Dose Of Reality Hits Iowa State

Hope and optimism are a hell of a drug.

It’s that same hope and optimism that can burn you when it all comes crashing down at once. That is precisely what has happened in the last two weeks for this Iowa State team and fan base. The high of being 3-0 and the optimism and hope for a fast start have worn off. Now reality has set in for all of us. This is still a team finding its way.

Iowa State graduated arguably the most prestigious senior class in school history after last season. A group of guys that were battle-tested in every single way and knew how to get things done if needed. You move on to this year and some of those tested guys still remain, but the bulk of the team is playing extended snaps for the first time in their career. Unfortunately, it has shown in the last two weeks.

This coaching staff preaches winning in the margins and doing the little things that matter to win football games. Whether it’s holding a block for a second longer, staying in your lanes on kick-off coverage, or, heck, even getting a snap down with no issue. Over the last two weeks, this Cyclone team has not won in the margins, and ultimately some of those mistakes have cost this team the chance at being 5-0 or even 4-1 as I type this.

So reality has set in. This is an Iowa State team that has talented players across the board, many of those talented players are young and still trying to find their sea legs. That process takes time and requires them to learn from mistakes. Ideally, that can happen on the practice field and not on game days, but the huge roster turnover has forced those young guys to learn on the job, which affects real-world results. With that, we may have to come off our expectations when the team was sitting at 3-0 and readjust on the fly with them as well.

Take it week-by-week Cyclone fans.