Hawkeyes try to shake sand off their uniforms

IOWA CITY - This is how Tuesday went for the football teams of Iowa State and Iowa:

Cyclones head coach Paul Rhoads joked with Fox Sports Radio host/comedian Jay Mohr on Mohr's show. Rhoads said it 'cost me a lot of money” to be named class valedictorian when he was a student at Ankeny High School.

Rhoads can manage to form smiles this week. He has the double-luxury of a bye week and the glow of Saturday's 20-17 win over the Hawkeyes last Saturday.

Meanwhile, Iowa defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat told this to reporters: 'Life is like a sugar cookie.”

He had recently read something a Navy SEAL officer wrote along the lines of this: As a punishment for failing uniform inspection, A SEAL trainee has to jump into cold surf fully clothed, then roll on the beach until covered in sand. Thus, he resembles a sugar cookie.

'They would have to walk around like that the whole day,” Trinca-Pasat said. 'It's uncomfortable. The whole idea is life is uncomfortable and you're never going to be perfect. There's always going to be something wrong.

Retiring U.S. Admiral/Navy SEAL commander Bill McRaven said this at his commencement speech at the University of Texas in May:

'There were many a student who just couldn't accept the fact that all their effort was in vain. That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right, it was unappreciated. Those students didn't make it through training.

'Those students didn't understand the purpose of the drill. You were never going to succeed. You were never going to have a perfect uniform.

'Sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform you still end up as a sugar cookie. It's just the way life is sometimes.”

Trinca-Pasat wasn't suggesting his team performed to its highest standards last Saturday. Here's what he did say:

'You've just got to forget about it. Not everything's going to be perfect. All you can do is focus on the next game and try to make the fans happy.”

The Hawkeyes, like most football teams, have a 24-hour rule. You can wallow in sorrow or scream at the walls for a day after a defeat. Then, move ahead. The season goes too fast and can unravel too easily if you let it.

'No one on the team is hanging their head or feeling sorry for themselves, thinking we can't have a shot at a good season,” Hawkeye offensive tackle Andrew Donnal said. 'We very well can. We can't be undefeated anymore, but we can win out from here. That's what everyone's goal is, and everyone's staying positive.”

Added Iowa safety John Lowdermilk: 'It still kind of stings right now. Especially me being a senior. I expect to win every game.

'It's obviously really tough and you never want to lose to an in-state rival. But it's a new week, and this week we're 0-and-0.”

What, you didn't want to hear positive things from Iowa's camp even if they came with stiff upper lips? Athletes can't afford negativity.

Besides, if Iowa wins at Pittsburgh Saturday, the Hawkeyes' narrative flips over yet again as their Big Ten season starts next week.

And Big Ten football is a package of sugar cookies.