It was a notable season for the Iowa State football team, marked by upsets and overcoming adversity. Through it all, players and coaches had some funny — and inspiring — things to say.

1. “We worked all week with wet balls,” senior punter Colin Downing said. “I went with gloves today. The only other time I [have worn gloves in college] is Baylor a couple years ago when it was raining.”

— After Kansas game on Oct. 14 played in slippery conditions.

2. “Trev’s a dog,” sophomore running back David Montgomery said. “He’s one of the fastest white people I’ve ever seen in my life. [The return] changed the whole shift of the game.”

— About senior wide receiver Trever Ryen’s speed down the sideline on his 68-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Jayhawks.

3. “He’s got 20 tackles, five touchdowns in one game and an [interception],” said redshirt senior safety Kamari Cotton-Moya. “I don’t know what he can’t do. You name it, he can do it.”

— On redshirt senior linebacker Joel Lanning this season.

4. “The fact that he’s done what he’s done, catching the ball from three, four, five different guys is even more impressive,” former Iowa State wide receiver Todd Blythe said. “I just caught the ball from Bret [Meyer] for four years. He wasn’t very good, but we were able to make some things happen.”

— On senior wide receiver Allen Lazard’s career.

5. “Probably five hours [it took to get off the field],” Montgomery said with a smile on his face. “I took probably 754 pictures, nine videos, and I might’ve touched about 64 kids’ heads. It’s a moment you can’t really explain.”

— After knocking off No. 4 TCU in Jack Trice.

6. “My sophomore year we were playing at Ankeny, it was a pretty close game and they had the ball at like the 20-yard line,” Lazard said. “I’m playing safety, I come downhill and [Joel Lanning] just runs my ass right over. And just gets up in my face and starts ‘Whoo!’ – I’m like damn this kid’s big.”

— Before the seniors’ last home game in Ames in November.

7. “This is just a journey,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “College football is a marathon, it’s not a sprint.”

— After Iowa State defeated No. 3 Oklahoma on the road. 

8. “Like when you’re 10 years old and you go sliding down a hill and your mom say you come in the house with that mud on and she’s going to beat you,” Montgomery said.

— After the Kansas game, where Montgomery reached a milestone of 1,000+  yards. 

9. “David [Montgomery] is just a monster,” former quarterback Jacob Park said. “We don’t think he’s human.”

— On Iowa State’s offense after overtime loss to Iowa. 

10. “We’re not going to cap our season off just because we beat Oklahoma,” Lanning said.

— On outlook for the rest of the season after upsetting Oklahoma. 

Honorable Mentions 

“I think Joel Lanning will be a name people remember for a long, long time,” Campbell said. 

— After Iowa State defeated No. 3 Oklahoma on the road. 

“No one has any idea how much time both Zeb [Noland] and Kyle [Kempt] worked over the summer even though coming into the fall they weren’t the starting quarterback,” said passing game coordinator Jim Hofher. “How much they worked together with the rest of the team, individually whenever they had their own free time, nobody knows that, but these guys know that’s part of the recipe.” 

— Looking ahead to the Baylor game in November.

“You’ll remember this for a long time,” Campbell said. “But I refuse to allow this to be the end of our story.”

— On keeping the momentum going after defeating Oklahoma on the road.