How would you rank the football programs of Iowa’s three state universities based solely on Saturday’s opening-game performances alone? You could have a spirited debate over No. 1. Is it Northern Iowa for pushing Wisconsin way harder than the Badgers or anyone else dreamed they would be pushed before falling, 26-21 in Madison? Or is [...]
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We don’t have national-title football or basketball teams at Iowa state universities, but we find our way to the ESPYs. Two years ago, Northern Iowa’s men’s basketball team won the ESPY (ESPN’s annual awards) for Best Upset. Coach Ben Jacobson and players Ali Farokhmanesh and Adam Koch were on stage in front of the [...]
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Phil Steele of PhilSteele.com and Phil Steele’s College Football Preview has his own formula for ranking the 2011 college football schedules. According to Steele, Iowa State will need to be made of steel to withstand what it’s up against. What, playing Big East champion Connecticut on the road, Insight Bowl-champ Iowa at home, and [...]
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Maybe it’s the Internet, and awareness of the picayune in any selected area of interest is magnified because of it. Maybe it’s college football itself, grabbing at every straw of publicity to get a little more attention in a constantly competitive market. But this summer it seems as if college football award watch lists [...]
continue »LAWRENCE, Kan. — The silver lining after another narrow Iowa State defeat was the emergence of the passing game and quarterback Austen Arnaud. Arnaud slogged through ISU’s first five games, too often throwing behind receivers or at their feet. Saturday against No. 16 Kansas, he was on his game and nearly gave the Cyclones (3-3, [...]
continue »As it turned out, one of the most difficult decisions of Austen Arnaud’s life really wasn’t that hard. The quarterback had plenty of options while starring at Ames High School. But at the end of the day, Arnaud wanted to play major college football within his home state’s borders. Iowa or Iowa State? “I always [...]
continue »AMES — It was 11:15 p.m. last Thursday, and Paul Rhoads’ booming voice somehow wasn’t the worse for wear after a long, emotional day. “It’s still on the scoreboard!” Rhoads said as he entered a meeting room in Iowa State’s Jacobson Athletic Building to tape his weekly television show. “They can’t take that away from [...]
continue »AMES – A couple of California castoffs will play a big part in determining who wins the state of Iowa’s biggest football game of the year. Receiver Darius Reynolds and safety David Sims had standout debuts last Thursday in Iowa State’s 34-17 victory over North Dakota State. The newcomers will have to play big again [...]
continue »IOWA CITY — Out of the frying pan and into the Trice. If the No. 22 Hawkeyes thought last Saturday’s 17-16 escape of Northern Iowa was a dogfight, they’re in for that times 10 this week. It’s about a two-hour bus ride from Iowa City to Ames. Somehow, for Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, the bus [...]
continue »AMES — There will be Bumpy Rhoads this season. Perhaps even Rocky Rhoads. But Iowa State’s football team — forgive the awful puns — got to take a trip to Victory Rhoads with its new head coach last night at Jack Trice Stadium. That’s never a bad thing, especially when you had a 10-game losing [...]
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