Arizona State sinks Iowa State in Big 12 title game at "the Death Star"
The Cyclones fell, 45-19, to the Sun Devils in Saturday's championship game at AT&T Stadium but their season filled with firsts is not over
ARLINGTON, Texas — Rocco Becht’s eyes softened slightly as he spoke, but once the words ran out, he fixed his fiery, defiant gaze deep into the distance.
Iowa State’s standout sophomore quarterback was pissed. The simmering rage beneath his usual calm demeanor showed itself in that withering stare that met a wall on the other side of the interview room outside his locker room in AT&T Stadium, interchangeably known as “Jerry World,” and “the Death Star.”
The No. 16 Cyclones (10-3) had just been thoroughly beaten by No. 15 Arizona State, 45-19, at the home of the Dallas Cowboys — and he’d had his bell rung by an illegal hit early in the fourth quarter.
The outcome had long been decided in a mistake-riddled performance by ISU on the league’s biggest stage, but Becht lobbied to — and did — return to the game to throw a 25-yard touchdown pass to senior star Jaylin Noel late in the game. He said he was “good” and his head coach, Matt Campbell, said he’d been “quadruple-checked” by medical staff and cleared to go back in the game. So he kept playing until the bitter end because that’s what leaders do. When times are tough, you keep grinding. Even when there’s no way you can dig yourself out of a hole largely of your own making. You care so damn much that even this misery of a blowout defeat calls you to be there with your “brothers.”
That’s what leaders do — and that’s what Becht is.
“These (seniors) put in a lot of work to get to where we (got) today, and it just didn't (turn) out the way we wanted it to,” said Becht, who helped the Cyclones notch their first ten-win season in program history. “We've got to be better. We're a team that I feel like can handle adversity really well. Today at some points we couldn't, and we have to fix that.
He continued:
“At the end of the day, I told everybody coming out of that tunnel, the ones that are coming back, ‘Remember this feeling,’” Becht said. '“‘We will be back in this game next year, I promise you that.’”
Maybe. Maybe not. But the raw emotion that seniors such as star receiver Jaylin Noel, stalwart defensive tackle J.R. Singleton, and chronically injured, but tough as nails safety Beau Freyler wore on their faces told the story of this ISU program that always must labor to climb up “the rough side of the mountain” wearing sneakers instead of crampons; with ice picks instead of ice axes.
The Cyclones aren’t flush with NIL money. They have just enough to keep their roster largely in tact — for now, anyway. They’ve done things under Campbell previously undreamt of, but in these big games, the desired result often eludes them. Still, they’ll play in a bowl game for the seventh time in the past eight seasons — an unprecedented string of success under Campbell that’s turned a formerly “laughingstock” program into a consistent Big 12 contender. And these players care. A lot. Man, do they care.
“I love this team. I love this university, love my brothers, and just everybody that's believed in me,” said an emotional Noel, who caught what on paper was a meaningless 25-yard touchdown pass when ISU trailed 45-13 in the closing moments of the game. “For us to, obviously not the end of season, we've got one more game, but for us to lose this game the way we did — everybody kept fighting, though. I couldn't be more proud of this team to get to this point. I'll be appreciative forever for what this team has done for me and what my brothers have done (for) me.”
Campbell’s guided the Cyclones to the Big 12 championship game twice in the past five seasons, but that tantalizing top trophy continues to elude him and his team. After the game, he joined the solemn processional to the locker room, his arm hooked around Freyler’s waist. His eyes softened as he spoke encouraging words to a player he described as “a warrior.” Then they became wise, but defiant, emblematic of his competitive fire.
“(These) things, they'll haunt you, and the reality is (it’s) still what drives you,” Campbell said. “It wakes you up every day to come in and be your absolute best. The great thing about myself, our staff, and the young people that we have, is they've got great humility, and they've got great character. We'll show up, and we'll be better for it someday.”
Maybe sooner rather than later, as each misstep in search of a championship identifies and eliminates the wayward paths.
“That's the great thing about our program: We're not transactional, we're transformational,” Campbell said. “Whatever it is, it is. We'll be ready to play (in a bowl) wherever that may be. Whatever the opportunity, this senior class, we're about finishing. We're not about everything else.”
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During the game, I texted my son, "Is it me or is this play by play announcer a little over the top for ASU?" My son informed me that the play by play announcer is also the ring announcer for WWE Monday night Raw -- a pro wrestling announcer. I guess World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was a sponsor - they even had a WWE title belt for the game MVP.
What I really objected to was when the play by play announcer went nuts when Rocco was flattened late in the game only to have the color analyst say, "Um, I think we've got targeting here." Sure enough, it was called targeting and the ASU player was ejected. The play by play announcer backed it down after that. But he called it initially like a "spear" finishing move by a pro wrestler like Bill Goldberg or Rhyno at a WrestleMania or Royal Rumble. I don't know if someone told him directly to cool it, and I'm glad Rocco wasn't more seriously hurt.
I know everyone uses pro wrestling style flash and trash talk to jack up excitement about events.
But we could do with a little less bloodlust. We have too much of that in our politics.
Fun fact: Our once and future president is a WWE Hall of Famer.