Halftime thoughts: Iowa 14, Iowa State 3

1. Of all the football coaches at any level on this planet, the least-likely to go for a first down on a 4th-and-8 at the opponent's 16 with a 7-3 second-quarter lead is ...

It apparently isn't the guy who did it. Kirk Ferentz said go for it, Jake Rudock improvised for a 10-yard pass to Jacob Hillyer ('The Two Jakes'), and Iowa went on to push it in for a touchdown three plays later.

2. It appeared Iowa has found the niche most people expected for running back Damon Bullock. He had three catches for double-digit yardage in the first half (14, 14, 11 yards). Then Bullock carried three times in a row on a second-quarter drive for a total of two yards. But ... the senior is a very useful player when the offense plays to his strengths.

3. Iowa State receiver Allen Lazard dropped a pass on ISU's TD drive late in the half. On the very next play, Lazard got open and had a 19-yard reception.

True freshman. Many an older player wouldn't have been a go-to guy on the play following a drop.

4. That DeVondrick Nealy fumble into the end zone for the Cyclones was brutal, obviously. It had been a showcase drive for ISU quarterback Sam B. Richardson and Mark Mangino's offense, with passes for 26, 19 and 22 yards.

5. Just as brutal was the interception the Cyclones didn't come up deep in ISU territory on Iowa's previous possession. So many Cyclone defenders had hands on their helmets in despair after the missed opportunity. Put the two missed-opps together, and you have the difference between Iowa 14-3 and ISU 10-7.

6. Iowa State hasn't forced a turnover in 2 1/2 games. It better force one or two in the second half or it will probably be 0-3, followed by 0-4 after it plays Baylor on Sept. 27.

7. Two punts today, and Iowa's Dillon Kidd has hit a 48-yarder and had his other fair-caught at the ISU 6. That works.

8. Rudock is leading Iowa in rushing, again. Despite getting sacked twice. He has 24 yards on seven rushes. Whatever it takes, I guess.

9. Iowa will play three times in the Eastern time zone and once at home between tomorrow and Nov. 1.

10. My favorite tweet of the day so far came from @celebrityhottub. He (Ryan Nanni) wrote College Football: Destroying Your Tenuous Hold On Reality Since 1869

No 11. offense to Iowa State or Iowa, but I would rather have been assigned the Northern Iowa-Hawaii game tonight. I'd have even gone to the stadium to watch the thing, if required.