The bowl win was special because it proved that Cyclones have mastered overcoming adversity. Randy Peterson / The Register
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Iowa State's 2017 football season was conveyor belt of memorable moments, each week providing some new challenge or storyline.
From a crazy position change and an unexpected move at quarterback to upsets and close calls, there were plenty of unforgettable times.
"I think I'm 38 now," said Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. "I feel like I'm 68 after this season."
With an 8-5 season in 2017, Campbell put Iowa State on the national map, became one of the most sought-after coaches in college football and delivered some of the biggest wins in program history.
But despite all the success, there were plenty of trials and tribulations. And the journey to one of Iowa State's most successful seasons had plenty of roadblocks.
"Yeah, it’s unique with, I think, a lot of the challenges that came our way," Campbell said. "They’ve been unique. There are no books to tell you how to handle those situations, I think you have to always put your team and the football (players) as the No. 1 priority in making decisions. I think there were a lot of those along the way this year, but at the end of it, our staff and the leadership in our locker room had the ability to handle it and the maturity to handle it."
The bowl win was special because it proved that Cyclones have mastered overcoming adversity. Randy Peterson / The Register
"To me," Lazard says, "Joel Lanning is the greatest Cyclone of all time." Randy Peterson / The Register
Iowa State won its first bowl game since 2009, defeating Memphis 21-20 in the Liberty Bowl on Saturday in Memphis, Tennessee. Watch as Cyclone players celebrate a little too hard, with the stage collapsing beneath their feet. Rodney White / The Register
Campbell nearly gets emotional on the podium
Allen Lazard heaps praise on Joel Lanning
Stage collapses as Iowa State football players celebrate Liberty Bowl victory
Here are 10 moments that defined Iowa State’s season:
IOWA STATE 21, MEMPHIS 20: What we learned from the Liberty Bowl win
A spring decision
During Iowa State’s final game of the 2016 season, Joel Lanning tallied just one snap. The rush into the end zone didn’t even count though. A penalty wiped out the play, Lanning returned to the sidelines and Iowa State never used him again. That would never happen again.
When Iowa State coach Matt Campbell looked back on the game, he realized he had to find ways to use Lanning in 2017. Lanning began the 2016 season as the starting quarterback but eventually had to share snaps with Jacob Park. When the season was over, Park was the starter and Lanning was the sidelines.
During the offseason, Campbell came up with a new plan for Lanning. About a week or two before spring football started, Campbell called Lanning into his office and told him he was moving him to linebacker. That wasn’t it, though. The Cyclones would continue to utilize Lanning’s running abilities at quarterback and toughness on special teams.
Lanning ended up doing it all for the Cyclones. And a year after the Cyclones couldn’t find a way to get Lanning on the field, they couldn’t find a way to get him off it. Lanning would bounce in and out of quarterback throughout the season, start at middle linebacker and contribute on kicking teams.
The regular season ended with Lanning tallying 934 total snaps, 765 on defense, 124 on special teams and 45 on offense. He had success in all three areas. During the regular season, Lanning averaged 9.2 tackles per game, lead the team in sacks (5.0), ranked second in tackles for loss (10.0) and had a fumble recovery and interception.
“What Joel Lanning did, in my 35 years of experience, may have been one of the most impressive things that a player could do,” said Iowa State defensive coordinator/safeties coach Jon Heacock before the season.
PETERSON: Lanning, Lazard raise standard as icons of ISU football's new era
The program's head coach says Iowa State's defense became a strength when Joel Lanning became a linebacker. Randy Peterson / The Register
A tough ending to another Cy-Hawk showdown
There’s always excitement whenever Iowa and Iowa State play. But the excitement reached new heights long before the two teams tangled Sept. 9. Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz stirred the pot when he ripped Iowa State’s recruiting tactics and referred to the Cyclones as “Those guys in Ames” during an interview with Hawk Central. Campbell added to the excitement when he consonantly refused to acknowledge the Hawkeyes by name, instead referring to them as “Those guys out east.”
ANALYSIS: Ferentz comments highlight fun contrast in Iowa vs. ISU recruiting
The game lived up to the hype with multiple memorable moments.
Iowa State running back David Montgomery plowed over Iowa star Josey Jewell on his way to the end zone for a touchdown. Montgomery finished with 112 rushing yards. Park passed for 347 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
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Iowa and Iowa State traded blows all day during the Saturday showdown at Jack Trice Stadium. Iowa led by as many as 11 as late as the third quarter but the Cyclones stormed back by scoring the next 21 points, capped by Montgomery’s 7-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes, 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which gave the Cyclones a 31-21 lead. It wouldn’t last.
The game included two more ties after that and didn’t come to a close until Nate Stanley fired a 5-yard touchdown pass in overtime to end the game. Despite losing, Iowa State showed it had made great strides since suffering a 42-3 beat down in Iowa City the previous year.
“We just couldn’t make that final dagger play that you’re going to have to make to beat (Iowa),” Campbell said after the game. “At the end of the day, hats off to them, but I’m really proud of our kids. I couldn’t ask for anymore from an effort an attitude standpoint.”
MORE: Campbell's confidence in defense helps team ice Liberty Bowl win
Take a look back at the biggest plays of the game!
Park’s career comes to an unexpected end
Iowa State entered the 2017 campaign without any controversy at the quarterback position. Park began the season as the clear-cut starter. The redshirt junior was a captain and quarterback who had shown signs of his potential after taking over the starting spot at the end of the 2016 season.
But that all changed Oct. 6 when Iowa State announced that Park was taking a leave from the team to work through some personal health issues. Park, who had started the first four games of the season, completed 100 of 162 passes for 1,181 yards and nine touchdowns.
As good as he looked at times, Park’s career was full of controversy. He was sat for the start of a game in 2016 after he showed up late for a team breakfast. In his final start, Park struggled in a 17-7 loss to Texas and appeared to be seen arguing with coach Matt Campbell on the sidelines.
Park would never return. In an interview with the Register at the end of the regular season, Park said he failed a drug test, struggled with the pressure of football and fatherhood and ultimately agreed to take the leave. Park also asked Iowa State for his release from his scholarship, which was granted, and angered fans on his way out the door.
“Everybody says these fans are so loyal, right?” Park said. “Like, they were the first ones to turn on me.”
WATCH: Stage collapses as Iowa State celebrates victory over Memphis
Kyle Kempt named starter
The departure of Park created an opportunity Kyle Kempt had been waiting his whole career for. The fifth-year senior had played sparingly in 2016, mostly in mop-up duty and was in the same role in 2017. But when Park took the leave from the team, he was replaced by Kempt.
Kempt, a journeyman quarterback, had began his career at Oregon State, transferred to Hutchinson Community College and ended up at Iowa State. He had never played a down in his first two stops but got the nod over redshirt freshman quarterback Zeb Noland for the first game of the post-Park project: A showdown at No. 3 Oklahoma. Campbell said he liked Kempt's work ethic and poise.
Kempt didn’t disappoint. The cool, calm and collected quarterback completed 18 o -24 passes for 343 yards and three touchdown passes in a 38-31 upset of the Sooners. The quarterback wasn’t a one-hit wonder, though. Kempt guided the Cyclones to four straight wins. He was starting playcaller for wins at Oklahoma, against Kansas, at Texas Tech and a home upset against No. 4 Texas Tech to make the Cyclones bowl eligible for the first time since 2012.
“I think the thing through it all is just staying patient — keep working,” Kempt said in October. “I thought at some point, maybe (starting will) happen. I couldn’t really go through it thinking I wasn’t going to get it, because then when you do get a shot, you’re not prepared.”
"Dilly, dilly!"
Iowa State took the field against No. 3 Oklahoma on Oct. 7 without starters Jacob Park and Willie Harvey. The Cyclones were four-touchdown underdogs and putting the ball in the hands of Kempt who was making the first start of his college career.
The Cyclones also had history working against them. Iowa State had suffered through 18 straight losses to the Sooners and hadn’t won in Norman since 1990. No one seemed think the Cyclones stood a chance. It didn’t matter though.
Kempt passed for 343 yards and three touchdown passes, the defense got key stops and Joel Lanning burst onto the national scene with an unbelievable Iron Man-like performance in a 38-31 stunning win for Iowa State. And the Cyclones, whose bowl chances seemed to be on life support after losses to Iowa and Texas, were right back in the postseason picture.
The play of the game may have come in the fourth quarter. When Iowa State and Oklahoma deadlocked in a 31-31 tie, Kempt unleashed a long pass to Lazard in the end zone. Lazard, with a defender in his face, turned back, jumped, made the catch and fell to the ground in the end zone. Iowa State had the lead and never gave it up. The highlight reel catch was shown on SportsCenter with the anchor saying "dilly, dilly," a take off of the Bud Light commercial. Iowa State fans quickly caught on and the phase became a theme of the season.
“I timed the jump,” Lazard said after the game. “Kempt threw a good ball.”
MORE: Get the Sunday 'Storm in Norman' Sports cover here!
Iowa State's calm, cool and collected Kyle Kempt. Randy Peterson/The Register
Campbell's speech
After the disappointing defeat to Iowa, the loss to Texas, Iowa State’s odds at a bowl game were dwindling. But the Cyclones got back on track with the win at Oklahoma along with victories over Kansas and at Texas Tech. Iowa State then entered its Oct. 28 showdown against No. 4 Texas Christian needing one more victory to reach six and become bowl eligible.
Kempt completed a pair of touchdown passes to Matthew Eaton and Hakeem Butler to put Iowa State ahead 14-0 at halftime. That was all the offense Iowa State would get and all it needed. TCU opened the second half with KaVontae Turpin returning a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown. That would be it, though.
Iowa State’s defense kept TCU’s offense out of the end zone and limited the Horned Frogs to 307 yards of total offense. The final dagger came when Iowa State linebacker Marcel Spears Jr. grabbed a fourth-quarter interception to end TCU’s last drive and solidify the win for Iowa State. The Cyclones ran out the clock, the fans stormed the field and Iowa State became bowl eligible for the first time since 2012.
Iowa State fans storm the field at Jack Trice Stadium after the Cyclones beat TCU on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in Ames. Kelsey Kremer / The Register
Campbell, in just his second season with the Cyclones, had already turned the program into a winner but wanted Iowa State to strive for more. After the game, he fired up his team and the fan base with a passionate speech that was caught on camera.
“(Expletive) programs care about 6-6,” Campbell said.
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Iowa State “robbed” of win over Oklahoma State
It wouldn’t be an Iowa State season without a little controversy, right? The Cyclones had plenty of that in their game against No. 15 Oklahoma State and at Kansas State. We’ll get to the Kansas State game later. But first, Oklahoma State.
The Cyclones had already taken down No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 TCU and were knocking on the door of beating the 15th-ranked Cowboys as well. Iowa State trailed 49-42 and was moving the ball deep into Oklahoma State territory with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter.
With the Cyclones facing second-and-goal from the Oklahoma State 4-yard line, Iowa State quarterback Zeb Noland unloaded a pass to the corner of the end zone intended for wide receiver Marchie Murdock. Murdock went leaping for the pass along with Oklahoma State’s A.J. Green.
The two tumbled to the ground fighting for possession of the ball in the end zone. Officials ruled it an interception and after a review of the play, the call was confirmed. Iowa State fans were furious about the controversial ending and they weren’t alone. After the game, Murdock tweeted that “THEY ROBBED ME.”
“If it’s a tie ball…. possession is to the offense….ROBBED,” Murdock wrote in another tweet.
LIBERTY BOWL: Get the Register's Sunday sports cover for the Cyclones' bowl win
Register columnist Randy Peterson and reporter Tommy Birch break down the Cyclones' loss to Oklahoma State at home on Saturday. Randy Peterson / The Register
Controversy to close out the season
In 2015, Iowa State’s trip to Kansas State ended in heartbreak. The Cyclones let a late lead disappear with untimely fumbles and questionable calls. When the Cyclones returned to Manhattan in 2017, there was more heartbreak and, once again, some questionable calls.
The Cyclones led by as many as 12 in the fourth quarter and as late as the closing seconds. But victory was snatched away once Isaiah Zuber’s 1-yard touchdown reception gave the Wildcats the lead and the win as time expired.
That’s not what upset Iowa State fans. What left many fans unhappy where three flags that originally went Iowa State’s way but were picked up. The toughest to digest may have been a pass interference call that was waived off in the fourth quarter.
With Iowa State trying to milk the clock late in the game, the Cyclones tried a pass on third-and-6. Lazard couldn’t come down with it but appeared to be grabbed by a Kansas State defender.
Pass interference was called but officials huddled together and picked up the flag.
Those weren’t the only calls Campbell talked about after the game. But the three flags were the ones most people will remember.
“Those calls could have gone either way,” Campbell said after the loss.
TWITTER ANGER: Iowa State 'hosed' by Montgomery fumble call in Liberty Bowl
Locking up Campbell
Iowa State’s successful season brought plenty of praise and almost too much attention for Campbell. As the Cyclones coach topped two top-four programs and got the Cyclones back to bowl eligibility, his name started popping up when jobs opened.
The intensity fired up when ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit tweeted that Campbell was “gone” and Iowa State fans should “enjoy this team and this coach, in particular, while you can.” Campbell’s name was tossed out for job openings at Tennessee and Nebraska.
But Campbell maintained that he wasn’t going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. That became true after Iowa State and Campbell agreed on a new six-year contract worth $22.5 million. Iowa State announced the move on Nov. 27. The new contract increased his annual salary from $2.1 million to $3.5 million. The athletics department also agreed to provide Campbell additional $1 million for incremental raises for his staff.
“I’m excited about our fans and I’m excited for our student-athletes because they get to have a football coach that, in this day in age, it’s very unusual to have somebody that is committed to something,” said Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard. “You look around the country and you just see that people are leaving and jumping for higher-paying jobs. We have a football coach that’s about loyalty, about family, about building something and that’s rare in this day in age.”
The new contract helped ease Iowa State fans and helped the Cyclones lure in a strong recruiting class that signed 18 players on the first day of the signing period. The players knew that Campbell was just as invested in Iowa State as the Cyclones were in him.
Iowa State Football Coach Matt Campbell speaks after signing $22.5 million contract.
Ending on a high note
Campbell made it clear in the days leading up to Iowa State's showdown with No. 18 Memphis in the Liberty Bowl that the Cyclones were there for more than just to sightsee . Campbell wanted his team coming back with a trophy and the school's first bowl game win since 2008. He got it.
Lazard capped off his career with another memorable performance by catching 10 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown. He made sure his last game was one of his best. His 5-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter gave Iowa State a 21-17 lead it wouldn't give up. The pass, which appeared to be tipped, went to the back of the end zone where Lazard made sure to stay in bounds to grab the ball. The touchdown catch, the 10th of the season for Lazard, cemented a single-season record for Iowa State.
Iowa State won 21-20 and Lazard etched his name in school history finishing with a reception in all 48 games he played in.
"They were a lot smaller than me," the 6-foot-5 Lazard said. "I"m a pretty big receiver so I just used my size and speed to my advantage, and I just felt like they couldn't hold me at all."
MORE: Lazard retaliates to Memphis' Iowa State helmet flip after bowl win
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41 of 62![Memphis Tigers defensive back Tito Windham (24) breaks]()
42 of 62![Cyclones enter the stadium before the AutoZone Liberty]()
43 of 62![Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Hakeem Butler (18)]()
44 of 62![Cyclone fan Lori Curtis of Orlando celebrates her]()
45 of 62![The Iowa State Cyclones warm up for the AutoZone Liberty]()
46 of 62![Cyclone fans Juanita and Jay Anliker of Primghar tailgate]()
47 of 62![Cyclone fans Juanita and Jay Anliker of Primghar tailgate]()
48 of 62![Cyclone fans Matt and son Lane, 3, of Huxley, watch]()
49 of 62![The Cyclone marching band marches to the stadium before]()
50 of 62![Cyclone marching band members warmup before the AutoZone]()
51 of 62![Cyclones tailgate before the AutoZone Liberty Bowl]()
52 of 62![Cyclones fans Bruce and Molly Bowers of Texas tailgate]()
53 of 62![Cyclones tailgate before the AutoZone Liberty Bowl]()
54 of 62![Cyclones fans Bruce and Molly Bowers of Texas tailgate]()
55 of 62![Iowa StateÕs J.D. Waggoner warmsup for AutoZone Liberty]()
56 of 62![Iowa StateÕs JD Waggoner and Joel Lanning warm up for]()
57 of 62![The Iowa State Cyclones warm up for the AutoZone Liberty]()
58 of 62![The Iowa State Cyclones warm up for the AutoZone Liberty]()
59 of 62![Iowa StateÕs J.D. Waggoner warmsup for AutoZone Liberty]()
60 of 62![Iowa StateÕs Joel Lanning warms up for AutoZone Liberty]()
61 of 62![The Iowa State Cyclones warm up for the AutoZone Liberty]()
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