Time for my weekly question and answer session with someone from “the other side”. This week I talked with Iowa State Alum Mike Rouse (@ISUGoldenRule), a man I consider to be one of the foremost experts on Cyclones football around. Rouse gave us some solid information and candid answers, so without further delay, let’s get to it”
Whisenant: Tell us how Head Coach Paul Rhoads has improved ISU overall, and how concerned you are about a big time school getting him away from Ames?
Rouse: Paul Rhoads has a new $20 million dollar football facility and fans have bought out season tickets. ISU fans have bought over 43,000 season tickets and for the first time in program history fans are ALL IN. Jack Trice currently holds 56,800 and I expect within 5 years the South End Zone will have between $60 – $80 million in improvements. These improvements will be in the form of a double decked End Zone holding adding 5,000 seats for 60,000 people total and becoming the gateway to the University. The football stadium is the first thing potential visitors see on University Boulevard driving into Ames. I expect these updates will look impressive kind of similar to updates to Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
Paul Rhoads has personally got the fans excited and started building expectations. With these expectations come good and bad consequences. In year five of the Paul Rhoads era fans are expecting more than ever. Fans are hoping to see our offense average more than 24 points per game this year or they will want to see changes starting with Offensive Coordinator Courtney Messingham.
Paul Rhoads has already rumored to have had offers from major college programs. I believe last year Wisconsin might have offered him the job before hiring Gary Andersen. Also, Pittsburgh where Paul Rhoads was a Defensive Coordinator and worked for seven years, was very interested in him before hiring Paul Chryst in 2012. Rhoads may have turned both jobs down or at the very least told them he was not interested. I’m not worried at all that a big time program will lure him away until the job is finished. By finished, I mean finishing in the top half of the Big Twelve conference or winning a conference title. I’m not saying these will be easy in Ames, Iowa but these are the goals Paul Rhoads is hoping to achieve. His son Jake Rhoads is a freshman long snapper on the team as well. I can’t see Rhoads seriously going anywhere for another 4-5 years. He still has nine years left on a ten year contract extension he signed in 2012.
Whisenant: Iowa State currently holds a commitment from WR Allen Lazard, who is still taking visits. What would his commitment mean for the program, and how concerned are you he will sign elsewhere?
Rouse: Allen Lazard is a legacy recruit who’s dad Kevin Lazard was a defensive back from 1990-1993. His mom Mary attended Iowa State and his brother Anthony Lazard is a Redshirt Freshman walk on linebacker on the team. Allen, for those who don’t know, was rated as Rivals number one overall receiver for 2014 before the season. He is now rated as the number five overall receiver. He committed to Iowa State last December and his commitment is as strong as ever. He has personally helped to recruit the other commitments and is working at getting at least a couple more. He is the recruit with the most accolades in school history. He is visiting Notre Dame on 10/18/13 for the USC game. I’m not worried at all he signs with another program as he has said all along he will enjoy the recruitment process and take free visits. He has said he is 97 percent solid with Iowa State. I would have bet my mortgage on the fact he signs with Iowa State. Now that I have a baby on the way due in January I wouldn’t do that because you never know what will happen with 18 year old kids. I do think Allen Lazard is the most solid commit we’ve got.
Whisenant: Give us your thoughts on the man under center for the Cyclones, Sam Richardson.
Rouse: Quarterback Sam Richardson is a Redshirt Sophomore who’s a highly underrated passer. I remember watching Iowa State lose 30-23 to Kansas State in 2011 and thinking when Sam Richardson is available we’ll be a better team. Sam, for those who don’t know, won the Orlando Florida Touchdown Club Offensive player of the year in 2010 beating out future Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel. He won a lot of seven on seven tournaments that Summer of his Senior year as well. I’m happy that the coaching staff has given Sam a long leash and is letting him learn on the fly. When we had the Jared Barnett/Steele Jantz quarterback controversy the last couple of years we won six games each season. Sticking with a quality quarterback in either of those seasons probably wins us a couple extra games each year.
Whisenant: Who are the Cyclones Texas fans should know/be concerned with headed into the game?
Rouse: Defensive Tackle David Irving, cornerback Jansen Watson, and running back Aaron Wimberly are a few Cyclones who will be key to this game. David Irving was a defensive end until a few weeks before the season and at 6’7″ 282 pounds has been living up to expectations in the middle. Jansen Watson is our lock down corner and I don’t see many teams challenging him. On the other side we have a 5’7″ Sophomore cornerback, the other Sam Richardson and a true Freshman Nigel Tribune. I see most teams throwing to that side of the defense. Running back Aaron Wimberly is probably the fastest player on the team. At 5’9″ he is the smallest running back but he can take a jet sweep, read option, or a screen pass to the house. He also returns kicks and is a dynamic player.
Whisenant: Â How close, if at all, do you feel the Cyclones are to becoming “the school” in Iowa?
Rouse: University of Iowa has B1G money and are building their own brand new football facilities, put in a brand new scoreboard, and added a new ribbon board around Kinnick Stadium. I don’t believe we are close to becoming the school in Iowa but we are a major threat. They are now doing things like Iowa State has done in the past few years like putting up Hawkeye football billboards throughout Iowa. Iowa State now has over 33,000 students enrolled and has more students enrolled than the University of Iowa for the first time since 1979. More students from the State of Iowa go to Iowa State University and more students stay in State after graduating. I see the fans in Iowa as being split 60/40 for the University of Iowa.
Whisenant:Â Â Your thoughts on Mack Brown, and do you think its time for a change at the top of Texas?
Rouse: It definitely is time for a change at the top of Texas. I totally respect all that DeLoss Dodds and Mack Brown have done at the University of Texas. I remember Vince Young beating USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl like it was yesterday. I believe with the Longhorn Network and lots of outside the job responsibilities the University of Texas is a special place. Not sure who the next coach will be but for example could you imagine a guy in the mold of Chip Kelly as coach of the Longhorns? Would be interesting.
Whisenant: Nationally, Texas has a reputation for being “soft”. Your thoughts on that statement?
Rouse: I don’t agree at all with the reputation of being soft. I do believe that in 2010 when Texas lost to Iowa State, Baylor, and Kansas State three games in a row that the players gave up on the season. I think Texas has already went through adversity this year and we’re all about to find out how much the players believe in Coach Mack Brown. Do they want to end this year as a special season for the coach or are they already looking ahead to 2014?
Whisenant: Which Longhorn players concern you the most headed into the game?
Rouse: Quarterback David Ash, Defensive End Jackson Jeffcoat and running back Johnathan Gray. Does David Ash play or does freshman Tyrone Swoopes finally see playing time? Iowa State game plans to stop the run every week and wants to establish the run. I know the Defensive line and running backs are very talented and those will be the positions I will keep an eye on this Thursday night.
Whisenant: What does Iowa State need to do in order to pull the upset?
Rouse: Thursday night on national TV, Jack Trice will be rocking. I remember that Friday night in November 2011 against Oklahoma State was a special night. Can we pull of the upset again? Who knows. Paul Rhoads and company would like to get up early and shorten the game by winning the time of possession. Along the way he would like to win the turnover battle. I and most everyone else in America outside of the Ames locker room are probably picking Texas to win this game, but an Iowa State upset would certainly not surprise me.
Whisenant: Does a win over Texas mean as much as it used to in your eyes?
Rouse: Yes, a win over Texas means a lot in my eyes. Ask BYU how important that game was to them. Anytime you get to play one of the most storied programs in college football history it gets your juices flowing. A win is just another sign that your program is heading in the right direction. I for one am not taking Texas lightly. I know the talent that is on the Texas roster. I realize Vince Young is not walking on the field Thursday night but I still see players named McCoy and Shipley on the field. A win this year would mean just as much as any other year.
Whisenant: Give us a score prediction, both for this week AND Texas vs OU
Texas 28 – Iowa State 21, Oklahoma 34 – Texas 24
Thanks again to Mike for taking the time to speak with us this week. Texas faces Iowa State this Thursday on ESPN at 6:30. The Longhorns are currently a 7.5 point favorite.