Cardiac 'Clones pull out another close one

By Justin Verrier, Correspondent

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. - Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads doesn't exactly enjoy what three straight seesaw battles have done to his neatly trimmed coif, which, after 23 years of college football coaching, is more salt than pepper.

“I've got enough gray hair already,” said the 44-year-old Rhoads. “But we're working on adding to it.”

He can't, however, complain about the results.

Coming off a five-win season in 2010, three total wins wouldn't have been out of the question for an Iowa State team picked to finish second-to-last in the preseason coaches poll of the rough-and-tough Big 12.

“Who picked us to win three?” Rhoads asked with a strong dose of sarcasm. “I don't think anybody picked us to win three. One or two, maybe.”

After defeating UConn 24-20 Friday night at Rentschler Field in its third game of the new season, Iowa State (3-0) is already there, tying the team's best start since 2005.

But it certainly hasn't come easily.

The Cyclones needed a Steele Jantz touchdown run in the final minute to take down Northern Iowa in the season-opener, and followed it up the next week with a 44-41 triple-overtime victory over rival Iowa.

A 20-yard touchdown pass from Jantz to Darius Reynolds with 9:08 to play ultimately proved the difference against the reigning Big East champion Huskies (1-2), but two fruitless drives inside the Iowa State 50-yard line with under 3:11 to go could have easily changed that.

All told, the Cyclones' three victories have come by a total of nine points, and they have trailed at some point in the fourth quarter in each game.

Rhoads would have happily taken an easier path to his team's impressive start, but the narrow victories have shown him a lot about his team as they close out a perfect first month of play. After a bye week, Iowa State takes on a struggling Texas team on Oct. 1 in Ames.

“The confidence continues to build as we find ways to win football games,” he said. “I've got a confident group of young men to begin with.”

Confidence is isn't much of an issue for Jantz, but it was certainly tested against UConn.

The junior college transfer showed shades of Seneca Wallace against the Hawkeyes, hitting Reynolds in the end zone on fourth-and-goal in the first OT period to keep the cardiac ‘Clones alive. But in his followup performance, he showed shades of the inconsistent quarterbacking that has plagued the team ever since.

In just his third Division I-A start, Jantz was picked off on an overthrown ball on Iowa State's first play from scrimmage. After going three-out on its next possession, Jantz would get picked off again on his third throw of the game. A third interception two possessions later -- this time off a ball tipped off the hands of tight end Kurt Hammerschmidt -- would leave the Cyclones QB with almost as many first-quarter passes as interceptions.

“They just had a really confusing defense,” Jantz said. “I just wasn't in rhythm in the beginning of the game.”

Although hampered by a strained left foot suffered on the second-to-last play of the half that forced him to the locker room early, the quarterback would quickly bounce back, never missing another play and going 12-for-16 through the air in the second half. He finished with a 200 yards on 18-for-29 passing.

“He kind of proved he's made of steel,” Reynolds said. “He got injured and we didn't even know if he was going to come back out. It showed a lot of courage.”

Having a receiver with an equally apt nickname surely helped give him something to look forward to.

“I just told Steele that if he ever needed anything just throw my way and I'll try to go get it,” said Reynolds, or “Money,” as his teammates call him. “He started coming to me a lot more in the second half.  I told the coaches that they couldn't guard me one-on-one. That's why I play the position that I play; that's why I do what I do.”

Reynolds, a JUCO transfer last season, backed up his talk, totaling more receiving yards (career-high 128) than he had through the first two games to go along with two touchdown grabs.

Slowed by injuries early on this season and still adapting to the position after playing quarterback at Reedley (Calif.) Community College, both Reynolds and Rhoads expect big things from the senior wide receiver from hereon out.

“He did too many things in the offseason and the summer to not make me believe,” Rhoads said.

After a charmed start to the season, why wouldn't he have a little faith?

“We can't continue to [make mistakes] and expect to battle back. You can't have 11 penalties to one and continue to win football games,” Rhoads said. “But we [did]. And here we sit 3-0 with a team that's putting forth just great work and preparation in a short week, on the road, to walk out of here with a victory.”

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