Kansas State vs. Iowa State, 3rd Quarter

Probably the most important play of the second half was the Cyclones’ first possession on offense. Hoping to carry the momentum of the first half, Meyer threw an interception and stopped Iowa State’s first scoring drive. We just got our second look at Arnaud during the game. Not as sharp, but not much help from the running game either. With less than seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, we might get another look at him to see how he handles some late situation play. It’s something Petersen said he wanted to give to the redshirt freshman quarterback.
Kansas State 10, Iowa State 21.

Kansas State vs. Iowa State, half-time

With the exception of the Iowa game, this game could be the best played half of the Cyclones’ year. They are doing a lot of the little things, forcing turnovers, making sure they don’t turn it over, finishing off drives in the red zone and more importantly keeping the Wildcats offense off the field. Kansas State has held the ball for 12:26 compared to Iowa State’s 17:34. Both quarterbacks for the Cyclones have looked sharp. Meyer has completed 8-of-10 passes for 78 yards and one touchdown. Arnaud came in for one possession, completed 2-of-2 passes for 60 yards and ran for 23 more yards. Most of us in the media wondered how long Alexander Robinson would stay in at running back, even after his 149 yard rushing game at Missouri. So far, we haven’t seen any of Jason Scales or J.J. Bass. Robinson has carried the ball 17 times for 39 hard fought yards. There’s still another half to play. During the week coach Gene Chizik talked about how he thought many of his players were waiting for something bad to happen. With a 21-20 lead at the half, will something bad happen?

Kansas State vs. Iowa State, 2nd Quarter

Whether it’s Arnaud or Meyer, the offense seems to be clicking on all cylinders. Both quarterbacks combined to complete their first eight passes, Robinson has rushed for two touchdowns, and Blythe has caught a 40-yard pass from Meyer. Can the Cyclones carry the momentum? Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman completed his first five passes of the day but has cooled off since. ISU has their biggest lead of the year with less than seven minutes remaining.
Kansas State 3, Iowa State 31.

Kansas State vs. Iowa State, 1st Quarter

I spent some time this week talking with quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen. He gave every indication to me that backup Austen Arnaud was going to play. The only thing he didn’t do was put on the jersey and send him out there. Now, they have. Arnaud is in the game and just finished off a 90 yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown handoff to Alexander Robinson. So far he looks calm, comfortable, and relaxed. Will we see more of him?
Kansas State 0, Iowa State 14.

Kansas State vs. Iowa State, 1st Quarter

Good time for firsts. The Cyclone’s score on their first opening drive of the season after recovering a kickoff return fumble by the Wildcats. After strong runs by Alexander Robinson and Bret Meyer, the senior quarterback finished off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown to Derrick Catlett.
Kansas State 0, Iowa State 7

Kansas State vs. Iowa State, pregame

Two weeks ago Coach Gene Chizik said there was nobody behind senior kicker Bret Culbertson to kick field goals. Senior Josh Griebahn, who usually handles punts, is on the field warming up kicking field goals. While Culbertson is taking his turns too, is this something to buy into or are we just that short on news? The Cyclone’s offense is struggling to score points so they have to find somebody who can put it through the uprights. Is that guy Griebahn?

Plenty to play for

Kansas State is team in the thick of the hunt for a Big 12 north division title. During coach Gene Chizik’s weekly Monday press conference, a lot of questions revolved around what his team would be playing for. They’ve lost six straight, are at the bottom of the conference, and are favored to lose all three of their remaining games. But there are plenty of bright spots. The defense has looked good. Besides their 56-3 disastrous loss to Texas, the Cyclones are holding most teams to below their average in yards gained. The good news? Most of those guys are coming back. Allen Bell who almost returned an interception for a touchdown two weeks ago is a sophomore. Jesse Smith, who ranks second on the team in tackles, is also a sophomore. Redshirt freshman Devin McDowell returned an interception for a touchdown against Missouri. Iowa State is on the verge of averaging 50,000 fans per game so it should be a packed house at Jack Trice Stadium. I’ll be blogging from the press box during tomorrow’s game so check it out.