Joel Lanning’s body is being put to the test for Iowa State football

AMES – Iowa State's Joel Lanning has gotten a lot of buzz nationally and locally for playing in all three phases of the game – linebacker, quarterback and special teams.

The do-everything football player has played over 700 snaps in nine games for the 21st-ranked Cyclones; that's over 78 snaps per game.

'That's unheard of,” Coach Matt Campbell said.

Lanning doesn't care. He just wants to be on the field.

'I don't even know what a normal snap count is, honestly,” Lanning said. 'I just go out there and play – I couldn't ask for anything else. I wanted to come back and play as much as I could.”

Congrats, Joel, you are.

On defense, he's either trying to hit somebody every play or he's getting hit by an offensive lineman. On offense, he might be playing quarterback but he almost always runs the ball right up the middle into a 300-pound defensive lineman or a 240-pound linebacker. On special teams, he's running full speed trying to hit somebody.

His body takes a lot of punishment on Saturdays.

'He tries and does as much as he can but man oh man, it's tough to walk on Sundays for Joel Lanning when you do as much as he's doing,” Campbell said. 'We have to be smart and let him do what he can do to the best of his ability and let him play his best football this month because we're going to need him.”

Lanning said it differs from week to week which part of his body hurts the most. Some weeks his legs will be sore, other, more physical weeks, his upper body will feel the brunt of it.

Lanning gets in a lot of cold tubs. When he was a full-time quarterback, cold tubs were optional for him. Now he forces himself into the icy water.

'It's just one of those things where you have to go to treatment every single day and take care of it – that's the ice tubs and the cold tubs, those help you a lot,” Lanning said.

Opposing coaches have taken notice of what Lanning is doing. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy sent a letter to Lanning after the Cyclones' win over Oklahoma.

The gist of the letter said, 'I appreciated your effort against Oklahoma, we need more guys like you.”

'It was nice for him to write that to me,” Lanning said. 'I really didn't expect it at all because we still have to play them. Maybe after the game he would say something to me but I appreciate it.”

Iowa State squares up against No. 11 Oklahoma State (7-2, 4-2) Saturday at 11 a.m. At 6-3 and 4-2 in the Big 12, Campbell recognizes that the season is winding down.

'You have to be really smart as you go down this stretch run,” Campbell said. 'You can't let this guy go out there and be the jack of all trades and the master of nothing. He gives us every opportunity to win.

'He wants it because he's as great of a competitor as I've ever been around and as great of a warrior that I've ever been around in this sport. What this kid has done for this football team and this program is unheard of.”

Lanning had a hard time getting on the field throughout his career. Even as a starter, he often split time with another quarterback.

Now, he can't seem to get off the field – just the way he likes it

l Comments: benv43@gmail.com