The Mid-Morning Dump: Gary Patterson Has Words, Is Untouchable

Iowa State Basketball

SUPERB FIRST IMPRESSION. Deonte Burton was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week yesterday, and it's pretty safe to say he's no longer a "work in progress."

THE BLOCK CONUNDRUM. Travis Hines tells us why Jameel McKay's block numbers have dipped since last season.

WINTER HOT STREAK. Six W's in 20 days? The women are certainly learning how to win in December.

Iowa State Football

FAITH. FAMILY. FOOTBALL. Tommy Birch brings you The Matt Campbell Story.

A Look Back at 2015

FROM COLLEGE GAMEDAY TO CAMPBELL. This was a fun trip down memory lane with Chris Williams.

Around The Country

MONDAY NIGHT QUALIFIER. The Broncos are playoff-bound after storming back to defeat the Bengals 20-17 in overtime.

JUST A BIT OUTSIDE. And Denver could've won it in regulation if not for a narrowly missed field goal as time expired.

SEEMS FINE. Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott was cited for driving on a suspended license after crashing his car on Sunday. Despite the incident and numerous reported traffic citations, Elliott will play in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.

BEING A DAD? THAT'LL BE TEN GRAND. The Chargers fined all-pro safety Eric Weddle $10,000 for remaining on the sideline at halftime to watch his daughter perform in a dance routine.

SIR, I FOUND A HOLE IN YOUR STORY. Apparently former Guyer Institute intern Charles Sly, who is accusing Peyton Manning of doping in 2011, didn't even work at the clinic until 2013.

LARGE MAN INJURED. The Longhorns frontcourt has suffered a pretty big blow.

Texas C Cameron Ridley broke his foot in practice and will be out indefinitely. He will have surgery Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/8C7V0G0qhG

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2015

ROLLING IN IT. UFC will generate about $600 million in revenue for 2015, a record for the organization and still 20 times less than the NFL.

I HATE THE YANKEES WITH MY LIFE. Congratulations to the ever-resourceful New York Yankees, proud new employer of closer Aroldis Chapman, who is still under investigation for choking his girlfriend and firing a gun in his home in October. They gave up four minor league prospects for a situational pitcher who could legitimately be arrested for domestic violence.

REST EASY, CLOWN PRINCE. Harlem Globetrotters star Meadowlark Lemon, who played in more than 16,000 games from 1955-1980, has died at age 83.

SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH. I don't wish to alarm you, but Stephen Curry scored 17 points in two minutes and 54 seconds. We're not worthy of any of this.

HOOOOOO BUDDY. Gary Patterson's response to Baker Mayfield complaining about not getting a scholarship offer from TCU: "If Baker Mayfield wants to blame TCU for 128 BCS schools not offering him a scholarship, that's fine. Ask about Baker's dad [James]. He's an arrogant guy who thinks he knows everything."

NEVER EASY. Tom Izzo will coach in tonight's Big Ten opener at Iowa despite the passing of his father Carl, 90, last night. Our deepest condolences to the Izzos.