Five questions with Bobby La Gesse,sports editor of the Ames (Iowa) Tribune
1. How does Jake Knott’s injury change things for Iowa State’s defense on the field? Off the field, has it been a big emotional letdown?
“Knott’s injury doesn’t impact the Cyclone defense as much as you would expect. ISU still has all-conference linebacker in A.J. Klein and there are plenty of solid pieces left in the secondary and on the defensive line. The Cyclone defense will still be formidable.
“Where the loss of Knott really hurts is in the big play department. Knott had a knack for making big plays at big times. He deflected two passes that resulted in interceptions against Oklahoma State last season and secured a win over Iowa this season with an interception in the final minute.
“The emotions from Knott’s injury were played out in the locker room following the Baylor game this past Saturday. The team knew it was likely to be Knott’s last game and rallied around him after his 11 tackle performance. There were plenty of tears shed after the game.”
2. Which Steele Jantz do you expect to show up this weekend against Oklahoma?
“If I could predict that I would make my living wagering on sporting events instead of covering them. Jantz is a tough player to project week to week. His poor performances come when he tries to force passes and when his mechanics fall apart. If I had to guess, I think he’ll be fine for this one because ISU will use a similar game plan to last week’s, where passes to the outside opened up the rest of the offense. It worked for Jantz once. It might work for him again.”
3. What does Iowa State have to do as a program to take that next step up, and get beyond being known for Paul Rhoads’ postgame speeches and one annual upset?
“ISU is stuck in a spot where it wins six games a season and three Big 12 games. The next step is to become a program that consistently wins more games. The Cyclones are out to become an eight win program and win at least four conference games.”
4. What makes Jack Trice Stadium a tough place for opponents to play? It seems like even when Iowa State wasn’t having a ton of success, the Cyclones were still keeping games relatively close at home.
“In the last few years Jack Trice Stadium has become a real home field advantage. The success of the Rhoads era has brought fans out to the stadium in droves. The Cyclones routinely pack in 50,000 fans. It feels like a college football environment in Jack Trice Stadium. That couldn’t always be said in the past.”
5. What do you think are the chances for an upset this weekend? You got a score prediction?
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