Matt Campbell comes back into the press conference room to respond to Kansas State Athletics Director Gene Taylor's comments about Iowa State "not knowing their school colors."
People have always asked me “Bob, why did you retire in your prime as a 3x beer dart champ in 2023?”
They won’t understand.
Breaking: I’M BACK
Big Bob un-retiring for 3 MORE.
#MichaelJordan#BOBSTHEGOAT#StillInMyPrime
Sorry for the delay, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to possibly ruin my life or not.
But fuck it, mask off.
Nobody cares for a Cat like a Karen.
@BarstoolBigCat@stoolsalesguy@stoolpresidente
My thoughts as No. 18 Iowa State capped off an 11 win season with a 42-41, win over No. 13 Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Disclaimer... These bowls are diminished. When both teams are missing starters up and down the roster, I don't think you can fairly analyze a game the same as any other game. BUT, I do think bowl games still mean something. Winning is the most important thing in college football, no matter what some would tell you. It's better to end a season with a win than a loss. How much better? It's probably minuscule. But I can tell you that wasn't a minuscule win for the guys on Iowa State's sidelines.
Rocco is a Winner... Rocco Becht led his fourth game-winning drive of the season. More than a third of Iowa State's wins came on perfectly executed drives in crunch time by their quarterback. His 2024 finale was a 15 play, 84-yard drive in 5:38 to put Iowa State up 42-41. It looked very similar to the UCF game... Becht made plays with his legs, threw a dime to Jaylin Noel and capped it off with a QB sneak. In 50 years, when someone asks me how Iowa State reached the 10 win milestone for the very first time, I'll tell them it was because of Rocco Becht. He's certainly got areas to improve on in 2025 but his ability to come through in the clutch is not one of them. His moxy defined an 11 win season.
I hope y'all took the over... Iowa State and Miami combined for 939 yards of total offense and 83 points. The first half made an early-2010s Big 12 game look like Iowa vs Northwestern. The offenses were both humming the defenses were short-handed and frankly terrible in the first half. Miami proved why they are one of the best offenses in the country with Cam Ward, Damien Martinez and an elite offensive line. Take Ward out, they are a lot easier to stop. Would Iowa State have been able to muster enough stops in the second if Ward play? I'd guess not. But Ward didn't play and that's not Iowa State's problems. They sharpened up in the fourth quarter and did just enough to give Rocco Becht a chance. Just enough was enough.
I was impressed by the WR room... It was disappointing to not see Jayden Higgins play one more game as a Cyclone, but in today's game, you can't really blame him. His absence provided an opportunity for Isaiah Alston and Eli Green to flash. Those guys, along with Carson Brown and others will need to step into bigger roles alongside Chase Sowell and Xavier Townsend in 2025. Higgins absence also gave us one more chance to observe one of the most underrated Cyclones of my lifetime, Jaylin Noel. The captain hauled in 8 catches for 117 yards, 1 TD and two big receptions on the GW drive. He leaves Iowa State near the top of every statistical category and was a massive reason for the '23 and '24 renaissance of Iowa State football. I hope he got the appreciation he deserves not just for today, but his entire four years in Ames.
Beau Freyler... The one damper on a positive day for the Cyclones was watching their senior captain have his college career end on a first quarter injury. It's no secret that he has dealt with endless injuries over his four years. Matt Campbell called him "a warrior." I don't know what it feels like to be Beau Freyler, but it can't be good physically. What I do know is how much that guy is admired by his teammates and the fan base. I certainly hope his injury isn't as bad as we think.
Big Picture... Iowa State wraps up 2024 with an 11-3 record, the best in school history. They move to 2025 with a lot coming back and some big holes to fill. One thing is for certain, as long as Matt Campbell stands on that sideline, seasons like this won't be just once in a lifetime... something I never would've thought was possible in Ames. #Cyclones