“Once again back is the incredible, the rhyme animal, the untamable…”

At least once a semester I stray from the stodgy old Opinion section and grace the exciting wide world of sports with my presence. Here I am.

Let’s get down to business. Has anybody noticed the change in ISU’s football team this year? No, I don’t mean our first winning streak since 1989 or even the fact that Jack Trice Stadium (let’s all just get used to saying that) is packed almost to capacity every other Saturday.

All of these things, while nice to have, are fairly obvious to any pencil-necked Monday morning quarterback. What I’m talking about is the intestinal fortitude displayed by the scarlet and gold in recent weeks.

For most of my years at ISU, our football team has experienced almost total collapses in many a gridiron contest. Anybody remember the nearly-blown opportunity against Kansas in 1992? I remember leaving the game (forgive me, Lombardi) with the ‘Clones up by three touchdowns. By the time I got to the parking lot, KU had put up a lot of points and nearly won. Year after year, ISU seemed to implode. It was almost as if ISU wouldn’t allow itself to win.

My friends and I had some theories why this seemed to happen with alarming consistency. Maybe our team didn’t run enough windsprints in practice. Maybe it was the curse of Jack Trice, whose spirit wouldn’t let us have a good team until we named the stadium after him. Maybe Todd Doxzon’s bandanna was cutting off his air, causing him to suffer from blackouts and be overly susceptible to concussions (good one, Walden).

The most interesting theory came from my friend Ted. Ted faulted ISU’s collapses on the fact that no beer is sold at games. Just stay with me on this one. Many Cyclones, being the righteous football fans that they are, party before the game. Be it at Tip-Top at 7 a.m., tailgating in the parking lot or whatever, Cyclone fans, much like California, know how to party. Well, maybe not party. But we can drink a ton.

The theory goes that at the beginning of the game, ISU fans are incredibly enthusiastic, aided by some cheap booze, about cheering on their team. However, football games last a long time, and the beneficial effects of liquid school spirit begin to wear off and the fans begin to grow tired. Or pass out. Thus, our team is stripped of that crowd support, leaving them feeling deflated. An interesting theory. I don’t know if I buy it, but it would explain a lot.

At any rate, this trend of crunch-time suicide seems to be waning. Our late game efforts against Texas A&M were remarkable, proving that not only did ISU belong in the Big 12, but we came to play. Strike that, we came to beat people to the ground, to fight for our place in the upper echelon of football greatness. “Holy diver, I’m a survivor, feelin’ like DeNiro in Taxi Driver…”

That seems to be the difference in this team. Not the new uniforms. Not the new coaches, facilities or even the Davis brothers, who are quickly becoming to football what the Corleones were to gambling. It’s the heart of the team. They don’t quit. They don’t surrender. It’s their heart. And that should scare the crap out of the Big 12 maybe even more than the Davis brothers.

GOAL POST!!!!!!!!!

Tim Davis is a senior in theater studies from Carlisle.