Prior to Iowa State’s game at Akron on Saturday, Matt Campbell, Joel Lanning and Sean Foster met with the media to discuss last Saturday’s loss to Iowa and the upcoming game in Ohio. 

Here are some of the takeaways from Wednesday. 

Akron preparation

Just like the coordinators said in Tuesday’s interviews, Matt Campbell reiterated that Akron is a tricky team to study using film. Akron was throttled by Penn State in their opener and then came back to throttle Arkansas-Pine Bluff, an FCS school. However, the scores shouldn’t affect how the Cyclones watch the film, according to Campbell. 

“The nice thing for us is that they are so consistent; the same coordinators, the same coaches for the most part on staff,” Campbell said. “I think you at least have an understanding of what they want to do.”

Despite the consistency that Campbell pointed out, he also said they get new personnel every year in regards to players, specifically in recent seasons when they have been able to snag big-time guys. 

An advantage that Campbell may have in his arsenal is that he was a head coach at Toledo for four seasons, which resides three hours northwest of Akron. 

In those four seasons, Campbell went 1-1 against the Zips. 

Cyclones move on from Iowa

After a 44-41 overtime loss to Iowa in the Cy-Hawk game, Campbell said that the Akron game will tell a lot about what kind of team he has. 

Redshirt senior Joel Lanning, who grew up in the rivalry, was quick to say that the Cyclones have moved on from the Iowa game, despite so many guys being emotionally invested in the Cy-Hawk game. 

“I think everyone has done very well with it,” Lanning said. “It’s a hard loss, everyone wants to come out with a win in that situation.” 

Lanning was quick to say that the Cyclones played as hard they could, but just couldn’t get things to bounce their way in a game they led with five minutes to go in the game. 

Although it is only the second game of the season, a win over the Zips could be the biggest win of the season going forward. Coming off a devastating loss, a sure way to bounce back would be with a win over a tough Akron team, as Campbell called them. 

“I think noon [on Saturday] will tell a lot,” Campbell said. 

Foster talks growth 

Sean Foster, a redshirt freshman offensive tackle, finally showcased to Iowa State fans why he was a four-star recruit out of high school. Foster played 50-60 snaps at tackle on Saturday, which is a surprising amount considering he plays behind Jake Campos, the backbone of the offensive line. 

“Right now, I didn’t expect [to get this many snaps],” Foster said. “I know in the offseason I did work my butt off.” 

Foster credits his success to sophomore Bryce Meeker and Campos, who both play in front of him. Playing behind those guys contributed to him seeing the field this early in the season, but it’s no surprise with his talent.

“In my opinion, the more positions you can play, the more versatile you can be to the offense,” Foster said. “You don’t want to be just a single-handed offensive lineman.”

This bodes well for Foster, who has played both left tackle and right tackle this season.

Iowa State and Akron are slated to kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday.