Rhoads pleased with ISU’s second-half ‘line in the sand’

AMES - It was evident to Paul Rhoads how different the energy level of his team was in the second half of Iowa State's win Saturday. At his news conference Monday, Rhoads said it changed not because ISU coaches got after guys in the locker room, but because the players knew what they were capable of and wanted to do better.

'Coaches yelling and screaming and doing all of that trying to motivate you but it rarely works,” Rhoads told his team at halftime of Saturday's 37-30 win against Toledo. 'It's got to come from the players and it did come from the players.

'It was a lot of fun to watch them in the second half as they drew a line in the sand, if you will, and came out and played at a different level.”

First-half penalties and missed tackles plagued the Cyclones (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) on defense, resulting in a 13-9 halftime lead for the Rockets. Toledo continued to chip at Iowa State's defense somewhat, but the Cyclones limited their mistakes and got off the field by slowing down the Rockets' third-down conversions.

Senior defensive end Cory Morrissey said the second half on Saturday showed him the defense can close out games to get more wins.

'We're a resilient group and constantly getting better and learning,” Morrissey said. 'It's always forward with a couple setbacks. We came back in the second half and showed what we could do.”

The ISU offense had its resiliency put to the test also and delivered. The Cyclones were efficient in the red zone in the first half - going 3-for-3 with field goals by Cole Netten - but touchdowns that could change the game eluded them.

In the second half, quarterback Sam Richardson led an up-tempo offensive charge in which Iowa State scored 28-second half points. There are certainly things the Cyclones learned as an offense, but coming away with a win aids in keeping a strong focus on the task at hand.

'The hunger's got to be there in the red zone and I think that'll continue to grow,” Richardson said. 'I think there's been games where we've been in some testy situations and we've definitely pushed through those kinds of challenges and I think it'll continue to grow throughout the rest of the season.”

Iowa State draws Texas (2-4) next. The Longhorns are coming off a 31-26 loss to Oklahoma, but have - what Rhoads called - one of the better defenses in the country.

For the Cyclones to complete their comeback and get the win against Toledo, Rhoads said he saw his players be competitive, be willing to be coached and truly improve. The routine won't deviate this week, but now the Cyclones are coming off a win and looking to build on the positives.

'Any time you end up with a victory, the guys come in more willing to be coached and you're going to get more out of them on the practice field in preparation,” Rhoads said. 'We continue to discover things about this particular football team and then work to apply it.”

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