Iowa State burying the past, looking toward start of Big 12

By Dylan Montz, coorespondent

AMES - Fifteen minutes was all the time Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads needed to start burying the past.

To Rhoads, burying the past involved a little bit more than just a conversation. He wanted to be as literal as he could in putting the loss at Toledo behind the team, so Rhoads stood at the front of the meeting room Sunday with a shovel in his hands.

'I brought a shovel to the meeting as a matter of fact as a gesture and we agreed to get that done,” Rhoads said. 'We talked about several things I thought would help us move forward. It was a neat meeting and I'm glad I had it.”

No, Rhoads didn't actually put shovel-to-floor in the Bergstrom Football Complex, but his meeting served as the motivator he wanted it to. It isn't unusual for the seventh-year ISU coach to make attention-grabbing demonstrations, but his latest will be key in ending the two-game skid with Big 12 play on the horizon.

The Cyclones (1-2) worked through a lighter week of practice and did more rehabilitation work during their off week, but begin conference play against Kansas on Oct. 3. Iowa State will almost certainly be favored against the struggling Jayhawks, so the speech from Rhoads coupled with the light week of practice could be just what his team needs.

'At first, I saw it and was like, ‘What is this shovel doing in here? Like, this ain't no construction zone up here anymore,'” said running back Trever Ryen. 'He pretty much just told us we're going to bury the past and start with the Big 12. He had a good little speech with it.”

Burying the past is something junior kicker Cole Netten tried to do the moment he stepped off the field in Toledo. Netten was 3-of-4 on field goals against the Rockets - with makes at 35, 47 and 44 yards - but missed a potential game-winning 32-yarder that sent the game to overtime.

Netten stood in Jacobson Athletic Building four days later, not shying away from the miss, but rather accepting it and moving forward. The Ankeny native returned to practice Tuesday, was 18-for-18 on field goals and was perfect again Wednesday with a 54-yard make in a two-minute drill.

'Were there other mistakes in the game too? Yeah. Was (the missed kick) probably the most important one? Yeah. We all know it,” Netten said. 'But (Rhoads) talked to the team afterward and said no pointing fingers because we're still a team. It does help a lot to know your coach has your back like that.”

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