Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says the Cyclones have put Saturday’s loss to Iowa behind them and have already moved on. ISU takes a 1-1 record on the road to Kent State Saturday night after a 35-3 loss to the Hawkeyes. Rhoads says he told the staff once they got through that “I’ve pouted longer than any of you” and it is time to move on.
Rhoads says the Cyclones had an outstanding practice on Sunday and it did not surprise him. He says the attitude in the lockerroom showed him they were upset with themselves and knew they didn’t represent themselves well. Rhoads expects quarterback Austen Arnaud to bounce back with a solid effort. Arnaud threw four interceptions in the loss to Iowa.
Rhoads says Arnaud is so competitive and wants to create things and “he put our football team in harms way because of that.” He says Arnaud was back out bouncing around and not showing any self pity in practice Sunday. Rhoads says there were some bright spots.
“We improved as a defensive football team Saturday. I’ve had a chance to watch the game film twice, and there were a lot of encouraging things. We’re not the steel curtain by any stretch, but we tackled better in space, we were simpler in scheme and that helped our execution.
Junior safety David Sims had two interceptions on Saturday and now has a total of three in the first two games. He says Simms made a huge jump from week one to week two and did it with his approach to being coached. Rhoads says if that approach continues, he could become a really fine football player.
Rhoads says the Cyclones know that Kent State will provide a tough matchup, as the team has been beaten by them in the past and they are concerned and exciting about preparing and being ready to play.
Kent State is 1-1 after a loss at Boston College and coach Doug Martin says they are thrilled with the chance to host a team out of a BCS conference. Martin says it’s great to do that and he says having them at home will be a big advantage.
Last year Iowa State claimed a 48-28 win over the Golden Flashes in Ames. Martin says they’ve upgraded their talent and says Coach Gene Chizik had recruited a lot of talent before he left.