Iowa State Cyclones College Football Pregame Quote, 09/24/2024

On what WR Jayden Higgins is like off of the field

Yeah, I think the first thing when you say that comes to my mind is just elite work ethic. From the day that he got to Iowa State, his visit, he was a winner. Coming off of a rough season. The reality, I think, we knew what we needed and what we needed at the receiver position if we were going to take a step forward.

I think to be able to communicate that to him during that process and then literally watch how he came in here and gone to work, man, he’s a guy, late at night, we’re leaving and he’s a guy that is still at this facility really working on his craft. He’s been that guy since the day that he arrived here at Iowa State.

It’s been so rewarding to watch guys like that who really work at their craft who really get rewarded with the success they have on the football field. But he’s got a great personality. He’s a really great teammate. He’s a guy that really came in here and fit from day one. His personality, his work ethic have just shown and shined really bright in our football program.

On how Domonique Orange has improved his physical appearance

I think Dom is trending and in my opinion has grown so much off the field. Habits is really the word that is rightly used for Dom. What he’s done, honestly, from the end of last season to where he is now, it’s all been a nutritional growth. He’s done a great job ‚Äì he’s always been strong, powerful, fast ‚Äì but to be able to replicate that with consistency, he really went to work on his habits in the nutrition world. I think he would rightly give a lot of credit to our nutrition team downstairs and the work they have put in with him.

But I think what you’ve seen and the consistency that you see him play with is certainly because his habits have changed in a positive way.

On what he seems from Houston on film

Yeah I think Houston, probably, in some ways, I know I talked about playing athleticism a week ago, you’re talking about what these guys have done both at Houston  and in their careers at other places, this is a dynamic football team.

They’ve got an elite punt returner, elite kick returner, elite skill at the wide receiver position. Collectively at the receiver position. Just dynamite and guys that can really make plays with the ball in their hands.

Obviously, we’ve played this quarterback before. Big, strong, athletic. Can make all the throws across the board.

On the flip side defensively, again, the playmakers they have on that side of the ball is really impressive. The way they played at Oklahoma, the way they have played really good defensive football throughout the season, schematically and positionally really dynamic.

You see a team, we’ve been there, you see a team that is building. And it’s like every week, I’m sure, there’s been growth process that they’ve seen. They have a head football coach that has turned around two incredible programs and built two incredible football programs.

So, you see it’s a team that has great potential. And great talent. There’s times they are playing elite football. Obviously, they are just trying to find that consistency like all football teams are right now early in the season.

On how he has seen the four former American Conference schools acclimating to the Big 12

Yeah I think sometimes when you throw in the two places of new league, new coaching staff it’s unique. It’s not easy. I think those are things that are, Scott (Satterfiled) was there a year ago at Cincinnati and, obviously, what Coach Fritz is doing right now at Houston.

I think the difference you see this year, probably with the trend, is what a transfer portal can do to give you a quicker fix to being such a dangerous football team. I think that’s the one thing you see with this Houston team. You saw it, especially how they played at Oklahoma, how they played at times this year, they have elite playmakers, elite talent. It’s just trying to find that consistency.

I think anytime there is a coaching chance, you’re trying to create the mentality that you want. And there’s going to be inconsistency at times. But I am so impressed with what coach (Willi Fritz) has done and what this group has the ability to do.

On the concerns Houston QB Donovan Smith creates

All of them. In terms of what an athletic, big, strong quarterback has the ability to do. I would just say his ability to make all the throws from a 6’3, strong, man, ability-wise to make all the throws vertically down the field, sideline to sideline. And then you throw in the athleticism to extend plays.

There’s been a multitude of times in the first four games that he’s got the ability to get out of the pocket, extend the play and then find these dynamic playmakers down the field and create big plays.

I think those are things to me that are just so impressive. I think sometimes quarterbacks are scrambling to run, I think he does a great job of keeping his eyes and his vision down the field. Man, when you ca do that, and create the big plays horizontally, those are big challenges. He certainly presents that.

On Beau Freyler as a leader, captain

We’ve been really fortunate to have a lot of great players here at Iowa State in my time here. I would say that nobody has meant more to the team and nobody has been a greater rallying point for our program than what Beau has done over the course of the last four years.

We don’t survive last season without Beau’s leadership. I think that safety room would tell you all that he has done to build those guys up around him, Beau’s played since his true freshman year. And he came in and played critical in that 21 team.

I think he has this unbelievable, uncanny ability to bring his best every single day he steps into this facility. He has been a staple of why we have been able to really grow over the last four years because of his leadership.

I would say its his back that we have grown on to be quite honest with you. And for somebody to work through some of the physical challenges that he’s had and still be there every day and still be the first guy out to the practice field and the guy that is leading our football team when it gets hardest. It’s a real joy to work with somebody like that.

But we talk about transformational leaders, he’ll be one of the all-time greats we’ve ever had.

On three TE formations being difficult to stop

Yeah, again, I think every game is a little different personnel-wise. I think anytime you have guys that are blockers in the game, you can great issues. I think the more gaps you can create in the running game, the more challenging that can be. So, again, that’s one of the things when you can have more tight ends than one in the football game, you can create multiple gaps to defend in the running game.

I think that is what those guys have the ability to give you at times. I think the other thing, probably, more than we’ve ever had, we have been able to really throw the football with that group. You can’t just say, ‘You have three tight ends in the game, you’re just trying to run the ball.’ Really, those guys, I think the most interesting part of what happens Saturday is the ability to throw the football with such success with those guys in the football. That was really exciting.

On Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel being a dynamic duo

Yeah, I think the thing both of those guys, again, when you talk about having tight ends and some receivers that can really be dynamic players down the field. I feel like it allows you to, at times, create matchups.

What those two are is a hard matchup. Guys can play really anywhere. Jaylin can play in the backfield. He can play in the slot. He can play outside. Jayden can play in the slot, play single receiver. He can play on the outside. So, really, what those guys are is flexibility and being so multiple in what they can do, it really makes them dynamic and allows us to put them in a position to make plays for us.

We’re fortunate those guys not only can do those things but at the end put a great finish to it. And make the plays they need to make to help out football team be successful.

On if he sees any similarities between the start of Willie Fritz’s tenure at Houston to the start his career at Iowa State in 2016

Yeah I think anytime you see somebody take over a program, Coach Fritz, certainly, has had far greater success than myself or our staff has ever had just because he’s done it so many places.

 I think he built an unbelievable program at Sam Houston. And did a great job there. The ability to then do it again at Tulane. Man, you see the fabric of it right now. I mean, he’s so much more advance than we were.

Man, when I came in here, really young and still trying to figure myself out at the time. I think you can see an evident plan. When you can be as good as they are early on special teams, which is really impressive.

You got a foundational quarterback to build upon, which is really impressive. Just the way their kids play on defense. It’s been impressive to watch. I think Coach Fritz is one of the really great coaches right now in our industry and a guy that has proven it at every single level.

I do, anytime you look at it, man, how we started to build our football program here and lay a great foundation. You see a lot of similarities.

On what Dan McCarney’s advice was to him when he took the Iowa State job

I think, and we’ve talked about that a lot. What coach has meant to us. Just trying to find, for me when you get here, what is the history? And how do you build on the positives, the negatives and the challenges that are around it? I think Coach Mac, the longevity that he had here, knowing what he took over when he got here and his ability to take program from where it was to, obviously, he took it in his tenure was really impressive.

Just the ability to find people that can be a guide post. And not only has he been a guide post, he’s been an unbelievable mentor. He’s meant the world to our alumni. He’s meant the world to our coaching staff and our kids here.

Anytime he’s around our program, we cherish and really appreciate what he’s done.

On not focusing on big picture thinking amid 3-0 start to the season

Yeah, I don’t think it’s easy. I mean, man, it’s not easy in the NFL. I just watched the Houston Texans play the Minnesota Vikings. That wasn’t easy. Those are professionals. We’re all 49ers fans. It’s not easy for them right now.

The reality of it is, sport is hard. College football is hard. The mentality to sustain success, it’s hard in our business, it’s hard in your business, it’s hard in everybody’s business. So, that’s why it’s hard to win.

And will we, can we continue to have a winning mentality? I don’t know. You hope that you can continue to pound away at the fabrics of what we build ourselves on. Man, that’s really great habits every day. And come in, try to get better and to say you can do that, or how easy is it? It’s exhaustingly hard. It will only continue to be exhaustingly hard because it’s hard to win football games.

I think last week in the Big 12, one team, I think there was seven games, only one team won on the road. It’s hard. It’s hard to win football games anywhere. It’s hard to win in this conference. It’s hard to win on the road.

So, it’s all great lessons that you’re trying to teach. And I think the one benefit that our kids do have is that we have some veterans that have been through hard. And, they’ve been through success and failure. Hopefully have enough wisdom to learn from it and grow from it and share that wisdom with their teammates throughout the way.

On the run game

Well, numbers are foolish. Number one. That doesn’t mean anything. Winning is what you define as success. And then the reality of it is, I still would say that we ran the ball as good as we had early in the season after the first two games.

The rhythm we had to play was different. We had to do what we needed to do to win the game. I think running in some hard moments, we’ve been able to have success. I think Saturday is what it is.

The one thing we had the ability to do at times is lean on the running game. They took away some of the passing game early. And, I thought, it was awesome to see our guys, we had to run the ball and we were able to do that with some efficiency.

But, I think the running game, in football is one of the things that is always constant work in progress. It’s the one area that only continues to grow and get better hopefully as the season goes. And, again, the numbers piece of it, it’s such a flawed, skewed way to look at it.

It’s, man, did you run it when you needed to on third and one or fourth and one? Or fourth and one? Or down on the goal line? That’s the running game. It can be skewed on how you look at it.

I think this group is growing in a positive direction. And we’ll have to grow in a positive direction because if you’re going to be a great team in the Midwest, man, you’re going to have to be able to run the football with consistency. Can we keep doing that? Can we keep getting better? That part will be really fun with this group.

On how he has seen his staff, players appreciate what Iowa State has built in his tenure with the program

Yeah, I would just say, we’ve been really fortunate to have great people. Have great people stay here. And for a long time and have longevity. Boy, we’ve had staff members that have stayed the course here and had the opportunity to leave. We’ve had staff members who have left and made a profound impact along the way and still give back to the program.

And I would say the same thing even from our players. The multitude of our players that have stayed the course here, didn’t have to stay, left, gone, doing great things and still coming back here.

Those things mean a lot. Those things mean way more to me than winning, losing football games to be real honest with you. Creating culture, the word is cliché, but football family, those are things that have been really special about what we have been able to build here.

It’s meant something to a lot of people. You see a lot of our players having success, not only on the football field, you see them doing what we really set out to do. They are great fathers, great husbands, they are making a difference. They are changing and making an impact in so many communities.

To me, that’s the great gift back that you could ever have. And really appreciate that more than any winning.

On how the tight ends can be valuable in Big 12 play

Yeah. I think it’s huge. Again, for those guys to kind of come into the picture the way they did on Saturday was really great. Ben, I feel like his health is almost back to 100 percent, which was huge.

Boy, some of the plays that he made in critical moments were exceptional. And then, boy, Tyler Moore, I thought, had a really great game, played 37 snaps. He was injured all of last season. We couldn’t use him. We thought he was going to have a big year a year ago.

To be able to have him back, I think that’s been really big for us. Stevo has consistently been there for us along the way.

Geez, we think of some other guys. Burkle has really come on and maybe hasn’t had that moment yet. But has blocked really well for us. Is a really dangerous pass catcher. So, I think those things, the more we have guys that are options that we can create some matchup, the better we are going to be.

And you’re right, you have to know where Noel, Higigns are because they are dynamic players. And what does that do for everybody else along the way? That can be big

On his evaluation of the offensive line

Yeah, I thought those guys did a really good job. I think we were, I don’t know if any o-lineman got more than 30 snaps in the game. There was a lot of guys that got a lot of reps, which was great for us.

Kind of what I talked a little bit about on Saturday, what’s it do for you? Number one, it gives you great evaluation. Number two, it creates great competition. Number three, you better come to practice or it’s going to be hard to get on the field on Saturday. To me, that is another way to create growth in your program. Create competition every day on the field.

I really feel like that’s going on in the offensive line room. It was really great to see Jalen Travis, man, be healthy and be on the football field. I think he really did some positive things for us. I think he will only continue to get healthier along the way.

I think Trevor Buhr has played exceptional. Boy, three games, and boy, I feel like he’s playing great football. He has a chance to be outstanding.

And then Deylin Hasert. I mean, for Deylin, a guy who was right there on the verge of playing a year ago. And then you have a really tough instant in practice, tears his Achilles and finally coming back.

To be able to be on the field and almost play 30 snaps on Saturday, what a win for him. What a win for Iowa State. Boy, I think he has a chance to be really special too. That’s exciting for that group for the first time here, we have some real competition.

I think that group really has to improve if we want to play great football. To be running game, passing game it all starts up front.

If that group can continue to grow forward, they’ll continue to help a positive football team.

On the offensive coaching staff

I’d say this, when we’ve been our best here, we’ve just had such a cohesive staff on offense. Again, the great credit there is Coach Mouse has done a great job of, man, number one investing greatly in our coaching staff. Number two, I think unifying our thought process to the best product on the field on Saturday.

I think everybody in that room is an elite talent. I mean, Coach Roehl has brought some, man, great presence about himself. How he’s coached the tailbacks, obviously, his background of being a coordinator.

Noah Pauley has been an offensive coordinator before. What he’s brought to the table the last two years in the passing game and certainly the development of our receiving group.

Coach Clanton has been an offensive coordinator before. He has called plays. What he’s brought to that group.

I feel like that group in general and, obviously, Coach Waters being here and playing quarterback, knowing our system, being involved in it early, leaving, being involved in it the last three years. I think that group gets it.

I think they are a tight knit group. They do a lot together. And, I think, when you have great cohesion there is no ego. I think Coach Mous has done a great job of allowing those guys to be themselves and taking information.

At the end of the day pairing it back with the best vision on Saturday. That group will only continue to grow. But there is some really dynamic coaches in there. But they have a great leader right now.