How Bout Them Clones?
Well, the season opener wrapped up nicely on a picture perfect Saturday in Ames.
Iowa State gave South East Missouri (SEMO) the business, with a final score of 42 to 10. To say that Hunter Dekker's debut was a success is an understatement. Iowa State's shiny new toy under center threw 25/31 (81% completion percentage) with 293 yards and four touchdowns. Dekker looked active in the pocket, accurate, and most of all, he wasn’t scared to throw the ball. Matt Campbell and the Cyclones coaching staff have a great quarterback to lead this squad going forward. From what I heard, the team that Iowa State plays next week is very lacking in the quarterback department, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Even though the Clones played against an inferior and young team, it was nice to see all facets of the offense utilized. Matt Campbell showcased a highly competitive and even prolific passing game while establishing a more than proficient run game. It was certainly a breath of fresh air seeing a football team from Iowa that didn’t score all of their points from field goals and safeties... Right?
With all of the positive things we saw from the Cyclones this weekend, the most positive had to be the dominance of Xavier Hutchinson. He is without a doubt, the X factor of this Cyclones offense. Xavier caught the ball 8 times racking up 128 receiving yards to go with three touchdowns. Xavier was surgical. His routes were resemblant of a scalpel as he cut up the SEMO secondary. His speed was scintillating and his footwork was precise. So, without further ado, I am crowning Xavier Hutchinson the nickname “Xavier the Surgeon.”
All in all, Iowa State’s 2022 season premier was a resounding success. The story of Hunter Dekkers is just starting, but it will be interesting to see him play against actual competition in week four when the Cyclones play 10th ranked Baylor. Oh! And of course CyHawk week begins Monday. In all seriousness, the Hawkeyes will be a tough game as always. Every year the CyHawk game is competitive, close, and exciting. However, Matt Campbell and his squad have a chance to settle the score next Saturday in Kinnick Stadium.
Get your game face on Cyclone Fans, and stay tuned to Pulltab Sports as I prep you for the big game next week.
