AMES – OK, are you ready for this? 

It’s as sure a sign that fall is near as pumpkin spice conquering every grocery aisle or a kid’s panic about the start of school. Before the leaves change or that first Oktoberfest finds a mug, this rite of autumn must occur. 

Consider this your yearly dose of optimism about the Iowa State offensive line. 

“The competition in the O-line room right now is great,” sophomore lineman Deylin Hasert said Thursday. “It’s making everybody better, and obviously we have a lot of guys that can play.” 

Yes, I know you’ve heard this before. And I know you’ve been burned by believing in Cyclone blockers in the past. All right, I know you’ve only been burned by belief. All that preseason hope. The talk of depth and versatility and competition and scheme change and on and on and on. 

And it’s mostly amounted to jack squat once the games started. 

I get it. The Iowa State offensive line has been disappointing more often than not in the eight previous years coach Matt Campbell has been at the helm. For all the wins, draft picks and success the Cyclones have had under Campbell, getting the O-line to “average” has seemingly been a yearly struggle. 

I know, I know, I know. 

But if we want fall to come and football to start, I’ve got to do this. So strap in. 

Maybe this year is different? 

Hear me out, at least. 

The Cyclones have experience, with James Neal, Jarrod Hufford, Jim Bonifas and Tyler Miller all back after starting all 13 games last season. Hufford has started 33 straight for the Cyclones. Brendan Block started the last five. 

They’ve brought in Jalen Travis, a 6-foot-7, 315-pounder who was a multi-year starter at Princeton. Hasert, a 6-foot-4, 315-pounder from Minnesota, is healthy after missing all of last year with an injury. 

That’s real experience. That’s real depth. 

“It’s been beneficial for us to be able to have this many players that can compete,” second-year O-line coach Ryan Clanton said. “It’s my job and our job as coaches to get those guys to play at a high level and to attack each day with a purpose.  

“They’re willing, have great intent and we’re chasing the development piece of it right now.” 

More: Hines: Iowa State football wide receiver Beni Ngoyi wants to talk about blocking

More: Hines: How Iowa State football’s pass rush issues can be fixed by a new Cyclones transfer

More: Hines: Talent alone not enough for Iowa State football to reach lofty goals

Iowa State now looks as though it might actually have the size and physicality to measure up in the Big 12. Travis and Miller project as towering bookends at 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9, respectively, at tackle. Neal, at 6-6 and 330 pounds, has been practicing at guard. Black is 6-4, 315 and with the brawling style befitting a former competitive weightlifter. If Hufford could move to center, that’s a 6-4, 325-pound sixth-year senior running the show. 

Those are honest-to-goodness real pieces for a good Big 12 offensive line. Let us also not forget that as rough as things got for the offensive line at times last year, there was real progress throughout the season. It wasn’t always sustained, but it was there.

“You can forecast as much as you want,” Clanton said, “but until you get in those situations as an offensive lineman and make it out and succeed and not just try to survive a situation, we’re trying to really test their mental capacity.” 

C’mon, coach. That’s too cautious of optimism. We’re trying to pump sunshine here. 

“They want to do something special,” Clanton said, “and they believe in this place.” 

That’s more like it. 

Now bring on the pumpkin spice and get to kickoff.  

Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Sunday at the Iowa State Fair, one Iowa Libertarian congressional candidate took his turn at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox – and says he’s ready to fight. That’s because some Republicans say he didn’t follow the rules to get on the November ballot and they want his name removed.

Upon taking the stage Sunday, Marco Battaglia called on Congressman Zach Nunn to compete with him in a wrestling match. “I invited Zach Nunn here to a no holds barred wrestling match. Loser leaves the ballot. And looks like there’s only one guy here,” Battaglia said.

Battaglia is running in central Iowa’s 3rd Congressional district, and is one of three Libertarians to face Republican objections to them being on the ballot.

Also facing objections are Charles Aldrich, who’s running in northwest Iowa’s 4th Congressional District and Nicholas Gluba, who’s running in eastern Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.

“The further they draw this out, like they’re really kind of screwing with the electoral process. They’re screwing with polls. They’re screwing with debates,” Battaglia said.

After caucuses, parties have to hold county conventions where they’ll choose their delegates for the state convention. The objection, which was made by Republicans, says Libertarians skipped county conventions and went right to state convention and selected candidates.

Battaglia says the party did have county conventions, but they did them in one centralized location.

“It was in Polk County, but the delegates broke out from their specific counties. So, they still had a meeting of people from these counties that nominated us,” he said.

Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver backs them up. “This idea that there wasn’t conventions being held for their party is ridiculous because I know Iowans who were at these conventions who were there and so for me it should be as simple as saying, ‘hey, was there a convention? Yes, there was. You’re good to go’,” Oliver said.

Battaglia says this the way they’ve done it in the past and didn’t face objections

“I think they’re just really confused of how we just all of the sudden didn’t overnight have 99 counties of organization of people working for free to do this work that, you know, the average person doesn’t care about,” he said.

Later this month, a board made up of Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Brenna Bird, and State Auditor Rob Sand will make the decision on if he and two other libertarians can be on the ballot.

If he’s kicked off, he says they’ll continue to fight.

“If we do fight it, it’s going to be cause it’s a legitimate legal concern. We’re going to go through the court system. We’re not going to storm the golden dome and like pee on the Governor’s rug or something,” Battaglia said.

—

Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – This column always comes with a disclaimer – Kids Day is just one of more than 20 Iowa Football preseason practices. Context is very important when evaluating what we see. 

Beyond that, there’s nuance. Guys on both sides of the ball are out with injuries. Sometimes the No. 1 offense is facing the No. 1 defense. Other times it’s not. 

It makes taking a great deal out of the annual open practice difficult. That’s the case with what we witnessed Saturday in Kinnick Stadium. 

The problem was perception. Everyone that walked into that historic venue sought salvation from the evils of Brian Ferentz’s offense. Instead, they saw ghosts. 

There was motion and other wrinkles from new coordinator Tim Lester. A few plays popped. Overall, the Hawkeyes remained stuck in the muck trying to move the ball. 

It wasn’t all bad, however. Iowa ran the ball pretty well. You know it’s an impressive stable of backs when it looks that good without injured starter Leshon Williams.

Also credit the interior of the O-Line as a lot of the rushing yardage came inside the tackles. The yardage raised questions about the team’s depth at defensive tackle, but that would have been picking nits with how that unit looked Saturday. 

Beyond that, the offense was as inept as it was under Lester’s predecessor. Inaccurate passes, dropped passes, pass-protection breakdowns, unforced errors – the fans at Kinnick received the full experience. 

Honestly though, are you surprised? Cade McNamara wasn’t cleared to physically work in the new offense until camp kicked off less than two weeks ago.

It’s going to take time. Growing pains will be experienced. McNamara throwing 7-on-7 with teammates all summer isn’t the same as having Deontae Craig or Yahya Black in your face. 

That’s not to dismiss QB1’s dreadful day. He missed easy throws, botched a shotgun snap and appeared rusty in general. 

Time will tell if McNamara can knock said rust off. Not that we needed a reminder, but everyone knows the Hawkeyes can’t achieve their loftiest goals with what we witnessed Saturday. Complementary football works best when all three phases, you know, complement each other. 

Perhaps the Kids Day display wouldn’t have been quite as alarming had backup quarterbacks Brendan Sullivan and Marco Lainez lit it up. They did not. 

In fairness to the trio, top tight end Luke Lachey, and receivers Seth Anderson, Dayton Howard and Alec Wick were either limited or out of practice. It’s also possible the coaches limited what they showed in an open practice knowing footage would be available to opponents. 

By the way, you may have heard, Iowa’s defense is dominant and filled with sixth-year seniors patrolling the back seven. And if you’ve ever attended a practice, you know guys on that side of the ball love stuffing any offense, including their own. They didn’t give an inch Saturday. 

Maybe nothing in the two previous paragraphs held significant meaning. Perhaps the offense won’t improve much and replacing Brian Ferentz wasn’t the solution. It’s a depressing possibility but a possibility none the less. 

More likely, it won’t be nearly as bad. Early-season growing pains are normal considering the circumstances. 

How much growth can be made and how long it takes will determine 2024’s result. Can the Hawkeyes grow through wins instead of losses against Iowa State and/or at Minnesota in September? Then, can the offense continue growing into October, making Iowa a College Football Playoff contender? 

The blueprint here calls for development, individually and collectively. It’s happening on defense and special teams. The offense needs to follow that path. 

The staff’s personnel decisions and play calling will be critical. The student-athletes must avoid being discouraged by failure in the moment, continuing to push forward. 

That didn’t change Saturday. The players and coaches understood that. It was just confirmed for everyone else that watched.