pointed to differences in team speed as a major reason for scoring discrepancies on the field.
Against Utah, Rhoads pointed to a major speed difference on special teams as a huge gap in the Cyclones' 68-27 loss. There seemed to be a speed difference everywhere on the field in the 52-0 loss to Oklahoma.
With seven teams on Iowa State's schedule in the first Bowl Championship Series rankings that were released on Sunday — including three of their remaining five opponents — the challenge of facing quicker, deeper lineups is present nearly all year.
Recruiting the kind of speed necessary to have the kind of depth that Oklahoma and Utah have, Rhoads said, becomes difficult because players with that speed at each position are fewer and farther between.
The West Des Moines native and Valley High School graduate has 16 punts in the last two games and has averaged 50.9 yards per kick over that span.
While he is second in the Big 12 with his 48.4 yards per kick over the course of the season, Rhoads said there are a few things the first-year special teamer can improve upon.
Coming into the season, punter was a question mark for Rhoads and the Cyclones. Van Der Kamp and senior Daniel Kuehl were battling to replace long-time punter Michael Brandtner who departed the team after
"The biggest disparity between those programs is in the interior lines, especially on the defensive side," Rhoads said. "That's where we need the most growth, probably, in the program."
Kicking it old school
Freshman punter Kirby Van Der Kamp has been one of the brightest spots in Iowa State's back-to-back losses.
2009.
However, after a bit of a slow start, Van Der Kamp has proven himself to be a worthy replacement, even as a freshman.
"He's a true freshman but he's not kicking like one," said Iowa state quarterback Austen Arnaud.
Tau'fo'ou update
THE WAVE OCTOBER 22,2010
Tau fouou broke his fibula against the thenninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes and has been out since.
Injured Iowa State linebacker Matt Taufoou is recovering from the broken leg that has sidelined him nearly all season.
Rhoads said that the junior will "run around" more this week, but still likely won't see the practice field until next week when the Cyclones begin preparing to face Kansas.
Homecoming kickoff set
The Cyclones' game against Kansas will be the first of the season not televised. The game will also be the first of the Cyclones' games at Jack Trice Stadiums that won't finish under the lights.
FOC
iowa State will play Kansas at Iowa State at 1 p.m. Oct. 30.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks to fight Aggies for conference win
BY KORY CARPENTER kcarpenter@kansan.com
Freshman Jordan Webb passes downfield during the third quarter of Kansas game against in-state rival Kansas State at Memorial Stadium Thursday night. The Jayhawks will attempt to earn their first conference in 10 oames.
Rvan Waoooner/KANSAN
For Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman and Kansas coach Turner Gill, it's a long way from the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. Sherman was the Green Bay Packers coach for six seasons, and he hired Gill as the Director of Player Development in 2005. After meeting Gill, Sherman was immediately impressed.
"I felt he could relate well to the players and coaches," Sherman said. "He is full of integrity."
Five years later, the two coaches are in the Big 12 Conference. Gill in his first season with the Jayhawks and Sherman in his third with the Aggies.
Both teams have struggled through the first half of the season and both are still looking for their first conference win. The Aggies started the season strong with three consecutive wins, but have dropped the last three, including conference losses to Oklahoma State and Missouri. Kansas has faced similar adversity, dropping the last two games by a combined score of 114-14.
Freshman safety Keeston Terry will miss another week with a leg injury he suffered in the second half loss to Southern Miss. Gill confirmed the decision after Wednesday's practice.
"He's still having trouble. He won't be ready for this ballgame," he said. "We'll have to make the decision next week if he's able to go or not."
Terry played a large part in the upset of Georgia Tech, recording five tackles in the 28-25 Kansas win. His absence the last three games has been noted, as the Kansas defense has given up an average of 43 points per game.
If those performances are repeated Saturday night in Memorial Stadium, Homecoming week for KU fans might end on a sour note,
Texas A&M senior quarterback Jerrod Johnson has ruled the air for the Aggies this season. He's averaged 43 passes a game, including a staggering 62 attempts in the loss to Oklahoma State. Johnson is also second in the Big 12 in total offense, second only to Baylor's Robert Griffin III. However, Johnson is capable of making bad decisions. His nine interceptions so far this season are more than he threw all of last season.
as the Aggie offense is 10th in the nation in passing yards per game with an average of 305 per contest.
The three straight losses by the Aggies could be a sign of hope for Jayhawk fans. However, last week Kansas State came to town after an embarrassing loss as well. All they did was put up 460 yards of offense while beating the downrodden lavhawks 59-7.
On offense, Kansas has failed to put up double digits in Big 12 play, only scoring 14 points the last two games. Freshman quarterback Jordan Webb is in his first season running the Jayhawk offense, and it has shown recently. After starting his season with only one interception in four games, he has thrown three in the last two losses.
"We always have some plays like that in the game plan," he said. "It's just about finding an opportunity to execute them."
Gill said he wants to have the lead early to call a trick play like a reverse or half-back pass, but that obviously hasn't been the case the last two games.
With the offense struggling to score points, Gill didn't rule out the idea of calling a few trick plays Saturday night.
Saturday's loser will be 0-3 in the
Edited by Abby Davenport
Big 12, with big games still remaining in conference for each squad. Texas A&M still plays Oklahoma and Texas while the Jayhawks have yet to play Nebraska or Missouri. A win by either team would give the respective squad much needed momentum heading into the second half of the season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
A
How do people expect the Jayhawks to win when they lose the winningest player in program history, a big man who bailed anybody out on defense and a versatile scorer?
It's the same thing Martin does, but in Manhattan.
It's what coach Bill Self calls "Kansas Math."
His main goal when he became the coach was to win the Big 12 Championship. He has yet to do that because Kansas has won it the last six seasons.
It's addition by subtraction. It's not like the NBA where guys can play for the same team from their rookie season to retirement. Guys come and go their first year or stay for four, but in the end they will be replaced.
"Nobody has beat them on the floor, which is where you decide who wins," Martin said.
On paper Kansas State looks like the favorite, but Martin lives in reality and winning on paper doesn't cut it for him.
This is true. Since the 2007-2008 season, when Martin was hired as the Wildcat coach, Kansas has a 42-6 record. Kansas State is 30-18.
Martin says that this is Kansas' conference because of its dominance.
3.
But Self does not live in the past
He thinks it's difficult to win a national title and it's even more difficult to repeat. He is hungry for another title.
He doesn't look at the preseason polls either. When asked about receiving two first-place votes, he had no idea that Kansas received two votes.
I don't think coaches really care about preseason polls and awards. They don't mean anything if the team isn't cutting down the net in April.
Edited by Abby Davenport