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ISU moving past Iowa loss to ensure it's ready for Kent State
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-09-18
College football may not have been the best thing for Austen Arnaud to watch last Saturday night. Everything the Iowa State quarterback saw kept reminding him of his play earlier in the day.
An interception would remind him of the four he threw.
A big play would remind him of the ones he didn’t make.
A dejected team walking of the field reminded him of the Cyclones after their 35-3 loss to Iowa hours earlier.
“Saturday night hurt,” Arnaud said. “You would think it would be easy for me to get it off my mind, but it’s not like that.”
In the aftermath of the 32-point loss to the Hawkeyes, ISU players and coaches have stressed the importance of getting over the loss so the Cyclones can properly prepare for tonight’s game against Kent State (6 p.m., ESPN360).
No one wants the loss to linger and be like one of the nine weeks in the last three seasons where ISU lost its next game after suffering a loss of at least 20 points.
So that begs the question: how does a football team flush a game from its system and move on to the next one?
“You have to be good at getting rid of the negative feelings and focus on the learning process of it and get on to the next week or you’ll never become a better player,” offensive coordinator Tom Herman said.
The coaches’ response
The first thing head coach Paul Rhoads looks for after a tough loss is a team’s work ethic.
If a team is practicing at the proper speed, doing its due diligence in the film room, and looks upbeat, Rhoads knows he doesn’t have a problem. But if he does see slumped shoulders or loafing on the field, he knows there could be a problem.
“One of the worst qualities I think a human being can have is self pity,” Rhoads said. “I told them that a couple of times (on Sunday). Any negative body language that they display, we are going to get it out of them and get them running around and get them focused on what they are doing.”
Rhoads calls what he does motivational. Herman says it’s psychological.
Regardless of what a coach calls it, they are trying to put each player in a position to execute each Saturday.
“Whether you are bringing a down kid up or an up kid to a grounded position it’s about how you get that kid motivated and prepared to play,” Rhoads said.
Herman believes the best coaches instinctively know when to put an arm around a player and when to ride them. Just like quarterbacks need a few reps under center before they are comfortable in the pocket, most coaches need a few years before they know how to get a player in the best frame of mind to succeed.
“There is a fine line you walk there, and every young man is different and everyone is motivated differently,” Herman said. “Early on with your interaction, we start getting to know the young man. You try to find out what buttons you can press to motivate him.”
The players’ response
Arnaud woke up for church Sunday morning ready to put the Iowa loss behind him, but he waited until after a Sunday night film session to do it.
He can’t learn from his mistakes unless he sits with Herman and goes over what went wrong and what went right.
“That was the healing process for me,” Arnaud said. “I’ve seen it now. I’ve seen how many mistakes I’ve made, didn’t make a lot of mistakes, but the ones I did were costly.”
Watching film reaffirmed what Arnaud thought after the game. He’s pressing too much on the field. He’s trying to make big plays instead of settling for what’s there. After talking with Herman and Rhoads about his play, Arnaud was ready to prepare for Kent State.
And after a quick workout on Sunday, where Arnaud fixed some mechanical issues he saw on film, the Iowa game is the last thing on his mind.
“That’s the way it has to be,” Arnaud said. “Otherwise, I’d never improve.”
Wide receiver Jake Williams has a 24-hour rule after a game. During that time he can revel in a win and watch highlights on ESPN or analyze every thing he did wrong after a loss.
But once those 24 hours have passed, he puts the game behind him.
“Each person kind of deals with it in their own way,” Williams said.
It’s not always the easiest thing to do after a big day.
Safety David Sims had 11 tackles and two interceptions against Iowa. Rhoads raved about defensive end Christopher Lyle, who had three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The offensive line opened up holes to the tune of 5.6 yards per carry.
But the offensive line still has plenty to work on, and offensive line coach Bill Bleil said that will keep the front 5 from getting overconfident.
“We have to eliminate mistakes, which we haven’t had a lot of,” Bleil said. “But we do have to start finishing blocks so some of those five-yard runs can become touchdowns.”
How it comes together
Rhoads couldn’t have been more pleased with the Cyclones’ initial response in practice.
Arnaud was upbeat on Sunday. No one lofted around. Heads weren’t hung in shame.
The players attacked practice, looking to correct its penalties and passing game struggles before delving into the Kent State preparation later in the week.
“It was a collective effort of everyone to move on,” Rhoads said. “We were eager to eliminate mistakes and prepare for Kent State — coaches, players, trainers and managers, everyone associated with the program. I thought that was very healthy and very positive.”
If the Cyclones threw out the first loss of the season correctly, it could lead them to throwing out their 17-game road losing streak tonight.
“That’s our plan,” Arnaud said.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929 or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-09-18
College football may not have been the best thing for Austen Arnaud to watch last Saturday night. Everything the Iowa State quarterback saw kept reminding him of his play earlier in the day.
An interception would remind him of the four he threw.
A big play would remind him of the ones he didn’t make.
A dejected team walking of the field reminded him of the Cyclones after their 35-3 loss to Iowa hours earlier.
“Saturday night hurt,” Arnaud said. “You would think it would be easy for me to get it off my mind, but it’s not like that.”
In the aftermath of the 32-point loss to the Hawkeyes, ISU players and coaches have stressed the importance of getting over the loss so the Cyclones can properly prepare for tonight’s game against Kent State (6 p.m., ESPN360).
No one wants the loss to linger and be like one of the nine weeks in the last three seasons where ISU lost its next game after suffering a loss of at least 20 points.
So that begs the question: how does a football team flush a game from its system and move on to the next one?
“You have to be good at getting rid of the negative feelings and focus on the learning process of it and get on to the next week or you’ll never become a better player,” offensive coordinator Tom Herman said.
The coaches’ response
The first thing head coach Paul Rhoads looks for after a tough loss is a team’s work ethic.
If a team is practicing at the proper speed, doing its due diligence in the film room, and looks upbeat, Rhoads knows he doesn’t have a problem. But if he does see slumped shoulders or loafing on the field, he knows there could be a problem.
“One of the worst qualities I think a human being can have is self pity,” Rhoads said. “I told them that a couple of times (on Sunday). Any negative body language that they display, we are going to get it out of them and get them running around and get them focused on what they are doing.”
Rhoads calls what he does motivational. Herman says it’s psychological.
Regardless of what a coach calls it, they are trying to put each player in a position to execute each Saturday.
“Whether you are bringing a down kid up or an up kid to a grounded position it’s about how you get that kid motivated and prepared to play,” Rhoads said.
Herman believes the best coaches instinctively know when to put an arm around a player and when to ride them. Just like quarterbacks need a few reps under center before they are comfortable in the pocket, most coaches need a few years before they know how to get a player in the best frame of mind to succeed.
“There is a fine line you walk there, and every young man is different and everyone is motivated differently,” Herman said. “Early on with your interaction, we start getting to know the young man. You try to find out what buttons you can press to motivate him.”
The players’ response
Arnaud woke up for church Sunday morning ready to put the Iowa loss behind him, but he waited until after a Sunday night film session to do it.
He can’t learn from his mistakes unless he sits with Herman and goes over what went wrong and what went right.
“That was the healing process for me,” Arnaud said. “I’ve seen it now. I’ve seen how many mistakes I’ve made, didn’t make a lot of mistakes, but the ones I did were costly.”
Watching film reaffirmed what Arnaud thought after the game. He’s pressing too much on the field. He’s trying to make big plays instead of settling for what’s there. After talking with Herman and Rhoads about his play, Arnaud was ready to prepare for Kent State.
And after a quick workout on Sunday, where Arnaud fixed some mechanical issues he saw on film, the Iowa game is the last thing on his mind.
“That’s the way it has to be,” Arnaud said. “Otherwise, I’d never improve.”
Wide receiver Jake Williams has a 24-hour rule after a game. During that time he can revel in a win and watch highlights on ESPN or analyze every thing he did wrong after a loss.
But once those 24 hours have passed, he puts the game behind him.
“Each person kind of deals with it in their own way,” Williams said.
It’s not always the easiest thing to do after a big day.
Safety David Sims had 11 tackles and two interceptions against Iowa. Rhoads raved about defensive end Christopher Lyle, who had three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The offensive line opened up holes to the tune of 5.6 yards per carry.
But the offensive line still has plenty to work on, and offensive line coach Bill Bleil said that will keep the front 5 from getting overconfident.
“We have to eliminate mistakes, which we haven’t had a lot of,” Bleil said. “But we do have to start finishing blocks so some of those five-yard runs can become touchdowns.”
How it comes together
Rhoads couldn’t have been more pleased with the Cyclones’ initial response in practice.
Arnaud was upbeat on Sunday. No one lofted around. Heads weren’t hung in shame.
The players attacked practice, looking to correct its penalties and passing game struggles before delving into the Kent State preparation later in the week.
“It was a collective effort of everyone to move on,” Rhoads said. “We were eager to eliminate mistakes and prepare for Kent State — coaches, players, trainers and managers, everyone associated with the program. I thought that was very healthy and very positive.”
If the Cyclones threw out the first loss of the season correctly, it could lead them to throwing out their 17-game road losing streak tonight.
“That’s our plan,” Arnaud said.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929 or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
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