Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads says while the Cyclones are improving there is no such thing as a moral victory. ISU nearly upset 16th ranked Kansas before falling 41-36 and the Cyclones return home this weekend to host Baylor in their annual homecoming contest. Rhoads says they’d love to be nothing more than to be 5-1 right now, but are plays away from being that. He says the goal and expectations are to improve as a football team.
The Cyclones piled up more than 500 yards of total offense and Rhoads says it was the best performance by far from the offense. He says the team continues to grasp more and more of what it is they are doing and how it is they are supposed to do it. Rhoads says they have advanced from a good running game and a simple passing game to a more advanced passing game as the offense has grown.
The defense gave more than 440 yards of passing at Kansas and improvement on that side of the ball is needed for the Cyclones to take the next step. Rhoads says Kansas has one of the best quarterback-reciever combinations in the country, but the yards they gave up shows they still need to grow on defense.
Rhoads says the Cyclones need a better pass rush and the secondary needs to close off the passing lanes. He says they have to understand concepts that go along with pass rush better. He says they have to locate receivers with their eyes and shut off what he calls “windows.”