Louisiana 31, No. 25 Iowa State 14: Peterson’s five thoughts on Brock Purdy, poor play and more

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)

AMES, Ia. — Brock Purdy looked out the window Saturday morning. He saw a grey, overcast, raining sky. 

You know what? Things got worse. Way worse.

Iowa State’s still-dandy quarterback wasn’t on his usual game during the 25th-ranked Cyclones’ surprising 31-14 loss against Louisiana-Lafayette at Jack Trice Stadium. His timing was off. He threw beyond receivers. It was a very un-Purdy-like performance. 

But Matt Campbell’s team didn’t play poorly for the second season-opener in a row because Purdy had a lackluster showing.

He contributed to the dud, sure, but he wasn’t the player that let Louisiana run crazy on a 78-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. He wasn’t the reason the Ragin’ Cajuns returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown and then a punt 83 yards into the end zone.

He was part of the reason Iowa State’s passing game stunk, however, and no one knows that better than the straight-up junior.

Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy (15) runs off the field after an NCAA college football game against Louisiana-Lafayette, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. Louisiana-Lafayette won 31-14. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

 (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

“I don’t think I played good at all,” he said, once again showing the honesty that’s been one of his defining traits. “I never got in rhythm.”

Louisiana blitzed. It switched to man-to-man defense while outscoring the Cyclones 21-zip in the second half. Iowa State starting left guard Trevor Downing went out of the game for good late in the first half, and against a good opponent like the one that played Saturday in Ames — it’s tough to win when your best lineman is on the sidelines with an injury.

“No excuses,” Purdy said. “I know I have to get better.”

He does, and I’m guessing he will, after completing 16 of 35 passes for just 145 yards and no touchdowns.

And away went his interception-less string, too, of which he was at 70 throws entering the opener.

“I have to be better,” he repeated. “I can’t go into season-openers, thinking we can beat a team just because they’re not ranked or don’t have hype.”

He’s referring to the fact that the Cyclones should have lost last season’s opener against Northern Iowa, instead of winning in three overtimes. He’s referring to his performance Saturday.

“We dropped some balls that were difference-maker balls in the first half, and early in the second half,” coach Matt Campbell said. “Getting into a really good rhythm was hard to find in the second half. We have to do a great job of putting Brock in position to be successful.”

That’s on Purdy, too, make no mistake about that. He’s no rookie. He’s beaten better teams that Louisiana. Plus, don’t get me wrong — the Ragin’ Cajuns are good. They’re very good.

“I have the utmost faith in Brock,” Campbell said. “He’ll be back. He’ll be back ready to get better on Monday.”

He better be, though because otherwise, this could be a longer and crazier season than what the COVID-19 pandemic was always going to provide. In case you didn’t know, the Cyclones go as Purdy goes. It’s not like he’s a one-man team, but the Cyclones’ success starts with the quarterback.

Sep 12, 2020; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones tight end Chase Allen (11) runs away from Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns safety Bralen Trahan (24) and linebacker Ferrod Gardner (7) at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

 (Photo: Reese Strickland/USA TODAY Sports)

“Brock is Brock,” said tight end Chase Allen, who replaced injured All-American Charlie Kolar in the starting lineup. “We all know Brock. He’s one of the best players ever to play here. We have complete faith in Brock.

“Finding the best way to get him in a groove and making him comfortable so he can be the explosive player that he is — we’re going to figure out how to do that.”

Iowa State has a couple weeks to do that, in fact. The first of three off weeks is next Saturday. The next scheduled game is Sept. 26 at TCU in the Big 12 Conference opener.

“We’ve been through this, as much as it hurts to say,” Purdy said.

Here’s some of other things I’m thinking about Saturday’s loss:

It’s not like Iowa State has a wealth of proven talent on the offensive line, so losing Downing was a big deal.

The Cyclones’ best lineman went out with an injury late in the first half. The score was 7-all with 2:29 left until halftime when he went to the sidelines with what appeared to be an ankle situation. Iowa State scored on Breece Hall’s 11-yard run on the first possession after Noah Juergensen replaced Downing.

That, however, was the last time the Cyclones scored, while being blanked 21-0 in the second half. Louisiana switched its defense up, playing more man-to-man. Iowa State didn’t counter appropriately, and paid dearly.

“The positive is we hope to get him back,” Campbell said. “We played well up front in the first half of the football game. He’s such an anchor to the success of our offensive line. Any time you lose an anchor, that’s never easy. Noah went in … and did an admirable job of doing his job and doing what’s needed.”

Iowa State running back Breece Hall (28) is tackled by Louisiana-Lafayette safety Kam Pedescleaux (0) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

 (Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP) Iowa State’s not exactly not known for great special teams, but what happened Saturday was unforgivable.

I can’t tell you the last time I’ve personally witnessed an opponent return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same game.

“From my end of it, there’s no excuse,” Campbell said. “It’s something we’ve worked on. They made two big plays, and they were game-changers.”

More than one person emailed me during the game, asking who Iowa State’s special teams coach is. No one is listed, so the failure is a group effort.

“It’s not a recipe for success,” tight end Chase Allen said of the long returns into the end zone. “For them to have points up on the board when (the defense) isn’t on the field — I really feel for them.”

Breece Hall lost a fumble. As it turned out, yeah, it was a big play.

As the game unfolded, every missed opportunity was big. The defense had just stopped Louisiana’s offense on a three-and-out. The Cyclones had decent field position around midfield. Fumble.

“We all know Breece is really talented,” Campbell said. “I don’t like the ball on the ground. Those are critical mistakes, in the first game of the season as you’re trying to get your bearings. Critical mistakes get you beat. That’s what occurred (Saturday).”

Otherwise, Hall was solid, with 20 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. “We know Breece is super-talented,” Campbell said. “We’ve got great faith in Breece.”

It was Campbell who brought up postgame whether he felt his team was prepared.

“Man, did we have them ready to play,” Campbell genuinely said while talking about stuff that went haywire. “It was fundamentals again. (Not) staying in coverage lanes on special teams. It was tackling and big plays in critical moments on defense, and it was taking care of the football on offense.”

Well, Coach, was your team ready to play?

“Our thought process has been health and safety of our kids, getting our guys prepared for a 10-game football season, and getting ourselves prepared to show up in the first game,” he said. “We’ll go back and evaluate. You start with yourself, and you work your way down.”

If there’s something about Iowa State’s reputation on offense, it’s that occasionally, Purdy takes passing shots down the field.

That reputation wasn’t fulfilled much Saturday. “There were some balls pushed vertically down the field; we just didn’t make many plays on them,” Campbell said. “We didn’t make those big plays in the passing game.”

Iowa State must do that successfully, at the right moments, to have success and to take the defensive focus away from the running game.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been writing for the Des Moines Register for parts of six decades. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete. No one covers the Cyclones like the Register. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Subscribe today at DesMoinesRegister.com/Deal