Shatel: ISU may have 'Mr. Right'

AMES, Iowa — Is Jamie Pollard getting a mulligan?

That thought crossed my mind on Wednesday morning, when Paul Rhoads walked into a room and lit up Iowa State media day like a 100-watt bulb.

That energy. That voice. The new Cyclone football coach attacked the Big 12's biggest task at hand with a straightforward honesty and enthusiasm that makes you want to tag along for the ride. If nothing else, it won't be dull.

Where have we seen this before?

No, Pollard can't be that lucky. Pollard is the Iowa State athletic director. Three years ago, Pollard rolled the dice. Iowa State football is one of those places where you roll dice. You change coaches, helmet logos, colors, anything that will work.

Well, ISU had finally found that something. His name was Dan McCarney. He emitted relentless energy and hope. He delivered an unprecedented run in Ames.

There were bowl games, great wins, close calls and heartache. Somewhere in the heartache, some folks felt like Coach Mac had done all he could.

McCarney was Iowa State's Mr. Right. He was from Iowa, knew the state, the people, the work ethic, the culture. Mr. Right very rarely comes along more than once at places like Iowa State.

And yet doesn't even Iowa State have the right to wonder if it can do better? Yes. But careful with those dice. If you chase away Mr. Right, as Pollard relucantly did with McCarney, you'd better be right.

After two years of Gene Chizik, who was an odd fit and then left for Auburn, some Cyclones were wondering, “Why did we get rid of McCarney? Did we throw away Mr. Right?''

Not necessarily. They may have gotten a second chance when Rhoads fell in Pollard's lap.

There is an unmistakable McCarneyesque quality to Rhoads, a former high school valedictorian from nearby Ankeny, and a career defensive coordinator at Pitt, Auburn and, yes, Iowa State. He was in Ames from 1995 to '99, when McCarney built up ISU.

Even a veteran Iowa State writer said of Rhoads: “Sometimes if you close your eyes, you think you're listening to McCarney.''

No doubt Iowans have already made that connection. Rhoads toured the state relentlessly in the offseason. On Wednesday, after spending 40 minutes in a group session with the media, he went on the field and did one-on-one interviews with each of 20 TV cameras from every corner of the state.

He gets it. At Iowa State, that's half the battle.

“It is a hard job,'' Rhoads said. “It's a challenging job. I'm a fundamental and technique-oriented guy. You don't come to Iowa State and win games because you outscheme or outsmart the rest of the league. And you're not going to outwork them.

“But you can be efficient with your fundamentals and your techniques. You do things better and do them quicker than your opponents. Over time, that is going to be our philosophy here.''

He's going to run a spread formation. That will be interesting in the wind tunnel known as Jack Trice Stadium. His defenses should eventually be sound. He spent several minutes explaining the proper tackling technique (“feet and hips, feet and hips.'')

Practices, he said, “will be extremely physical.”

“If you're near the field,” he said, “you better be able to hear practice.''

The Cyclones gave up 41 points a game in the Big 12 last year. Rhoads is under no delusions. He promises only hard work, fundamentals, player development and the relentless pursuit of coaxing fate to answer the door the next time Iowa State knocks.

The same formula Rhoads said McCarney used some 14 years ago.

“What's the old saying? Slow and steady wins the race,'' Rhoads said. “We're not going to get this done overnight.''

When I asked Rhoads if he still kept in touch with Mac, he said, “Yes, in fact, he sent me a text this morning wishing me good luck.'' How appropriate.

Contact the writer:

444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

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