Wildcats hold on in wild finish
By Adam Bendiksen
Game Notes :
Played at the “neutral” site of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO (a little more than an hour from Manhattan Kansas), this contest went right down to the wire and will rank as one of the better games of the 2009 season. The teams were evenly matched as the halftime score (10 -10) and yardage totals (192 for KSU, 184 for ISU) will attest. A late touchdown bomb on third and long to Brandon Banks gave KSU a 24 - 17 lead, but ISU rallied on its last possession, converting a fourth down and then a touchdown in the “tip drill” to seemingly tie the game. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, as the saying goes, as the Wildcats blocked the extra point and handed the Cyclones a crushing defeat.
College: Iowa State -- Conference: Big 12
WR - Marquis Hamilton, #82 - 6' 2.5" - 221 - 4.60 - 2010: Big, strong possession-type receiver who goes over the middle and sacrifices his body. Tough player who fights for yardage after the catch and breaks tackles. Excellent hands. Made the critical fourth down grab to keep the Cyclones in the game -- immediately prior to what should have been the tying touchdown. Strong blocker who gets after it. Quality individual and team leader. Doesn’t have a second gear, and doesn’t put up big numbers in this offense. Worth a look, but many big receivers this year. GRADE: Somewhat Positive
TE - Derrick Catlett, #84 - 6' 2.5" - 246 - 4.70 - 2010: Possession-type receiver who displays the ability to get off the line and slip coverage; though he lines up in the slot much of the time. Gets open and has good hands, but will fumble on occasion. Smooth athlete with solid quickness, but not great speed. Good balance and agility. Scored on a nice seam route in this game. Finesse blocker, but works hard to screen his man from ballcarriers. GRADE: Somewhat Positive
OG - Reggie Stephens, #73 - 6' 3.0" - 313 - 5.40 - 2010: Starting at center in ’09. Huge, mauling lineman with NFL size and tools. Not exceptionally quick, but is a solid athlete who can run some. Gets off the ball and into his man, and can swallow up defenders in a phone booth. Displays decent feet and agility. Gets push in the run game and works to finish blocks. Is solid in pass protection. Will definitely get a shot, but must work hard to stay in shape and improve his fundamentals. GRADE: Positive
P - Mike Brandtner, #13 - 6' 0.1" - 211 - 5.00 - 2010: Big leg and hang time. Gets the ball off quickly. Shows the ability to drop punts inside the ten and to hit the coffin corner. Problem is consistency. Will shank at least one punt a game, and will hit a few more that leave something to be desired. He’ll counter that with a few great punts per contest. Talent is there; must learn to better utilize it. GRADE: Neutral
S - James Smith, #2 - 5' 8.5" - 191 - 4.50 - 2010: Team leader with a good overall skill set. Will come up hard to force the run and is a good hitter and tackler despite his size. Has good range in the passing game and gets a good jump on patterns. Will break up some passes and force fumbles. Is always around the ball. Loses his temper and composure, which is a major liability. Seems to draw personal fouls in every contest; was called two more times in this game. GRADE: Somewhat Negative, based on penalties.
LB - Jesse Smith, #54 - 5' 11.5" - 235 - 4.80 - 2010: Captain and team leader is far and away the best player on the roster. Not very big and not super athletic, he nevertheless shows up all over the field and always leads the team in tackles. Near Zach Thomas-like instincts and gets a great jump on plays. Junkie in the film room and translates it to the field. Great understanding of what offenses are trying to accomplish. Plays inside out and tracks runners all over the field. Will negotiate and fight through trash, but can get lost inside when big blockers get into his body. Good in pass coverage and drops well into his zones. Breaks up passes and has the hands for the pick. Form tackler who is effective both in the box and in the open field. Does his best work when shielded from blockers and is playing downhill. Will be a later-round gem -- he just gets it. GRADE: Positive
College: Kansas State -- Conference: Big 12
OG - Brock Unruh, #76 - 6' 5.0” - 290 - 5.20 - 2010: Former starter out of action in this contest; status uncertain. GRADE: Incomplete
S - Chris Carney, #30 - 6' 0.5" -185 - 4.50 - 2010: Starter not active in this game; status uncertain. GRADE: Incomplete
TE - Jeron Mastrud, #85 - 6' 5.0" - 259 - 4.80 - 2010: Big-bodied TE functions mostly as an extra lineman; but shows the ability to work the short zones in the passing game. Good hands and enough quicks to do some damage down the seam. Fine blocker who has greatly improved his strength and technique. Mostly a position/seal guy, but locks on very well and sticks to his man. Holds the point and controls the edge. Gets off the ball quickly and blocks well on the second level. Operates well in space and rarely misses a target. Very smart, high character team captain and an Academic All-American. What’s not to like? GRADE: Positive
WR - Brandon Banks, #83 - 5' 6.5" - 150 - 4.40 - 2010: Electric Mighty-Mite caught the game winning TD pass (54 yards) between double coverage with three minutes to go on third and a mile. Dynamic kick and punt return with vision, quickness and speed to burn. Claims to run the 40 sub-4.3. Fearless; will hit the seam full speed on a return and will work the middle as a receiver. Dangerous on reverses. Natural low center of gravity and great cutting ability makes him difficult to locate. Will need to put on weight if he’s to have a shot, but don’t count out little guys from K-State. Will even break some tackles like former alum Darren Sproles. GRADE: Neutral
DE - Eric Childs, #90 - 6' 2.5" - 238 - 4.80 - 2010: Hoped to start in 2009 but was beaten out and plays only in a role capacity. Used some as a pass rusher. Physique of a LB but has no experience standing up. OK athlete with solid speed. Faces a hard road to make it in the NFL. GRADE: Negative
OT - Nick Stringer, #64 - 6' 5.0" - 285 - 5.20 - 2010: Lean lineman really coming on this season. Has put on fifteen pounds but probably needs a few more. Much stronger than last year and it shows in all facets of his play. Natural pass protector with good feet and balance. Plays with a wide base and can generally handle the power rush; though he does get walked back on occasion. Nice hand punch and is quick into his sets. Mirrors, slides and adjusts very well to second moves. Accountable. Solid run blocker who locks on well and relies on positioning. Can run some and hit a target on the second level. Plays with leverage. Not a mauler, but solid. Ideal for a zone-blocking scheme. Effective player who could surprise; best ball might be in front of him. GRADE: Positive
OT - Daniel Calvin, #77 - 6' 2.0" - 310 - 5.30 - 2010: An enigma. Based on his career and the first three quarters of this game, Calvin would appear to be a space-eating, phone booth plugger with a NT physique. Has a huge lower unit but appears top-heavy at times and goes to the ground too often. Shows some quicks, gets some push and generally clogs things up. Then came the fourth quarter, where he tried hard to do his Warren Sapp impression, accounting for two dynamic tackles for loss and several great rushes on the QB, including a painful hit. Basically, he plays in spurts and flashes NFL potential; perhaps it takes him time to wear down and figure out his opponents. Must say, though, that fourth quarter has opened my eyes. GRADE: Somewhat Positive
DT - Jeffrey Fitzgerald, #95 - 6' 3.0" - 280 - 5.00 - 2010: Virginia transfer is probably the Wildcat’s best pro prospect. Good size and strength and is a complete player. Solid at the point vs the run and has the speed to chase plays away from him. Disciplined and honors his assignments. Quick and makes plays in the backfield. Solid pass rusher who is adept at getting his hands up to deflect passes. Often lines up at DT on passing downs. Collapses the pocket, but lacks the explosion to beat tackles around the corner. Athletic and can make plays in space. Has room to grow, and might end up as a 4-3 DT or 3-4 DE. GRADE: Positive
Other Players of Note:
QB Austen Arnaud and RB Alexander Robinson, both juniors, give Iowa State tremendous hope down the stretch this season and certainly in 2010. Redshirt freshman, Jeremiah Schwartz appears to be the ideal power-running compliment to Robinson. Defensively, senior DE Christopher Lyle, is having a breakout season and may have a shot as an OLB at the next level and sophomore CB/KR Leonard Johnson is a burgeoning star. Kansas State has a pair of emerging offensive stars in RB Daniel Thomas, a bruiser with speed and acceleration; and WR Lamark Brown, who looks like Zeus. Both are juniors and are just coming into their own. Blocking for them will be behemoth junior OG Kenneth Mayfield, a former JUCO transfer who’s just scratching the surface of his potential.
