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It was the first time I’d seen it in the three Iowa State games I’ve covered. Head Coach Paul Rhoads was silent and still. When I spoke with Coach’s wife before kickoff we laughed about the same thing… how her husband is almost like a little kid on the sidelines. He runs, jumps and yells, not concealing his passion for the game. But like most Cyclone fans in the second half, Paul Rhoads stood stunned as the Utah Utes cruised to a 68-27 win.
Iowa State’s mike linebacker, A.J. Klein, may look like a beast on the field, but he’s apparently much more gentle off the field. He even called himself shy! A.J. told me that he’s majoring in kinesiology and physical therapy with plans to go into geriatrics. His dad is a physical therapist and he used to go to work with him as a kid. Someday, he’d like to continue the family business. These days, however, he only has time for naps.
When I asked Coach Whittingham about the quarterback position, he reminded me, “It’s all about competition… it doesn’t matter if he’s been here for five minutes or five years.” He went on to explain that backup quarterback, Terrance Cain, was the most improved player on his team this year. He started the first eight games in 2009. When I observed Jordan Wynn come off the field with a shoulder injury early in the game, I wondered if he’d fight through it and keep playing for that very reason. His frustration was clear, but so was his determination to stay on the field.
Defensively, Wally Burnham knew his Cyclones had their work cut out for them. “We’re not big enough to say here we are, now beat us,” he told me. While knowing he’d face mostly 21 and 11 personnel, he admitted his defense would need to make a lot of quick adjustments. “The o-line is really good at pass blocking,” he said as he addressed concerns about the size differences between his defensive ends and Utah’s offensive tackles. Turns out, his fears were realized, as the Utes accounted for more yards through the air (354) than the Cyclones rushing and passing yardage combined (348).
It’s no secret that Utah has a lot of former LDS missionaries on their roster. Coach Whittingham told me the number is somewhere between 30 and 40. I asked Coach about the challenges of signing a guy and then losing him for two years. He explained that many of them are not able to exercise during that time, and often lose considerable weight and game speed. They’re completely out of competitive football for two years. For that reason, he encourages them to leave mid school year, around December or January so that when they return, they have a good six to eight months to get in shape and/or put on weight. Either way, Coach Whittingham told me he supports their efforts one hundred percent.
If you’ve ever wondered whom Austen Arnaud is talking to first when he comes off the field, wonder no more. Offensive Coordinator Tom Herman’s Graduate Assistant, Drew Mehringer is usually the first guy to speak to Arnaud when he gets to the sideline. Drew played quarterback at Rice and was Coach Herman’s student assistant after suffering a major injury. Coach Herman said he trusts him absolutely because he played the position, knows the system and he just so happens to be really smart. Coach Herman told me he graduated with a Political Science degree and a 3.8 GPA.
The fact that ISU cornerback Jeremy Reeves was playing in Saturday’s game was almost a miracle in and of itself. When I met with Paul Rhoads in the hotel lobby on Friday, he paused our conversation to ask Jeremy if the antibiotics had kicked in. When I asked about it, Coach went on to explain that Jeremy was suffering from a bad infection in his wisdom tooth. He was still feeling the pain Friday evening but apparently was good to go by Saturday afternoon. Thank God for good meds!
One of my biggest regrets during Saturday’s game was not finding Betha Jean Giffei, the 86 year old grandmother of Utah’s left guard, Caleb Schlauderaff. Though she hadn’t been back to Ames in thirty years, Giffei made the trip to see her grandson play against her alma mater. She isn’t just any Iowa State alumnus though; Betha Jean Giffei was ISU’s homecoming queen in 1945. To celebrate the occasion, she did what any great grandma would… she made her own purse! One side was dedicated to the Cyclones, and the other for the Utes.
When I asked Coach Rhoads about his seemingly random usage of his headset on the sideline, he told me he probably gets on most often “out of anger”. He added that he’ll get on to relay information, especially if he thinks there should be a change in personnel. For example, against Texas Tech, Darius Reynolds told Coach Rhoads he could beat Jarvis Phillips, so Coach got on the headset and sent him in on the next play. Sure enough, Darius got in and scored a 36-yard touchdown.
During the week, Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham told me that his guys pride themselves on making strong showings against BCS schools, especially because next year, they’ll be one. Utah has more wins against BCS schools than any non-BCS team in the country. Yes, that includes underdog favorites, TCU and Boise State.
Hey voters… Utah is legit. Say what you want about Iowa State’s defensive breakdown, but 68 points on a Big 12 team is no joke. Like Coach Rhoads told me, “Everybody says, ‘well they haven’t lost but they haven’t played anybody.’ That may be true, but they’ve whooped everybody they’ve played.”
Tune in to Fox College Sports this Saturday for another Big 12
matchup between Baylor and Colorado.
