Hines: Iowa State thought itself a Big 12 contender. Did Louisiana expose the off-season chatter as just hype?

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AMES, Ia. — The lessons were supposed to be learned last year. The wisdom that can only be earned from experience had been imparted. The growing pains that are inevitable on the path to success had been endured.

All of that frustration and disappointment served to clear the way for something special. This year was going to be different.

Things sure looked the same on Saturday.

In an all-too-familiar scene, 25th-ranked Iowa State slumped out of the season’s gate and lost to Louisiana 31-14 to put itself in yet another early-season hole that will make reaching new heights all the more difficult.

“We’re all reminded that at Iowa State you’re going to have to win in the margins,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said, “and if you refuse to win in the margins it’s really going to be hard for us to have success. 

“Tough way to learn it, but for us a great opportunity to take what we learned (Saturday), get ourselves back, (have a) great bye week and get ready for Big 12 football.”

Iowa State kicks the ball off during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Louisiana-Lafayette, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

 (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

The day served as a disheartening reminder of the ongoing difficulties of the coronavirus pandemic, with tailgate lots empty and stands at Jack Trice Stadium dotted with a few hundred friends and family members of players and coaches. 

It also was a startling exhibit of a football program that is desperate to take the next step in its development but continues to repeat bad habits. The Cyclones are now 6-11 in September under Campbell, who is now in his fifth year, with two of those losses coming to teams from the Missouri Valley and Sun Belt conferences.

“As much as it hurts to say,” quarterback Brock Purdy said, “we’ve been through this.”

Purdy is right, the Cyclones have been here before. 

There can be comfort in knowing that Iowa State has bounced back before after bad early losses. But undoubtedly, that’s part of the frustration.

The goal is to take the next step, not repeat the ones you’ve taken. Instead, the Cyclones will rely on their experience of clawing back from disappointment. To Iowa State’s credit, that is something they’ve accomplished. September struggles have often led to strong Octobers … and that’s led to three-straight Bowl appearances.

“I’m not in a panic mode by any stretch of the imagination,” Campbell said. “For us, it’s a long haul. It’s going to be a long season.”

That sounds both promising and ominous.

“No one plans for this,” senior tight end Chase Allen said. “No one wants this to happen, but it’s just where we are now.”

Iowa State wide receiver Landen Akers (82) misses a reception in front of Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Trey Amos during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. Louisiana-Lafayette won 31-14. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

 (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

The Cyclones will have a week off before starting preparation for their Big 12 opener at TCU on Sept. 26. The intervening time will no doubt be spent retooling a special teams unit that gave up a pair of touchdowns and evaluating an offense that struggled in the second half against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Purdy struggled throughout the day, finishing 16 of 35 with 145 yards and an interception. Without their star player performing at a high level, the offense managed just 303 total yards and no points after halftime.

“We’re going to come back Monday, look ourselves in the mirror and see what we’ve got to fix,” Purdy said.

The Cyclones’ checklist will undoubtedly be longer than anticipated before the game. 

Campbell has put the Cyclones’ on the national map with monumental upsets, eight-win seasons and bowl appearances, but the program has been bold in declaring itself unsatisfied with such achievements. A performance like Saturday’s does little to inspire that this team can break through to the next level.

It’s a talented and veteran team, so it may very well get there. It’s also hard to quantify what effect a disjointed and stressful offseason has on a team, especially after just 60 minutes of football. 

Nothing about the Cyclones’ Big 12 title hopes were hurt by this loss, but confidence that Iowa State can pull it off was undoubtedly shaken Saturday. 

In a year that was forecasted to be special, the Cyclones now are tasked with proving it won’t be more of the same.

“People are going to want to call us dead after the first game and say we’re the old Iowa State,” Allen said, “but that’s just not true.”