Latest / The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon / Weekend Recap, Rocco leaves ISU, Bears over Packers, Bill Seals talks Cyclones

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Weekend Recap, Rocco leaves ISU, Bears over Packers, Bill Seals talks Cyclones · The Lunch Rush with Trent Condon

0:15
Good afternoon. Welcome in Miller and Condon.
0:18
On the air with you here on a Monday Christmas week edition of
0:23
Miller and Condon. We got you covered here for the
0:25
next couple of days and trying to stack in what has been just
0:30
an incredible weekend and a fun week in front of us.
0:32
Of course, kicks off with College Football Playoff, the
0:35
NFL coming down to the final weeks and epic Saturday night
0:38
game and a whole lot more coming up today.
0:40
Ken on the road today. He is out, but he's going to
0:43
join us for the first segment just because we got so much
0:46
going on. We'll be joined here a
0:47
momentarily by Ken is he's going to hop aboard with us.
0:50
Then coming up at the bottom of the hour, 1230 time to talk some
0:54
Cyclones and a new hire for Iowa State as they have gone out and
0:58
picked up their new off. It's a coordinator.
1:00
We will talk about that coming up here as Tyler Roll is back
1:03
from the Detroit Lions and with the Iowa State staff few years
1:07
back. He is back now with Iowa State
1:09
as the offensive coordinator. We'll talk about that and more
1:12
coming up here with Bill Seals. Our number 2 begins.
1:15
It will be Bama Bob in his normal spot recapping everything
1:19
that we saw in college football over the weekend.
1:21
And then at 1:30, Hawkeye talk. David Eichel will join us from
1:25
hawkeyeinsider.com. Wrap things up with my play of
1:28
the day. Mr. Monday night we'll stop in a
1:30
little college basketball. We'll see what else is on the
1:33
docket coming up here at the end of the show.
1:36
But we begin today with Ken in a different spot not right across
1:39
from me today on the fold line. How you doing today, Mr. Miller?
1:43
I'm OK, thank you. How are you?
1:44
Doing well, a busy weekend, a lot of #1 Christmas in the books
1:49
and we still got like 3 more to go.
1:50
But kids were excited, got some good presents.
1:53
So they're happy with everything and happy to be here to talk
1:56
about just an epic weekend. And there was just so many
1:59
different angles, so many different ways to go.
2:01
We'll bring up your Denver Broncos and what happened to
2:04
Jacksonville and the team. Maybe we slept on a little bit
2:07
too long in Jacksonville and what they were able to do on the
2:09
road in Denver. But do you want to start on the
2:11
local front with you Little basketball over the weekend?
2:14
But the news Tyler Roll coming back to Iowa State that was just
2:17
announced here within the last hour or so after being with the
2:21
Detroit Lions coming back and he is going to be the new OC for
2:24
Jimmy Rodgers staff at Iowa State.
2:27
Yeah, I I don't know very much about him other than the fact
2:29
that he did leave Iowa State to take the tight ends position
2:33
with the Detroit Lions. So he's got a little pro
2:36
background on his resume. Now I'm being on the surface, it
2:40
looks like Rodgers made a good hire.
2:42
We'll see if it pans out. Obviously don't know what you
2:46
know what the former staff, how many of your going to stay, if
2:49
any. We know that there's been some
2:51
players that the number of players that have made their way
2:53
to the transfer portal course. It became pretty apparent late
2:56
in the show on Friday, at least it did to me when we had Eugene
3:00
on that in Rocco's mom posted the the tweet about the and all
3:05
the boxes that he checked his time at Iowa State, the latest
3:08
of which was obviously graduating and posing at the
3:12
ceremony morning with this diploma, cetera.
3:14
But then that news came out and like, I get the pain.
3:17
I do. I understand why.
3:19
You know, I would state some of their fan base, some of the fan
3:21
base, quite honestly, I thought embarrassed themselves with
3:24
their over the top feelings. I guess that's the fact that I
3:28
mean, they became really personal, not from all I don't
3:31
want to be painting with a very big broad brush because I think
3:34
most people, you know, once it settles in, but understands it.
3:38
Now, here's the other thing, Trent, who's to say the Rogers
3:41
wanted to Rocco back? We don't know that, right?
3:44
It's a fresh start for him. Would you want a quarterback who
3:47
a is injured, probably not going to be able to go through spring
3:49
ball and he's only going to be there for one year.
3:53
Now, I get the leadership. There's no question Rocco Beck
3:56
was one of the leaders of last year's team.
3:59
But do we know that Rogers, you know, was going to crawl over
4:03
broken glass to get in front of Rocco Beck and to plead him to
4:06
stay? I don't know that.
4:08
So maybe he saw, maybe he's got his guy in Manske.
4:11
Maybe there's somebody else that's coming.
4:13
But I just think, as I've said for weeks, I think it's better
4:16
for all parties to move on. You know, it's, it would have
4:20
been one year at best. I get the leadership.
4:23
I get the fact that he is the face of the program after
4:26
Campbell left, that that's what Cyclone Finance were clinging
4:29
to, that you know, that their quarterback would come back.
4:31
But he's moving on. I think it's time for Iowa
4:34
State, obviously their fan base to to move on.
4:37
It's a new chapter and just see how it plays out.
4:40
An opportunity for a fresh start too because I think Rocco coming
4:43
back likely not going to be able to do anything after the labrum
4:47
surgery during spring practice yet.
4:49
There were still going to be big expectations.
4:51
Well, we got Rocco, right? You know, the fan base, We got
4:53
Rocco, we got a chance. Well, you know, it's a whole lot
4:56
more than the quarterback that you're going to need and they
4:58
got work to do it. Offensive line.
5:00
What are those skill positions going to look like?
5:02
What else is going to be there? I think regardless of Rocco, if
5:04
he stayed or not, this is going to be a rebuild here.
5:07
And I think with him departing, I think it's going to be easier
5:10
for the fan base to swallow going into the year.
5:13
It is time to temper our expectations.
5:15
We know there's going to be crazies out there.
5:17
There's going to be the Mikes in Waterloo who we love, but
5:20
there's going to be the the part of the fan base that regardless,
5:22
always think that the cyclones are going to be great and it
5:24
doesn't matter what actual maybe the reality says about that.
5:28
And the reality is it's going to be a year number one, that is
5:31
going to be a rebuild. The schedule is advantageous,
5:33
Absolutely. Still, there's a ton of work to
5:36
be done and that's the other part, the last couple of
5:39
seasons, we probably know at this part just how many
5:41
defections that would be. We have the early portal window
5:44
and we would have had a ton of guys in there.
5:46
We just don't know. And though those numbers are
5:48
continuing to grow each and every day, the likelihood is
5:52
there's going to be a ton of guys that are going to be in
5:54
there and portal shopping and doing it with the finances and
5:58
the reality. This is not Texas Tech, this is
5:59
not BYU. They are not swimming in those
6:01
waters of NIL money compared to a couple of their Big 12
6:06
brethren. Because of that can just, I
6:08
think the reset and the hard reset now with Rocco departing
6:12
in the grand scheme of things, probably good for the fan base
6:14
as a whole. I couldn't agree with you more.
6:17
Again, I want to emphasize, I understand why it stings, right?
6:20
I mean your coach that led you to heights that you'd never ever
6:24
achieved. He decided to move on.
6:26
Now the quarterback is following him out the door, but he's the
6:30
the thing that just I I don't understand and I'm not one of
6:33
them. So maybe that's, you know, why I
6:34
I don't understand. It is what's loyal and forever
6:38
true. I mean, they're pushing because
6:40
that's what he put that put put in his, you know, announcement.
6:44
No, you're not. And then some guy, some guy
6:46
invokes his parents and brings them into the equation.
6:50
Are you proud of them? And come on it it just it was
6:53
disappointing again, I'm I get why for some of them that's they
6:58
live and breathe it right. But I think in the long run,
7:01
you'll look back this time next year and think, you know what
7:04
this actually was the right move better for everybody.
7:07
Manske's got a full season under his belt.
7:09
Or Moberly, if it's going to be Connor Moberly, who announced
7:12
this morning that he's going to remain in Cyclone.
7:15
Maybe it's his time. But it's just time to get a
7:18
you've got a new head coach, you've got a new regime that's
7:21
building, get a new quarterback. You're going to have to do so
7:24
this time next year anyway. So move on, get the sting,
7:28
understand the pain. But I think in a year you'll
7:31
look back and I hope some of people think, you know, I
7:34
embarrass myself. Jeremiah Cooper, another one of
7:37
the big names. That is the parting.
7:39
I don't think this one will come as a surprise, obviously.
7:41
Obviously the injury that he's sustained, but it's just going
7:44
to keep coming. It sucks for the fan base.
7:47
Just it's got to be gutting to go through this.
7:49
And we haven't gone through this in this era, right?
7:52
We haven't gone through the new era as Campbell been there a
7:55
decade and obviously, Kurt, for 27 years.
7:57
We haven't gone through this now with the transfer portal like it
7:59
is. It's a new reality.
8:01
And now I think I have a little bit more, I guess, understanding
8:06
of these other fan bases and when they go through it, just
8:08
how terrible it is to have to go through this and see these guys
8:11
that you cheered up, guys that bedrocks these.
8:14
It's not a third string tight end, you know, that's moving on
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and he's he's going somewhere else.
8:18
It is top level, top flight players and and hope that you
8:21
are going to be able to rebuild on the fly.
8:23
And when those guys leave, it's just a big Stinger.
8:26
Yeah, it's it's college football and it's college athletics in
8:29
general transit. It's just, I think that we're
8:32
still having trouble grasping where college athletics is now
8:37
and where in all likelihood, it's going in the future.
8:40
I mean, it has changed. It did.
8:42
It went from zero to 100 in like a year, right?
8:45
I mean, it wasn't too many years ago that we were celebrating
8:48
that these guys could go back for seconds, right?
8:52
They could take their plate back and they could get an extra
8:54
helping. And we thought, OK, that's a
8:56
step in the right direction. He didn't used to be able to,
8:59
you know, the training table was you.
9:00
You had a limit at a lot of these places.
9:03
But then it just went from one extreme to just the complete
9:07
opposite. And it's hard for people to
9:10
grasp the college athletics will never be what it once was.
9:14
The the college kids do have an opportunity to leave and leave
9:18
on multiple occasions, right or wrong coaches, because always
9:22
we're able to do that. Now the players have the exact
9:24
power. They're getting paid.
9:27
It's changed. I'm not saying it's changed for
9:29
the better. I personally don't like a lot of
9:31
it. But you know what?
9:33
It's not about me. It's about where this college
9:36
athletics is going and who knows where ultimately it's going to
9:39
stop. Well, as we're on college
9:41
football, let's jump into the College Football Playoff.
9:44
What a scene it was Friday night. 2 blue bloods going up
9:47
against each other, 17 nothing. Then the end of the half
9:50
situation, just a drop punt that game before can, you know, I
9:56
like analytics, you know that I like the numbers.
9:59
But for the people that are so married to and say, well,
10:02
momentum, that's not a real thing.
10:03
You actually, you can't measure it.
10:05
So it's not real. Just put in the tape at the end
10:07
of the first half and tell me that momentum doesn't matter.
10:09
And that or isn't something that yes, you can't quantify it.
10:12
You can't put a number behind it.
10:14
But it was absolutely real in that game.
10:16
And Alabama finds a way to get it done against Oklahoma when
10:20
they look dead in the water for the first quarter.
10:22
They really did. And I got such a kick out of
10:24
going back and jumping on Twitter and finding the takes
10:28
that didn't age well. There were hundreds of them,
10:30
right? It was it was a fantastic game.
10:33
It really was. And ESPN got it right by putting
10:37
the, you know, the two marquee games of the weekend, the Texas
10:40
A and M1 being the other one that went early Saturday
10:42
morning, Oklahoma, Alabama on Friday night, because we knew
10:47
that there was a chance that, you know, the NFL on Saturday
10:49
might be pretty good, right? And that the other 2 college
10:52
football first round games might get out of hand, as they both
10:55
did. But Friday night was special.
10:58
That's back-to-back years since we've had this format that we do
11:01
now. Last year in Notre Dame that was
11:03
outstanding with the snowflakes coming down, a little cold
11:06
weather, but the game in Norman was unbelievable.
11:09
Hats off to Alabama and on they go.
11:12
And then I, I just can't wait for these quarterfinal rounds,
11:15
Trent. I really can't.
11:16
I think we have the right eight teams that are going to that
11:19
advanced Miami is. I think they're going to be a
11:23
threat. I really do having getting Bain
11:25
back. But both of their defensive
11:27
ends, they can wreak havoc. I don't know where to go.
11:30
I don't know if they'll advance or not, but I think we have the
11:32
right eight teams and bring it on.
11:35
Of the two group of five games, how much did you watch?
11:38
Zero, yeah. I watched zero.
11:41
I watched the, oh, I shouldn't say that I watched 0 the late
11:45
game. I had no interest to you, even
11:47
though that was my pick in our contest because I kind of had a
11:51
feeling that it was going to end up the way it did.
11:53
And I didn't. And I wanted to watch the NFC
11:55
North battle, but I I found myself watching commanders and
11:59
the Eagles for whatever reason, and I'm not sure why, I just had
12:05
no interest in watching Tulane. And no, miss, you know how much
12:07
you know my stance on these and I think it is even exacerbated
12:13
more not that these were blow. We've seen blow up last year.
12:16
We've seen that. But these group of five schools.
12:19
But at the end of the day, if you're good, if you're if you're
12:22
a good player on a group of five teams, you're not going to be
12:24
there next year, right? This roster is going to be
12:27
pillaged and the NIL money that they're playing with is nowhere,
12:32
nowhere close to being on the level.
12:33
So look, it's the AC CS fault that they didn't see what was
12:38
potentially you did. No, absolutely it was
12:40
potentially coming. You seen it a month ago that
12:44
don't sleep on. And I don't know Duke losses
12:47
Duke had at the time that you first started opining on this.
12:51
But the ACC should have seen this coming.
12:54
They should have done college football a favor.
12:56
It needs to be fixed. I won't go quite as far as Nick
13:00
Saban, although his point was kind of well taken.
13:02
It's not like, you know, when once we get to the wild card
13:05
round in the major leagues, we take the worst wild card round,
13:08
our team, regardless of of of league and just put in the AAA
13:12
champion. We don't do that in MLB.
13:15
But I I think that you have to have room for one group of five.
13:20
I'll we'll see where it goes. Look, I have to believe the
13:22
College Football Playoff will expand at some point, whether
13:27
it's 16, whether it's 24, we'll see if that makes the outcry as
13:31
loud as it is now, because it's certainly loud in a lot of
13:34
respects. But to answer your question,
13:36
Trent, I watch very little of it.
13:37
But man, I sure enjoy the hell out of that Green Bay, as I'm
13:41
sure you did. Bears game on Saturday night,
13:43
won an unbelievable football game.
13:46
I have no idea how your squad continues to almost going to say
13:49
get breaks. They're not breaks.
13:50
They're making their own breaks, but the ball is bouncing in
13:54
their favor. Watching Williams, who has been
13:57
somewhat much maligned by, you know, did we take the right,
14:00
especially when Daniels had the the rookie campaign that he did.
14:04
This Bears team is absolutely legit.
14:06
You have to like your team's chances going into the playoffs.
14:09
They are just finding ways and they're inexplicable at times.
14:13
There are times that are difficult to grasp how you can
14:18
do this, how you get an onside kick in today's day and age,
14:20
right? And so as they're lighting up
14:22
for the onside, I got my little guy next to me, Jack, and we've
14:26
had a lot of fun throughout this season.
14:28
I told him before the year began when I was in kindergarten, as
14:31
Jack in Jack was, that's the last time, the only time that
14:34
the Bears won the Super Bowl. So he's had this thought and
14:37
like, well, they're not going to be very good, so let's slow down
14:39
on that. But as they just keep winning
14:41
these games and so they're lining up for the onside kick.
14:43
And I said, all right, this happens like 10% of the time
14:46
this if you do 10 of these, it's only going to happen once.
14:50
And then it happened maybe and they get the ball and it's just
14:53
the 5th onside kick recover in the NFL this year.
14:55
They have the graphic right there in the bottom of the
14:57
screen. So and then it happens and then
14:59
they score the touchdown and, and this guy where I feel like I
15:02
know every player on the team, right?
15:03
I know every guy. I don't know who the Hell's
15:06
number 20? Who's this guy?
15:08
Who's Walker? Remarkable dance, Trent.
15:10
Remarkable touchdown dance today, Walker.
15:13
I had no idea. I think he played eight snaps,
15:15
something like that all season long.
15:17
I don't know who the and you see #20 is like was that, was that a
15:20
running back? What's #20 doing out there?
15:22
All because of the injuries with Roma Dunze and left Luther
15:25
Burden being out, He's out there.
15:27
Janae Walkers got to go from Texas A&M.
15:29
He makes the play, ties it up and then the winner and overtime
15:34
that throw after the fumble, then the fumble other way.
15:38
And then there's that moment looked like the Packers are
15:40
going to get the ball back after the Bears put it on the turf.
15:42
Well, no switch was actually down.
15:44
And then to go for the kill shot there.
15:47
There's something different about this team, about this
15:50
organization there. And it goes back to Ben Johnson
15:53
and you know, those first couple of weeks of the year, the people
15:56
that they aren't the smartest people in the room.
15:59
I'm fine with those people. It's the people that think
16:01
they're the smartest people in the room.
16:03
Those are the people that bother me.
16:04
And I thought we were sold another bill of goods here.
16:06
Here comes Ben Johnson. He knows everything.
16:08
They were getting penalties non-stop.
16:10
It was the same things that we seen year after year after the
16:12
Bears. And it has changed though.
16:14
They're still get too many penalties still.
16:17
There's times that are head scratching decisions.
16:19
Ben Johnson, to me, is the reason that this team is doing
16:22
what they're doing. Yeah, I don't think there's any
16:25
question about it. It's fascinating to watch really
16:28
is I think he deserves a ton of credit.
16:31
So is the quarterback. So does whoever decided to
16:33
upgrade the offensive line. That is been unbelievable.
16:36
Who decides to take Manon Guy in the seventh round out of Rutgers
16:40
won a draft pick. He's turned out to be.
16:43
It was it was it was incredible to watch for for a lot of
16:46
reasons. They were seen dead in the water
16:48
so many times in that football game.
16:51
Jordan Love gets hurt. Here comes Wilson.
16:53
It wasn't bad at all. I mean, I think he was played
16:56
really well in the football game that he's got a dinged up
16:59
shoulder. Just fascinating to watch that
17:01
football game. It really was.
17:03
Yeah. Football delivered this weekend.
17:05
There's no question about that. Well, I don't want to let you go
17:08
before we talk a little bit about your team and what
17:10
happened. And probably the story isn't
17:12
even the Broncos. It was the Jaguars.
17:14
Yeah. We've talked about them at times
17:17
they have come up and it's just that that Trevor Lawrence.
17:20
Now I go back to a couple years ago when they went into Kansas
17:23
City had them on their own. They had the great comeback win
17:25
the week before in the first round of the playoffs against
17:27
the Chargers and it's a Charger. So I maybe you don't want to
17:29
lead a whole lot of credence cuz they got their own playoff woes
17:32
historically, but that to do what they did in this one.
17:36
We know Jacksonville, obviously their defense is playing at a
17:39
high level, but Trevor Lawrence was that as in control
17:42
throughout a course of a game that you can remember Trevor
17:44
Lawrence from start to finish. Well, yeah, that has.
17:47
And like we said over the, you know, the last month or so, you
17:50
know, it's not going out of our way to watch Jacksonville
17:53
Jaguars football, right? It was they look at their ass
17:58
kicked. There's there's no getting
18:00
around. Trevor Lawrence was outstanding.
18:02
Some guy by name of Washington #11 was you couldn't cover him.
18:08
The defense, as you said, that they made it play after play
18:11
after play. Bo Nicks like looked like bad Bo
18:14
Nicks. RJ Harvey played well in the
18:17
football game, but it was it was eye opening.
18:21
I think the silver lining in all of this is the last time
18:24
Jacksonville came in and had a big win.
18:25
There obviously was the 96 divisional round game where they
18:30
knocked Inver out of the playoffs and then we'll go on to
18:32
win the next two Super Bowls. But it kind of had that feel,
18:35
although, you know, obviously not week 60 opposed to a a
18:38
divisional game. But look, Jacksonville is
18:41
absolutely legit. And I'll go one step further.
18:43
The team that played last night on and then BC they are legit as
18:47
well. And that was the those are the
18:48
two teams that played for the AFC championship that year.
18:52
And we go on and get beat by green, by Green Bay and Brett
18:54
Favre for his Super Bowl win. But the Patriots with a second
18:59
year quarterback, the Bears with the second year quarterback.
19:03
Some of these young quarterbacks are certainly making their mark
19:07
in this game. But I don't know where Denver
19:09
goes. They still look they should beat
19:11
the Chiefs, right? They're down to their third
19:12
string quarterback on on Christmas night.
19:16
Then they'll host the Chargers with an opportunity to still get
19:18
the one seed and still get the buy.
19:22
I don't know if Denver is, you know, a legitimate buy or not a
19:25
legitimate AFC team. I still think the Bills are
19:28
going to, you know, have a say when it's all said and done.
19:31
But these two upstarts, the Patriots and the Jaguars, I hope
19:35
that there's some people out there when you were, you know,
19:37
getting your futures in line back in September for the Super
19:40
Bowl finalists or Super Bowl exactors.
19:42
And I love both of those markets.
19:44
And I'm going to get my clock cleaned.
19:46
Clobbered on those two teams. Root against them come playoff
19:49
time. Hey, one more on Denver.
19:51
Should we be concerned about that defense?
19:53
Not that it's still not good, but it doesn't feel like it's a
19:56
leap. I mean, you go back to that
19:57
Sunday night game against the Commanders over the last month,
20:00
they certainly they they're fine.
20:02
They're good. What's off?
20:04
What's wrong, Sir? Tan's back.
20:06
You figured out that'd be the elixir.
20:08
They just haven't played real well as a unit.
20:10
No, you know what, it's funny you mention that game against
20:12
the Commanders because that's the overriding theory in Denver
20:15
today. Reading the Denver Post this
20:17
morning is Cliff Kingsbury showed the league the way and
20:21
that's obviously with the Commanders as they're OC that
20:26
the game plan that they that he drew up was kind of the key to
20:31
the success against going against Denver's defense.
20:33
They are I mean, the first two series of that football game, I
20:35
thought, Oh my God, Denver's going to kill him.
20:37
They they just were all over Trevor Lawrence.
20:40
They were getting to the quarterback, but then everything
20:42
changed. There was a a late hit or a
20:45
roughing the passer where there was there was an offensive
20:52
penalty, tree snap penalty, but you couldn't hear.
20:54
And one of the Broncos players came off the edge and and hit
20:57
Lawrence in the back and that gave them a first down and then
21:01
boom, after that they just were unstoppable.
21:04
I'm not saying the penalty changed the game.
21:05
I'm not. And it was, I guess the right
21:08
call because it was, you know, some, some of the players
21:10
stopped playing. The kid who was rushing off the
21:12
edge, he didn't hear the whistle.
21:15
But regardless of that, it was it was not a good performance by
21:19
Denver's defense, who up until yesterday was almost I think
21:24
they were the number one team, red zone defense team in the
21:27
league by a long shot. And Moose Johnson was doing the
21:30
collar kept breaking that up all the time.
21:33
And after the third time they got into the red zone and scored
21:35
a touchdown was like, shut up. You know, they can't stop him in
21:39
the red zone. It's time to move on from this
21:41
talking point. They were really bad.
21:43
I give the Jaguars and Liam Cohen, who might be coach of the
21:46
year maybe right a lot of credit.
21:49
That was that was a terrific performance.
21:51
If Lawrence plays like that and ETN could run the football and
21:55
bring in Myers over from the Raiders at the trade deadline,
21:57
they've got another legitimate wide receiver now.
22:00
It's good football team, Trent really is.
22:03
Chiefs performance against Tennessee.
22:05
Wow, it looks like they quit, right?
22:08
It really does. But they'll play well Christmas
22:11
because they it's Denver, you know, they'll show a little bit
22:13
of pride. I would assume Maybe this is the
22:16
Broncos fan in me. I think so.
22:17
No, I think you're right. Right, a divisional foe.
22:21
This was this is the team that's going to knock them off their
22:24
AFC West perch. So I think that they will play
22:27
well. But how well, I mean, it's the
22:29
Celtic is that the South Dakota, South Dakota state where this
22:32
kid played quarterback going up against that pass rush and
22:36
they've got some injuries Chiefs do on their offensive line.
22:39
So we'll see where it goes. But yeah, the Chiefs, it looks
22:44
like, you know, their fan base sadly knows what the rest of the
22:47
teams in the league at some point over this run I've done
22:49
and that's get to the open up some mock drafts and see what's
22:52
available. Final couple things on our
22:54
weekend recap. Ken joining us on the phone
22:57
today. It is first on the women's side,
23:00
Iowa State, they had to survive yesterday against KUI.
23:05
Mean Audie goes off for 41, but boy, nip and tuck there against
23:08
Kansas, certainly a Hilton. You can understand if that was
23:11
on the road. That was maybe head scratching
23:13
more than anything. Iowa had some moments against
23:15
UConn just watching that game. They're just a completely
23:19
different level. They they got so many different
23:22
weapons and from the myriad of scores that they have when they
23:26
shoot the ball from the outside in Iowa, it's the same thing
23:28
we've talked about often with them.
23:29
They had 26 turnovers in the game and it wasn't just a lot of
23:33
them were OK, they're better. They make a steal because
23:35
they're more athletic and do things, but a lot of them were
23:38
not going and connecting with the ball.
23:39
You know, it's a pass out to the wing and you're not going to get
23:41
it. You're letting it get there and
23:42
they just jump in front. So you have to play better than
23:45
that. Still, I thought there were
23:46
moments in that game where, all right, they're not UConn good,
23:49
they're not Final Four good, but I think they're still upside on
23:52
this team that they can make a little bit of a run.
23:55
Yeah, I think we've got two top 25 teams in the state.
23:57
I really do. I mean, Cyhawk was an
23:59
unbelievable basketball game, both the women and the men.
24:02
I think we've got 2 good teams, but there's teams out there
24:05
that, you know, I don't know when it comes to the women, if
24:09
there's another team that in, in the same ilk as Yukon, I would
24:14
be surprised. But when it comes to the men, I
24:16
think there's, you know, probably 6-7 teams that
24:19
legitimately have a chance of, excuse me, of which I was state
24:23
is one of them. So it's going to be, I mean, I
24:25
love conference play basketball. You know what I've said, it's
24:28
just hard for me to turn on a game, especially like yesterday,
24:30
right, or Bucknell on Saturday. You know what you you know
24:34
what's going to happen before the game even tips off, you
24:38
know, are they going to cover the 30 something point spread or
24:41
whatever it may be? So I I just I'm at the end of my
24:44
rope when it comes to those. But as far as the women go, Iowa
24:47
State nice three in the corner from here.
24:49
But I think it was her first bucket of the game.
24:51
Good for her. But you're going to have some of
24:53
these games that you, you know, not survive in advance
24:56
necessarily that terms taken, but you know, you're going to
24:59
have some of these games that you probably should have won it
25:02
easier that you have to make a play at the end of the game.
25:04
And if good teams find a way to make a play, and they did.
25:07
You and I tonight, by the way, big match up.
25:09
They go out to Saint Mary's True Rd. game out there now they're
25:11
big under. Wow, yeah, 13 1/2 ESPN plus for
25:15
that one 9:00 tip. Love that tip time for that one.
25:18
But Saint Mary's really good start for them.
25:20
Probably two of the best mid majors you're going to find this
25:22
side of Gonzaga. Saint Mary's against you and I
25:25
tonight. So put that one there and the
25:26
Iowa met. That's a lot of points, isn't
25:28
it? That's.
25:29
Kind of what I I'm thinking Saint Mary's is huge.
25:32
You and I is not very big this year.
25:34
That's kind of the big difference in that one.
25:35
But might have that one on the card by the time we get to A-150
25:39
and the Iowa men playing here in Des Moines dominate.
25:41
Good to see Rue BJ back for for Bucknell.
25:44
He's a kid that I called a lot of his games when he was at
25:47
Valley. Obviously got a good start. 1:50
25:49
they race out and then it was all Iowa from there.
25:51
And McCollum? He was imploring all the plans
25:53
here in Des Moines to get on their feet.
25:57
I wonder what did you see the attendance I did?
25:59
Not I didn't see the official box.
26:01
That's a good question. I'm going to try to find that
26:03
one and see exactly what it was. Talk to a few people that were
26:05
there. Said it was a good crowd, maybe
26:07
better than at least a couple of people I talked to expected.
26:10
Wasn't packed by any means, but they said it was a good crowd
26:12
and they were into it. And they're excited for Brendan
26:15
Hassan knocking down some threes late, too.
26:17
Yeah, fan base loves that kid. They really do.
26:20
And I got to assume that we both assume that maybe his minutes
26:23
are going to increase. Look, if he would have brought a
26:25
team that, you know, a little a little better than Bucknell to
26:28
town. I'm not saying he needs to bring
26:30
Duke or, you know, anybody like that, but just bring somebody
26:34
that's got a chance. And, you know, the point
26:36
spreads, maybe low teens, something that, yeah, you should
26:39
win. Yes, you should get tested.
26:41
But is going to be a little bit of a little mystery in the game.
26:46
I got to believe that the the Des Moines fans would show up
26:49
for this things. I hope it's not the last one,
26:50
Trent, but I do want the opposition, you know, to to see
26:54
if we can find a little bit better team.
26:55
And I'm also told them McCullum was kind of behind that as well
26:58
that that he did not want a, you know, a team that would give
27:02
them would push Iowa. And because this was Fran
27:05
McCaffrey deal is what I'm led to believe.
27:07
This was a McCaffrey. They signed the contract when
27:09
Fran was there, lived up to the contract, but didn't want to
27:12
play anybody that was actually really good.
27:14
And and I think going forward, there is hope that they're going
27:16
to be able to do that and maybe not yearly, but maybe every
27:19
other year, you know, have a bigger name opponent that comes
27:21
in. The thing that you need to
27:23
always kind of worry about is if you're not best non conference
27:26
games in neutral court, you want to give something to the season
27:29
ticket holders also at Carver, right?
27:30
And you can't good point. If you have one good non
27:32
conference quote UN quote home game or at least close to home,
27:36
you can't have it be every single year away from Carver for
27:38
the people that are buying the season tickets, but but a
27:41
couple. Of that, that makes sense.
27:42
Yeah, that makes sense. Well, with that, we're out of
27:45
time. Ken.
27:46
We will talk to you tomorrow. We will see you tomorrow here
27:48
and our last show of the week. Yeah, it is good stuff.
27:52
Thanks for doing this, Trent. Appreciate it.
27:53
We'll see you tomorrow. OK, sounds good guy, Villar,
27:55
check it in with us on the road and he'll be back with us again
27:58
tomorrow in studio as we got you.
28:01
What other note here on the local front, the Iowa Hawkeyes
28:04
have been given the Joe Moore Award, the most outstanding
28:08
offensive line unit in college football this season. close
28:11
connection. Kirk Ference, his protege, his
28:14
mentor was Joe Moore. A lot of connections there.
28:17
And congratulations to a group. And those guys certainly felt
28:20
the pain. I mean, you go back and you look
28:21
at the early career of Bo Stevens, Logan Jones and the
28:25
struggles he had just snapping the football jettings dunker and
28:28
what this group turned into certainly this season a good
28:31
work out of them. And congratulations to Iowa for
28:34
winning the Joe Moore Award for offensive line of the year.
28:37
We come back on the other side. Time to talk some cyclones.
28:40
Bill Seal, we'll talk about the latest with the Cyclones, the
28:43
departure of Rocco Becton, a whole lot more as we come back.
28:46
This is Miller and Condon on the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
29:02
Trent, kinda back with you once again here, Miller and kinda
29:05
continues on the Iowa Sports Radio Network.
29:07
Ken off for the rest of the day. He'll be back with us though
29:10
tomorrow, our penalty show before Christmas, off Christmas
29:15
Eve, Thursday and Friday this week.
29:18
But still a lot to get into and it's time to get into it.
29:20
These cyclones joining us now from cyclonereport.com, part of
29:24
on three, he is Bill Seals. Bill, Merry Christmas to you.
29:28
How's everything in your world? Merry Christmas to you, Trent.
29:31
Things are going good. We're it's it's been fun to
29:36
cover these this basketball team here and you know, another big
29:40
win yesterday. So cyclone basketball, you know,
29:45
all the uncertainty and the changes around football.
29:48
It's been nice to, you know, maybe bring some some news on
29:51
the on the basketball side to cyclone fans these days.
29:56
I. Guess well, a couple of things.
29:57
First to score 57 points in the first half against anybody his
30:01
his eye opening Munchilovich now shooting 55% from behind the arc
30:05
as they get ready for conference play to begin here pretty quick.
30:09
It's just one thing after another.
30:11
But I guess if you you had to put a demerit on their free
30:15
throw, shooting 8 of 18 for the foul line.
30:18
Yeah, that was that was, you know, there were there were a
30:22
few stats in that game, obviously that, you know, the
30:26
free throw shooting was one of them.
30:28
You know, also the points off turnovers that that was another
30:33
one that really stood out to me. Iowa State actually outscored in
30:36
that that category that never happened.
30:38
So there were a few cat categories there.
30:40
They only turned the only turned the long beat stayed over twice
30:46
in that game in the second-half after the big star.
30:48
TJ wasn't too concerned about it.
30:51
But yeah, I mean, I think getting back to your original
30:54
point, free throw shooting, it seems like it has kind of caught
30:58
them from time to time here throughout the the last couple
31:01
years where they have not been good at the line.
31:04
And, and that's that that's something with those guards that
31:08
they've got and, and being, you know, being aggressive and and
31:11
going downhill, that's going to be a big part of their offenses
31:15
is getting points at the line. So they've got to convert when
31:18
they get there. The return of Dom Pleida also
31:22
certain that's going to be important, obviously throughout
31:25
the course of this year. And that's something that we
31:26
definitely know. He's going to have to be a piece
31:28
that they're going to have to rely on at different times,
31:31
follow trouble and he's got a lot of upside too.
31:33
Just get them back out there. All systems go now going forward
31:36
for Pleida. Yeah, I think in 10 minutes, 6
31:40
points, 4 rebounds and encouraging first trip or first
31:45
step back after a couple games. And you know, I, I didn't even
31:49
realize till the end until they they had emptied the bench.
31:53
Eric Mulder came in for a couple minutes and we've been seeing
31:55
him a lot sooner in games. So I think here as we get a
31:59
little closer to Big 12 play, I'd be that the, the rotation
32:04
that TJ's going to use on a on a nightly basis kind of come into
32:08
fruition here. I think you're seeing certainly
32:11
as you mentioned, Plato's is one that's going to play a key role
32:15
inside and in him and Buchanan and Josh Jefferson and, and we,
32:20
we've talked a lot every week about Blake Buchanan and, and
32:23
what a revelation he's been. But tell you what, played a a
32:27
very efficient player as well when he's been in the game.
32:30
So one more non conference game, it's Houston Christian a week
32:33
from tonight as they'll face off against them on Monday.
32:36
Then conference play begins and it's not an overly daunting
32:40
beginning before they go to KU. You know, we saw this team a
32:43
year ago, it felt like they peaked maybe in January.
32:47
What can you do to stay away from that?
32:48
I mean, you're not going to tell your guys to lose, right?
32:50
You're not going to do anything like that.
32:52
But peeking too early, we talked about this.
32:55
It's not just an Iowa State team, just in general.
32:57
They're playing so well, but still knowing that you're still
33:00
trying to up to March. Yeah, Yeah, I think so.
33:05
And I believe last January too, it seemed like injuries
33:08
coincided with that a little bit.
33:10
Obviously, Milan mom Chilovich's injury was a big one and he
33:15
missed extended time with that. And that kind of coincided, I
33:18
think, with that ISU team last year falling off a little bit
33:24
before rebounding towards the end of the regular season.
33:27
So I think a big part of that is just staying healthy.
33:30
And to an extent that's that's a certain degree of luck as well.
33:34
I mean, it takes to get get a team and you're going to go
33:38
through the meat grinder that is the Big 12.
33:40
But they just got to stay healthy, got to stay on the
33:43
floor. You know, Tamen Lipsey's another
33:46
one who's battled some stuff over his the course of his
33:49
career. Got to keep that guy on the
33:52
floor. Mumshilovich, the year that he's
33:55
had just incredible so far and you just playing lights out in a
33:59
number of facets and keeping him on the floor and, and healthy as
34:04
well. So there's a lot of with the big
34:06
three and if they can keep that core going and, and healthy and
34:10
on the floor, I like their chances to to keep ramping up
34:13
towards March. You jump over to the other side,
34:16
the women's team in a tussle and Audie didn't play against you
34:19
and I, they definitely needed her yesterday in the win against
34:22
Kansas and a horn 3 pointer to win it.
34:24
But still, that was, I think, a lot tighter than anybody could
34:27
anticipated in Hilton against The Jayhawks.
34:30
Yeah, that was, that was a little bit closer I think than
34:34
than a lot of us thought it it would be.
34:37
I I thought that you know, that this is a game maybe that bears
34:42
out some of what Iowa states weaknesses could be for Big 12
34:46
competition. That Kansas shot the ball really
34:49
well from the three-point line. I think Iowa State didn't really
34:52
defend it well from the perimeter.
34:54
So that, that's something that that definitely is going to need
34:57
to be addressed moving forward. I, I think there, there is some,
35:02
some hope, I believe for, for cyclone fans there that they'll
35:05
be able to do that. I, this is a lot more because
35:09
there's a lot more athletic of an Iowa State team under Bill
35:12
Findley than we've seen in recent years.
35:15
I, I think that they can be a team that defends it better on
35:18
the perimeter. And and you know, and also
35:21
everybody talks about Audie Crooks, Addie Brown, Jada
35:26
Williams, what an addition she's been.
35:28
But you know, it's nice to know too.
35:31
I think that for for coach friendly and his staff that you
35:34
can go to a Kenzie Hair and it doesn't get, you know, many
35:38
touches and and many, many baskets or scoring production as
35:42
she probably should and she can hit a big shot from the corner
35:46
like that to win a game. You jump over to the football
35:49
side and probably the story of the weekend is Rocco announcing
35:52
his departure from Iowa State. Rocco back going to enter the
35:55
transfer portal. Just give us your take away of
35:58
that one. And I know something that this
36:00
one's stung. This is more than just any
36:02
player. I think leaving a program.
36:04
This one left a mark in Cyclone fans.
36:07
Yeah, yeah. And I and I thought clear up
36:09
even until the announcement, I would have told you Trent that I
36:12
thought he was going to come back.
36:13
I think that just a number of aspects that I, I thought he
36:19
would be back in the Cardinal and gold obviously coming off of
36:22
that injury. It was also over the last week
36:25
well publicized all of the high major quarterback talent in the
36:30
portal already even before Rocco announced.
36:33
But he he does he's got plenty of accolades.
36:36
The winning it going to be the winningest quarterback while he
36:38
is and that's announced. He's going to the portal so far.
36:42
He's got that going for him. And yeah, I mean, it is a big
36:45
loss for Iowa State. I think, you know, you just this
36:49
2026 team, I think there's so much uncertainty right now what
36:53
this thing's going to look like. I think Rocco probably takes
36:57
that into account a little bit and the fact that what if Iowa
37:01
State, if you would have said they had a top six offense, what
37:04
their top six offensive line was in 2025.
37:07
Well, four of those guys are gone.
37:09
I obviously the sixth of those, Dylan Barrett, he's he's moving
37:14
on. So there's a lot of uncertainty.
37:16
I think they're Rocco who's going to be blocking for him
37:18
next season. So I think this is a positive
37:21
development though maybe for Alex Manske remaining in an Iowa
37:25
State uniform. I believe he he thought all
37:27
along after signing, I believe that Rocco was trending toward
37:32
it being an NFL early entry guy after his junior year.
37:35
It didn't work out that way, but I think Mansky was counting on
37:40
getting a shot at that starting role in in 2026.
37:43
So good development there. I think as far as like a long
37:46
term outlook with the QB position and that Jimmy Rogers
37:50
and it. Tyler Roll coming back as the
37:53
offensive coordinator feels like a a pretty big coup here, at
37:57
least on the surface to me, for Coach Rogers to be able to go
37:59
out there, get somebody from the NFL, obviously connections to
38:02
Iowa State and it stole him as his first OC.
38:06
Yeah, I think it is a very good hire.
38:08
You've seen what what he was able to do at North Dakota State
38:12
even before he he came to ISU the first time as a running his
38:17
back running backs coach. He's got multiple years of
38:20
experience as an OC at North Dakota State.
38:24
He also coached tight ends, full backs, have the brief stint at
38:28
Tennessee State actually never did coach a game there as he got
38:31
a shot with the Cyclones at right after taking that
38:35
Tennessee State job. So I think he's got play calling
38:38
experience. And if there's one thing that
38:40
that you look at Iowa State's numbers from his lone season and
38:45
Ames and I I think 11. Well more than one thing you're
38:49
going to be able to say about this Iowa State offense under a
38:51
Tyler role is they're going to try to be physical.
38:54
They're going to try to dominate the the person on the line of
38:57
scrimmage across from him that online and they're going to try
39:00
to establish the running game. So I think that's one couple
39:04
things you're going to say about this team.
39:07
And also if Alex Mansky is assuming he does return and and
39:11
start competing with Moberly for that QB one job, they keep going
39:16
to like the mobility of a of an Alex Mansky as well.
39:20
And kind of what he showed in high school.
39:22
He could very well be a perfect fit, I think, for a Tyler Roll
39:25
offense at that quarterback. 11 days until the portal opens.
39:30
Do you anticipate and we're continuing to get more names and
39:33
it is it just going to kind of stack itself up on top of each
39:36
other here in these that do you expect that a lot of guys are
39:38
going to wait till the 2nd? What's it going to be when we
39:41
find out this the sheer volume of guys that are going to enter
39:44
the portal? Well, I think it's going to be
39:46
known. Here pretty soon the the
39:48
announcements are going to start, more announcements are
39:50
going to start filtering out. They've got I've got 11
39:55
confirmed so far in the portal and they would expect that
39:58
number would gradually increase over the next few days from what
40:01
I understood. It, it was a long, tedious
40:06
process, I'm sure of beating one-on-one Jimmy Rogers with all
40:09
of the, the, the current players.
40:12
But that was all done before they left campus for the winter
40:16
break. And from what I understand, he
40:18
wanted a yes or no answer from each of those guys if they were
40:22
coming back. So I think Jimmy Rogers would be
40:24
able to tell all of us who's coming back, who's staying,
40:27
who's going, all of that. But you know why I think we'll
40:31
on the outside, we'll, we'll find out for sure as those
40:34
portal announcements continue to filter in.
40:36
But I would expect that several more here.
40:39
It's just kind of the nature of the beast it seems like.
40:42
And, and Matt going out to Penn State Bill out of time for
40:46
today. Appreciate.
40:47
It have a Merry Christmas. We'll talk to you again next
40:49
week. Sounds good, Trent.
40:51
Merry Christmas to. You and Kenny, if he's listening
40:54
out there, you guys have a good one.
40:55
Thanks. As Bill still checking in with
40:57
us, QuickTime. Out back on the other side, it's
40:59
Miller and Condon. Wrapping up our number one here,
41:13
it's. Miller and Condon on the Iowa
41:14
Sports Radio Network. Thanks for joining us here
41:17
today. Coming up, our number 2, it's a
41:20
busy one. Bama Bob is going to stop by
41:23
recap the College Football Playoff, what we saw over the
41:25
weekend, and a look ahead to a quarterfinal round boy, a ton of
41:30
intrigue in that one. Also talk about those FCS
41:33
playoffs as they got the championship set in that one.
41:35
And a little more with Bama Bob, David Eichold also going to join
41:38
us from 24/7 Sports. We'll talk some Hawkeyes with
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David, our number 2 coming away. Next, it's Miller and Condon on
41:44
the Iowa Sports Radio Network.