Lanning to play more against high-powered Baylor

AMES - Four losses - three to undefeated teams ranked in the top 25 with two against the No. 2 and 3 offenses in the country - have left Iowa State once again facing an uphill climb in conference play.

No. 2 Baylor, which averages 63.8 points per game, on the horizon doesn't give the Cyclones a chance to catch their breath.

It's also the reason Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads hasn't had wandering eyes on switching up his starting quarterback from Sam Richardson to Joel Lanning.

'You have a different schedule and we're 4-2 or 5-1 and Sam is playing at the same level, people aren't asking that question,” Rhoads said in his Monday news conference. 'If there was a breakdown at any position that wasn't giving us an opportunity to win, we'd make a change.”

Playing top-25 teams with high-powered offenses isn't anything new for the Cyclones, but they are still trying to adjust to the speed of spread offenses. Baylor sets the standard in the Big 12 with 719.7 yards of offense per game, which is 95 yards ahead of second-place Texas Tech.

The challenge lies with the ISU defense in slowing the Bears down this week, but much of the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the offense - particularly quarterback - to keep up. Iowa State is averaging 26.8 points per game and putting up 258.2 yards through the air, but Rhoads has allowed decisions on the starting quarterback to come directly from the offensive staff.

'Those are the people making the decision on who it is,” Rhoads said. 'If it would get to the point where a final decision needs to be made, that's on my shoulders as the head football coach, no question about it.”

Sunday film review told Rhoads that, in hindsight, Lanning should have received more snaps. The sophomore was in for two plays in the first quarter, completing his only pass to receiver Allen Lazard for a 74-yard touchdown. Reservations about Lanning have fallen on his understanding of the overall playbook, but his physical attributes haven't ever been a concern.

'The only way he's going to learn them fully is when he starts getting the game snaps,” Rhoads said. 'You can't put everything on the practice plate and get it done. When he starts getting those reps in game situations, he'll improve in that area as well.”

'He's got a lot of confidence in there and with that different package, just changing up the looks and having a different guy back there just to change the tempo up a little bit,” offensive lineman Jake Campos said of Lanning. 'It's really helping.”

The offensive package specifically for Lanning has been primarily a wildcat look with an occasional option to throw the ball. Against TCU, Rhoads said the goal was to motion defenders away to create running room for Lanning, but the offense wasn't getting the looks anticipated.

Rhoads added he anticipates Lanning will get more snaps against Baylor on Saturday in Waco, Texas, and even Lanning feels his fourth-quarter reps a couple weeks ago helped further his understanding of the offense as a whole.

'It was fun to get back out there and actually try to run an offense a little bit,” Lanning said Saturday. 'I felt good and threw the ball decent, I thought. There are a few things I could have done better maybe, but I feel like I'm slowly progressing and getting better.”

Injury update

ISU coach Paul Rhoads said running backs Mike Warren and Joshua Thomas 'were 100 percent in the weight room” Monday morning and anxious to return to practice and expected to play against Baylor.

Right guard Daniel Burton, who suffered a knee injury, avoided reaggravating his MCL and slightly tweaked his patella, but Rhoads isn't worried about him missing time.

'His strength there is good,” Rhoads said, 'so he'll be fine.”

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