The atmosphere surrounding the ISU football program has definitely changed. 

That was entirely evident on Saturday afternoon when Iowa State held its annual spring football game, officially marking the end of the spring season.

While the games in recent years haven’t resembled much of a game at all, this one was different.

More than 15,000 people packed into Jack Trice Stadium to watch what was nearly a true scrimmage. The tailgating lots were full, and even several former ISU players returned to help coach the game.

“It’s fun to be out here in this atmosphere,” said ISU quarterback Joel Lanning. “It’s crazy that there are this many people out here for the spring game.”

First-year coach Matt Campbell allowed the players to draft teams for the game earlier in the week, splitting into a Cardinal team and Gold team.

And while the Cardinal team won 10-6, that’s not what Campbell was focused on.

“There’s a ton of football to evaluate today,” Campbell said. “That’s the thing that we talked to our kids about today. As much as it’s fun to put a score on the scoreboard and do those kinds of things, the competitiveness is individualized right now.”

Lanning led the Cardinal team, and said he was content with how they did offensively. They racked up 227 total yards, 177 of which came through the air.

“I thought we performed well,” Lanning said. “It was a pretty good day offensively. Here and there we missed a few deep balls on my part, and we finally connected at the end. It was a good way to end the day. Offensively, I thought we did well. There’s a few things we need to fix, but other than that we’ll be fine.”

Lanning had a good day, too. He went 11-of-19 for 161 yards and completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to Dondre Daley in the fourth quarter to give them the lead.

Lanning didn’t play anywhere near the snaps that he’s used to, but Campbell said he really liked what he saw when Lanning was on the field.

“I thought he managed the game really well,” Campbell said. “I thought his drives were really effective. He took care of the football. He’s really progressed every day, and I really appreciate that about him. Joel’s got great ability, and I think you saw some of that.”

Things will start slowing down for the Cyclones heading into the summer. The spring season is officially over.

Even though Lanning isn’t completely happy with how he’s progressed under Campbell’s new system so far, he said he’s comfortable with where he’s at for the time being.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Lanning said. “These guys are looking up to me, relying on me, so I’ve got to rely on them. I feel good, confident right now. I’ll just take it one step at a time.”

And as Campbell heads into the film room to break down the game tapes from the spring game, there is one thing that he’s completely confident about.

“I would say I leave here today feeling confident about our quarterback position, and certainly confident about Joel Lanning,” Campbell said.