Cyclone seniors reach the end of a long road

AMES - He knows as he walks through the tunnel, there's going to be emotion. But Cory Morrissey will try to dwell on his last game at Jack Trice Stadium as little as possible.

Along with 16 other seniors, Morrissey will go through senior day events on Saturday when Iowa State takes on West Virginia at 11 a.m. in its home finale. The Ames native dedicated his senior season to the memory of former ISU assistant Curtis Bray, who died in January, and will try to honor his memory the only way he knows his coach would want him to.

'He'd want me to get some sacks,” Morrissey said. 'He'd want me to make plays to honor him so I'll try to do that.”

Morrissey dreamed of playing for the Cyclones as a kid growing up in Ames and got his chance to do it after playing one season at Iowa Western, where he met future teammate Drake Ferch.

Ferch, also a senior, was elevated to a starter at strong side linebacker to begin 2014 and has recorded 39 tackles. He said the road has been long since transferring into the program, but it's been a blessing nonetheless.

'To stay healthy this whole time is a blessing itself,” Ferch said. 'I'm excited, it'll be the last game at Jack Trice and it's been a good ride. It's been a little disappointing at times, but just trying to coach up these younger guys and get them going.”

It's no secret the last two seasons haven't gone the way the team has hoped. With a 3-9 record last season and a 2-8 mark this year, there's been plenty of adversity for this group of seniors.

Through injuries and that adversity as individuals, however, ISU Coach Paul Rhoads has seen the class persevere.

'They've done their best to lead through that and I think they will leave here proud to be Iowa State Cyclones with a lot of lessons learned and a lot of memories that they'll take forward,” Rhoads said.

When he transferred in as a sophomore, Morrissey remembers then-senior linebackers A.J. Klein and Jake Knott telling him how quickly his senior year will arrive. Now that it's almost over, Morrissey will do what he can to leave his mark with the younger players.

'They're resilient. They've just got to learn how to win now,” Morrissey said. 'It's something where this team needs to learn how to win.”

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