I could tell you how pathetic it was to lose to Baylor. How Baylor hadn’t won a league road game since 1995, when Pogs and Sega Game Gear were cool (don’t lie, you had them too). How Baylor can count Iowa State as two of its seven Big 12 wins and its first Big 12 road win. How Dan McCarney has defeated only one Big 12 team with an end-of-the-year record above .500 (Texas Tech, 2002). How the season is ruined.

But that’s the easy route.

It’s easy to point fingers and express your displeasure with sarcastic remarks. One I heard this week was, “How do you stop Greg Coleman from entering your house? Put up goal posts.” Witty. Truthfully, the Cyclone players should reply with their own comments. “How do you get fans to leave at halftime? Offer them some beer.” But, blaming others doesn’t get much done.

I could complain about the playcalling on first down (21 runs for 83 yards, nine passes for 97 yards), but I didn’t complain after the Iowa game (28 runs on first down, seven passes.) That would make me a hypocrite. I could get on the defense for only having one sack and forcing one turnover, but they held Baylor to a season low in yards and first downs. I could ridicule the special teams for having a net punt average of 17 yards, but they were also three of three on kicks. I could lambaste myself for writing a terrible column, but you haven’t stopped reading – yet.

If you are upset about the game, that’s great. A loss to Baylor at home should feel like an all-night bender that resulted in copious consumption of Jimmy John’s and gyros. Abruptly calling for McCarney’s head or booing and yelling obscenities at Barney Cotton, however, doesn’t serve a purpose.

It’s not like Iowa State can throw money around like Oklahoma or Texas and get coordinators and position coaches at will.

I’m not saying Ames should turn into the USSR under Stalin and blindly follow the leader. But ask yourself, what good is not showing up to the next game in protest?

The loss against Baylor is eerily reminiscent of the 2002 loss to Connecticut. It took a year and half for the Cyclones to recover from that catastrophe and Iowa State can’t afford a similar reaction. Everyone needs to get better.

Special teams need to have better coverage and the defense needs to get more pressure and force turnovers. The offensive line needs to play up to its talent, the running backs need to hold onto the ball, Bret Meyer needs to limit turnovers and the receivers need to make more plays. The coaches need to motivate and scout better. The athletic department needs to raise more money. The fans need to show up earlier and vocalize with more intensity.

I need to step up my performance level as well. It’s a group effort.

The Cyclones are 3-2 now, and last year at this time they were 2-3. There is a lot of season to be played, so don’t burn your tickets – yet.

– Brent Blum is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.