MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia fans are patiently trusting, ‘The Climb’ in Neal Brown’s second season in Morgantown. Matt Campbell’s blueprint he has authored in Ames shows the steady, incremental progress can to a program to the top of the Big 12.
The No. 12 Cyclones (7-2, 7-1 Big 12) are all but certain to play in the league championship game later this month. A win against West Virginia this afternoon will officially clinch a spot in the title game.
“We have become an instant gratification society,” Campbell said. “Everybody wants success and everybody wants it now. Unfortunately, that is not how the world works and that is not how success works. It is the ability to teach those things and the ability to check your ego at the door and understand our whole process here is, how do we get each young person and each collective team to become the absolute best version of itself that it can be.”
Campbell’s first recruiting class in 2016 endured a 3-9 record. Fifth-year seniors are now part of the winningest class in program history.
“This senior class from day one has been really special here. This is a group that came on hope and have really given back hope to everyone else around this program. For me to watch our sixteen seniors go through their last home football game here in Jack Trice Stadium is really special for myself, our coaching staff and hopefully everyone involved knowing the heart and character that this group has displayed from the day they stepped foot on campus.”
Campbell credits his players for their work in the initial stages of the pandemic when they were away from the team during the spring and early summer months.
“You have three months where we really weren’t in our strength and conditioning program per say back here. This is where the credit must go with our players. For three months, they were accountable to their success. They were accountable to themselves for getting in great physical shape. They really had to believe that football would be played and they had to be ready.
“We talk about winning in the dark. Literally, they were in the dark for three months.”
Iowa State’s season opened with a 31-14 loss to Louisiana. But, if you’re looking for things to do in Iowa, the Cyclones have won seven of eight in Big 12 play, including a 37-30 triumph over Oklahoma on September 30. Their only loss in the league was a three-point defeat at Oklahoma State.
“The old rule is you are getting better or you are getting worse and you are never staying the same. That is found in the group’s ability to go back to the drawing board, what did we do well? What didn’t we do well? And how do we get better? I think this group has grown each and every week and it has been fun to watch.”
Last season, the Cyclones lost three games by two points or less (Iowa, Oklahoma and Baylor). This year, the Cyclones are 4-1 in games decided by seven points or less.
“The young players and the older players in this program took the lessons we learned a year ago, navigated the landscape and then said, where can we continue to grow and improve? I think all of us have improved.”