Week 9: Three Questions That The Cyclones Must Answer

by Mark Kieffer on Oct 28, 2009 9:09 PM CDT in Iowa State Football Comment 3 comments

Below is list of the three questions that I think the Cyclones have to answer in order to pull off the victory at A&M later this week, before you even get into breaking down the team and the Xs and Os.

1. How healthy is this team?/ Who is going to sit out?

I think it should be better than the previous week. I heard from an unnamed source today that A-Rob is expected to go, which is a big plus, but Arnaud is still iffy. Having A-Rob back would be a big plus for this offense. My concern with having Arnaud out, is that there's a good amount of film on Tiller, in that a week of preparation could expose some weaknesses. Either way, having at least one guy back is better than last week, and who knows? Maybe Arnaud finds a way to get on the field afterall. I'd hope with another week, that the flu situation on the team has passed - or at least the worst of it has.

2. Can the team perform at a high level after an emotional win?

This is one of the biggest challenges a coaching staff. The Cyclones are getting a little more attention now in a positive way. They have exceeded most fan's expectations at this point. It might be easy to fall into that trap of letting up a little. Feeling like "you've made it". I hope that the players are still hungry, and the staff can get on the guys if they are showing signs of letting up. The Cyclones are going to have to be gritty to win games, and you can't lose your edge.

3. Can the kicking game make the needed adjustments to be effective?

On the call-in show, Coach Rhoads talked about the idea of moving the holder a yard or two back. Honestly, I think the problem has varied game by game. With K-State and Kansas, I feel like there were some low kicks. Didn't always see a ton of penetration on the line. Those blocks against Nebraska were all Suh though: he completley dominated the line, even swim moving to the inside of the protection. At the same time, this team can't afford to leave points on the field and expect to win, especially on the road. I can handle some misses and blocks from 50+ yards out, but the missing the PATs are hard to swallow. I don't know the answer, but I hope they can.

What are your thoughts? Anything that I haven't covered that you are concerned about?

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Do you think there’s a chance of a QB tandem with Arnaud and Tiller? That would be interesting.

I think they should be ready to go, they came back stronger after heartbreaking losses, they should be able to continue the streak here.

As for the kicking game, just keep your fingers crossed.

by cyke on Oct 28, 2009 9:39 PM CDT reply actions

Damn Kickers...

Complete mental basketcases, all of em. :-P

Of course, if my Extra Point trajectory was the sole difference between 1st in the division, I suppose I’d be second guessing myself too. Here’s to hoping he settles down before he Yelks away a Bowl Game.

"I am so proud to be your coach." -Paul Rhoads

by CyHawk on Oct 28, 2009 10:09 PM CDT reply actions

#2

I was worried about that too. Hopefully some of that will be mitigated by the fact that A&M is coming off an unexpected win against one of their rivals last week. I think the team will still be hungry though as they’ve got a lot to play for.

Ugh, no idea what to do about kicks. There’s got to be something we can do to prevent some of the blocks.

I really hope we can get A-Rob back. Schwartz hasn’t done a bad job but Robinson is one of the best in the conference.

Other than that it’s a lot to ask to go into 2 really tough stadiums and win twice in a row but I think a win is there for the taking.

by Pauli on Oct 28, 2009 11:25 PM CDT reply actions