Hit 32nd Home run tonite. Batting .321 with 83 RBI’s before all star break. Amazing considering he was floundering below .200 most of April.

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If this is who I would be facing in high school football, I’d just join the marching band. Cael Brezina’s body looks ready for the NFL…

There is one correct answer. Reply at your own risk.

Iowa State Media Relations

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht has been named to the 2024 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Preseason Watch List as announced by The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, along with presenting sponsor A.O. Smith Corporation.

The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class.

Becht is coming off a stellar redshirt freshman campaign in which he was named the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and a Second-Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic a year ago.

The Wesley Chapel, Florida, native completed 231 passes for 3,120 yards and 23 touchdowns, breaking the ISU freshman record in each category. He led the Cyclones to a 7-6 record, including 6-3 in Big 12 Conference play.

The Cyclones open the season August 31 against 2023 FCS Playoff qualifier North Dakota.

I was watching a video on the 1983 NFL draft and found the stats on Elway to be interesting, so I compared them to Purdy. Elway threw for 9,349 yards in his career at Stanford, compared to 12,170 for Purdy. Elway had 77 TD passes to 39 INTs, compared to Purdy's 81 TDs and 33 INTs. Purdy played in 8 more games than Elway, but they both took over as starter when they were freshmen. The difference in games played is mostly due to the 12 game schedule they play now vs. 11 when Elway played and bowl games. Stanford was pretty poor when Elway played for them and never made it to a bowl game.

The premise of the video is how great the first round of the 1983 NFL draft was, producing 8 hall of famers, among other accomplishments. It was the draft of Dan Marino, Elway and Jim Kelly, but also Eric Dickerson, who was the second pick. There were five hall of famers in the first 15 picks of that draft.

Check out the top 5 with North Dakota coming in at #22:

Iowa State Media Relations

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht has been named to the Manning Award Watch List, the Allstate Sugar Bowl announced Thursday. The Manning Award is presented annually to the nation’s top quarterback.

Becht, also a member of the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List, enters his sophomore season at the helm of the Cyclone offense in 2024. He was the 2023 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and a Second-Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic a year ago.

The Wesley Chapel, Fla. native set ISU freshman records for completions (231), passing yards (3,120) and passing touchdowns (23). Last season, Becht had the third-most passing touchdowns and fourth-most passing yards among Big 12 quarterbacks.

Becht started all 13 games as a redshirt freshman and accounted for 26 total touchdowns (23 passing, three rushing), the second-most in a single season in school history. Becht owns two of the five games in school history with 300+ passing yards, 3+ touchdowns and zero interceptions in a game.

The Cyclones open the season August 31 against FCS No. 22 North Dakota.

Gone are Texas and Oklahoma. I think Texas will be fine, but I'm not sure Oklahoma will over the long haul. How the SEC gets along with Texas will be interesting to watch, especially if they ascend to the top.

We also welcome Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah to the Big 12 today.

I'm not sure anybody really likes what's going with long time rivalries ending and the end of regional conferences. But it's the cards we are dealt and we should embrace it and enjoy it. I don't think it will be sustainable long term. As soon as the big market teams in the SEC and Big Ten decide they are done sharing their bounty with the small market teams, things will likely change again. Or the quickly changing media delivery technology may change the power structure in ways we probably can't anticipate. As streaming of games becomes the norm, does linear TV lose some of it's built in advantage? Will the revenue from college sports continue to be there and to grow, or are their best days behind us. What happens to the NCAA in the future?

So enjoy this while it lasts. And look at it as a big opportunity for Iowa State to be a major power in the league. Something that has been very difficult throughout our history. This is a time that is critical for Iowa State to establish itself for whatever comes next.

Man, Katie Ledecky looked like Secretariat winning the Belmont.

Anyone have any insight in any big news coming out of camp?

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The Athletic has an article by Bruce Feldman which lists his top 101 Football Freaks-- college football athletes who have superior conditioning/weight lifting abilities. Coming in at #15 is Domonique Orange.

His stats are as follows
* 6'4" 325 lb.
* 450 lb bench
* 650 lb squat
* 34 in. vertical jump
* 0.86 m/s reactive strength index on force plates (considered elite)

These stats are impressive but I have no idea what the reactive strength index means. Perhaps some of you Cyclone Report freaks can elaborate. 😉
Link:

Any body get tickets and moved to cell phone

CMC is scheduled to meet with the media today around Noon. I’ll be posting highlights in the thread below.

Riverside, IA – Elite Casino Resorts is proud to announce a substantial contribution to Iowa State University’s We Will Collective.

“We are excited about our partnership with the We Will Collective and look forward to supporting student-athletes for charitable events at our Iowa resorts,” said Dan Kehl, Chief Executive Officer of Elite Casino Resorts.

We Will Collective is a nonprofit charitable foundation created to support Iowa State University athletes. We Will helps create and facilitate partnerships for Iowa State student-athletes with local charities and non-profits, business owners, and the surrounding communities. We Will initiatives play an integral part in providing opportunities for student-athletes to serve and engage with charitable partners.

“Elite Casino Resorts has built a record of success by giving back to the communities we serve. We have supported student-athletes in the State of Iowa since we opened our doors, but we recognize that changing times require more help. Our Iowa communities benefit from the athletics programs at our universities, and we are proud to support the Iowa State student-athletes,” said Dan Kehl.

All of Elite Casino Resorts Iowa properties will support this partnership by supporting charitable events featuring Iowa State student-athletes. Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort, and Rhythm City Casino Resort will support activities in partnership with We Will.

“We are very excited to collaborate with Iowa State student-athletes to expand the reach of our charitable events,” said Riverside General Manager Damon John. “Many of our guests are Cyclone fans, and we look forward to a great partnership!”

Mo Hyder, Rhythm City’s Regional Vice President and General Manager added, “The Quad Cities is home to many Iowa State alumni and we anticipate strong engagement with We Will events at Rhythm City Casino Resort.”

Brent Blum, Executive Director of We Will added, “We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Elite Casino Resorts, which will make a huge impact on our mission of keeping the Cyclones thriving by doing great things in our community. Elite Casino Resorts is a company run by Iowans that is truly committed to the state of Iowa with their wide-ranging support and they certainly align with our continued aspirations of using NIL for good."

Visit the We Will Collective to find other ways to support Iowa State athletes.

About Elite Casino Resorts
Elite Casino Resorts is a leading regional gaming operator in the Midwest and a privately-owned U.S. company known for operating premier casino resort destinations, first-class guest service and amenities, great entertainment, and exceptional food. Known for its commitment to community service, Elite was recognized as the Iowa Character Counts 2024 Partner of the Year. Elite Casino Resorts operates five casino resorts: Riverside Casino & Golf Resort , located just south of Iowa City, IA; Rhythm City Casino Resort, located in Davenport, IA; Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort, located in Larchwood, IA, just minutes from Sioux Falls, SD; and a temporary casino with a full resort to come, Grand Island Casino Resort in Grand Island, Nebraska. Elite’s newest resort, Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort, is in Carterville, Illinois.

About We Will Collective
The We Will Collective is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, governed by a volunteer board. The board is made up of Iowa State alums and former staff, who give their time, energy, and resources to help We Will Collective become a force for good in our community. We believe that NIL should be used to grow the character of athletes and to benefit our communities. The We Will Collective is a way to uphold our values as Cyclones, while still competing in the new era of college athletics.

Hearing injury has hit him again and he will be out for the season.

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This may be the most exciting football season ever. ISU is returning the most experience in the country. The top 11 of 16 teams in the conference are all expected to compete for the conference title. We should be right square in the middle of the title hunt. Not counting 2021, I can't think of another year I was more excited about.