Iowa State football not defining itself by win-loss column

AMES — This season was never about numbering the wins and losses.

When he was tasked to rebuild the Iowa State football program, Matt Campbell knew there had to be more to this team than just looking at its record. It was about developing a sense of urgency to be detail-oriented and to one day become winners.

Now that bowl eligibility is out the window and the Cyclones (1-7, 0-5) will finish with their seventh straight losing season, Campbell wants to see the makeup of the players in his locker room.

'It's easy for kids to shut it down right now, right? What are you playing for? Here's your record,' Campbell said. 'We can't be defined by what the win and loss column looks like right now.

'We have to define it within our walls of, are we getting better, what do you need to do to be successful, can we not make the same mistakes twice and can we put ourselves in position to win situational football and get over the hump to get to where we need to get to.'

Iowa State's schedule is unforgiving. A Thursday night matchup with No. 14 Oklahoma (6:30 p.m., ESPN) doesn't make things any easier for a team looking for the positive reinforcement that comes with winning.

The Sooners (6-2, 5-0) are winners of five straight games and have scored an average of 51.4 points per game in those wins. They are 89.3 percent favorites to win Thursday night, are three-touchdown favorites and have dominated the series with Iowa State.

Ignoring the numbers won't make them go away, but for Iowa State, the focus has to be internal.

'I think from the beginning of the year we kind of set out to reach our full potential by the end of the year and I think that's still a goal that's fully achievable,' center Brian Bobek said. 'Whether you have a chance for a bowl game or not, most of the guys in the room are competitors and we want to be the best that we can be no matter what.'

The competitive edge the Cyclones still possess comes with seeing the progress. Starting with a Week 3 loss, Iowa State saw steady improvement for four weeks and could have just as easily gone 3-1 as 1-3. That's where detail has to come in.

Iowa State hasn't taken steps back in the last three weeks — losses to Texas and Kansas State — but progress has been stuck in neutral. Four games remain this season, and the Cyclones need to take a few more steps in building their foundation.

'We've always wanted to play with each other and play for each other and that's never died down at any point in the season,' defensive back D'Andre Payne said. 'It seems like it's continued to rise up because we know we can play with anybody. We've just got to continue to do what we do best and correct our mistakes.'

Close losses have defined much of the year, but for Campbell, that isn't what the final four games have to be defined by.

'We're not going to let up, I'm not going to let up,' Campbell said. 'I'm the same guy every day. I hope we get that same mentality from our football team here by the end of the season.'

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