posted under: EV1.net Houston Bowl, Iowa State football
Great Horny Toads: ISU Stumbles In Houston Bowl
I only got to see the first three quarters of the EV1.net Houston Bowl yesterday, due to New Year’s Eve preparations and the fact that my stupid DVR stopped recording early in the fourth quarter, but what I saw wasn’t a very pretty sight and I guess I’m glad I missed the final 15 minutes. ISU fell to the TCU Horned Frogs 24-27 on a field goal with about five minutes remaining after failing to score in the final quarter. It was pretty bad all the way through, though: ISU lost two fumbles and had two passes intercepted, and worst of all they only generated 34 net yards on the ground. Sweet Jebus! Bret Meyer had a couple nice touchdown passes but the rest of the time he was scrambling for his life against the TCU blitz. It looked too much like those last few games of the regular season when they seemed to totally give up on the run. Note to coach McCarney: recruit better offensive linemen that can open holes for the run. I will say the defense did a nice job of adjusting after falling behind 14-0 and really slowed up the Horned Frogs’ attack, but it’s all for naught if your offense can’t generate points when the opportunities arise.
Well, even though it ended with two straight losses, it was a pretty successful season overall in the pantheon of ISU football. (Remember going 1-10 back in 1997, or 2-10 two years ago?) Maybe next year we can get over the hump and win nine or *gasp* ten games. Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
RSS
January 1st, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Yes, it was not a pretty sight and from the press box at Reliant Stadium, it was obvious that both teams made numerous mistakes that did not allow them to capitalize on opportunities that may have lead to points being put on the board.
In defense of Iowa State, I felt they calmed down in the second quarter and started to move the ball. But after than, both teams just fell into a rut and tried to get done what they could.
The Cyclones will have better games to come, and YES, they do need to recruit better offensive linemen. Bret Meyer can’t get the pass off, when he has little or no protection.