CEDAR RAPIDS — Three years ago, Iowa State offered its fans a popular, familiar face as the new men’s basketball coach, and a blank slate beyond that. How would Fred Hoiberg, who had never coached at any level, be able to swim with the sharks of the Big 12 Conference and the rest of major-college [...]

  By Rob Gray, correspondent AMES — He’ll block. He’ll run. He’ll catch. Anything else, Jeff Woody? “I’ve seen it all, heard it all,” the former Iowa State walk-on said of his Cyclone career. On paper, the fifth-year senior who rumbled for the game-winning touchdown in the landmark 2011 triumph over Oklahoma State remains a [...]

By Rob Gray Correspondent AMES — His gait may seem a little off. His movements, a tad unorthodox. But substance trumps style for Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson, a surprisingly-skilled — if somewhat unconventional — dual-threat sophomore who has emerged as the Cyclones’ first clear-cut No. 1 playcaller since 2010. “He’s faster than you think,” [...]

AMES — Iowa State tight end Ernst Brun spent last spring trying to dent the depth chart. Now the well-established downfield threat’s working on something loftier. “My spot isn’t on lock,” said Brun, a 6-3, 251-pound senior and former JUCO transfer who made six touchdown catches last season. “I have to play every snap like [...]

I think some of you would find this interesting. It’s Iowa State football coach Paul Rhoads talking to an ISU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Leadership class, and it’s some candid stuff. It’s far more interesting than 99.9 percent of coaches’ press conferences you’ll ever hear. He talks about his No. 1 experience in [...]

AMES — Running back Aaron Wimberly got in on the ground floor. Literally. As Iowa State shored up the foundation of its state-of-the-art Bergstrom Football Complex late last spring, he stood in the vast footprint of what would become the weight room. His host? Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads. “When I walked into that big area, [...]

AMES — Jared Barnett established himself as a key player in Iowa State football lore. Now the sophomore quarterback is moving on. Cyclone athletics announced Friday morning Barnett — who played his greatest game in ISU’s landmark 37-31 overtime toppling of then No. 2 Oklahoma State in 2011 — intends to transfer, along with backup [...]

AMES — For current Iowa State football players, the future has become a closed loop leading up to and including the Dec. 31 Liberty Bowl game against Tulsa. For Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads, the longer view came into sharper focus Wednesday. Rhoads announced the ink had dried — or had nearly dried — on the [...]

AMES — Sam Richardson’s expected to make his second career start as Iowa State’s quarterback when the Dec. 31 Liberty Bowl rematch with Tulsa rolls around. So what does Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads want to see most from him in terms of development? “How specific is everything?” Rhoads said after practice last weekend. “When I [...]

AMES — Blink of an eye. Flick of the wrist. West Virginia’s electrifying receiver/running back Tavon Austin needed a relative instant — 11 seconds buried within 60 hard-fought minutes — to churn out the most agonizing 75-yard touchdown catch and run in recent Iowa State history. “The crowd went dead,” Cyclone defensive lineman Cleyon Laing [...]