AMES – It started out as a pretty simple idea. Maybe a little hokey; perhaps even a little hacky, but, hey, you try writing 10 columns a week.
With 16th-ranked Iowa State football 4-0 for the first time since 2000, I thought it would be fun to ask Cyclone players, none of whom were alive to witness that historic start even from a stroller, what their impressions of the world at that time were.
I knew it would make my millennial heart ache in its advancing age, but this is journalism and we ask the hard questions around here.
I had no idea how badly it would go.
Because, rather than making fun of the baggy pants, boy bands and dial-up internet, they simply had no conception of the era.
“I can’t think of anything,” Rocco Becht, born 2003, said.
“I don’t really know,” J.R. Singleton, born 2002, said.
After those two, I stopped asking. It was just too painful.
More: Join Travis Hines’ Cyclone Insider text-messaging group for behind-the-scenes access
Rather than simply having to deal with the inexorable march toward middle age, I – along with you, dear reader over the age of 30 – was erased. This must be how Gen X feels all the time.
So consider this a history lesson.
We, briefly, thought civilization might be set back a couple centuries because of a computer glitch. ‘X-Men’ really set the stage for Marvel’s forthcoming dominance, and kept Hugh Jackman employed for 24 years and counting. Something about Chads hanging out in Florida was a big deal too, I think.
This was also around the era that Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was rocking a haircut for a yearbook photo that would still make the internet giggle a quarter-century later.
Oh, and the Cyclones won their first four games before going on to tie the program-best mark of nine wins and claim the program’s first-ever bowl victory. Ennis Haywood rushed for 1,200 yards, Sage Rosenfels threw for eight touchdowns and rushed for 10 more. Reggie Hayward had 90 tackles, seven sacks and two fumble recoveries.
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But back to the present, where Iowa State is undefeated after a month of football and has a very real chance of making it through two months without a loss. But it starts Saturday against Baylor (6:30 p.m.; FOX).
The Cyclones are emerging as a true threat in the Big 12, if not the out-and-out frontrunner at the moment.
“We have a lot of pride in where we’re at right now,” Singleton said, “but, honestly, we thought we were going to be here before the season even started so this is no surprise to us.
“We’ve got to keep going and stay humble. Keep working on the little things in practice because there are things looking at the film and watching what we don’t do well.”
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That’s an impressive mindset, especially for someone born after the turn of the century.
It might just help the Cyclones get to 5-0 for the first time since 1980, which is also a year that doesn’t rate with these youngsters.
“I,” Becht said, “have no idea.”
Somebody has never seen ‘Caddyshack.’ And it shows.
Baylor (2-3, 0-2) vs. Iowa State (4-0, 1-0)
Time, TV, line: 6:30 p.m.; FOX; Iowa State by 12 points
Where Baylor has the edge: The Bears are desperate. Coach Dave Aranda is certainly under pressure in Waco with the 2021 Big 12 championship giving way to back-to-back losing seasons and this rough start. If Baylor falls to 0-3 in the Big 12, its path to six wins and a bowl gets very precarious. Desperate teams are dangerous teams.
Where Iowa State has the edge: The Cyclones’ defense is once again elite, and the offense has shown flashes of dynamism. They’re just the better team, and that’s why they are nearly two-touchdown favorites for the second week in a row against a Big 12 opponent. Add in the pomp and circumstance of a white out for a night game on network TV at Jack Trice Stadium, and this certainly sets up well for the Cyclones.
Prediction: Iowa State 17, Baylor 3: I’m not sure there’s an offensive breakthrough that Cyclone fans may be looking for, but I don’t think Baylor is seriously able to threaten Iowa State at home. The Cyclones don’t romp, but they do roll.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State vs Baylor football prediction: Cyclones make history at 4-0
