Mm-hmm.

And so they're not as willing to throw the ball a lot a- as Utah is.

I mean, Utah really puts it in the air, too.

And West Virginia likes to keep it on the ground, and they really do have more of an o- a true option attack, a lot of zone read, tons of zone read, and RPOs.

And so some of the challenges are similar, although you won't see quite as many crazy formations as what you saw Utah do.

But I think having played Utah and gone through that this past week will help Iowa State in this game to say, "Okay, we have to be more gap sound.

We have to be able to fill these gaps and, and wrap up when we get there." And 11 guys flying to the ball.

I think they have all the offense [laughs] between the two of them, whether he's passing or running, and then Cook running.

What was your overall takeaway from how things played out against Utah at Jack Trey Stadium?

Yeah, I think Coach Rogers nailed it right there with the two points about the really slow start.

You just can't get down 21-3, you know, to a team that good.

I guess it wasn't 21-3, it was 24-3 at one point.

And, you know, that's number one.

But a big part of that was Blay Sean Parker and his ability to break tackles.

And Iowa State, which has been a very good tackling team up until this point, just could not wrap that guy up.

How important is the response this week with not just it being homecoming but another conference game and another opportunity to get a first conference win of the season for the Cyclones?

And I'm wondering, do you think that with the offensive line being as new as it is and this kid – Is he a 1,000-yard rusher? I know the quarterback can put the ball or carry the ball, but I'm wondering from the backfield because if he can do that or the team can do that too, then that can go a long way to them having more success.

Yeah, I think it's very possible that Aiden Flora could end up being a 1,000-yard rusher this year.

Currently leads the Big 12 in rushing, and that's a real shock.

You know, I mean, I think he had four carries last year as a running back.

He was an excellent punt returner, the best of the Big 12.

He's still an excellent punt returner.

His career punt return average is 24 yards a punt return.

What do you think about him and his accuracy?

And I'm wondering, do you think that with the offensive line being as new as it is and this kid – Is he a 1,000-yard rusher? I know the quarterback can put the ball or carry the ball, but I'm wondering from the backfield because if he can do that or the team can do that too, then that can go a long way to them having more success.

Yeah, I think it's very possible that Aiden Flora could end up being a 1,000-yard rusher this year.

Currently leads the Big 12 in rushing, and that's a real shock.

You know, I mean, I think he had four carries last year as a running back.

He was an excellent punt returner, the best of the Big 12.

He's still an excellent punt returner.

His career punt return average is 24 yards a punt return.

What do you think about him and his accuracy?

Yeah

... his career at New Mexico.

Was their starter last year, was a terrific player.

But they play two quarterbacks about half the time.

Uh, Bird Ficklin, another quarterback, is out there probably about half their snaps offensively, and they put him all over the place.

They use him as a running back.

They use him as a wide receiver.

Yeah

This is obviously a breakout performance considering the first two games and how they went, but how is he and the versatility he showed on Saturday? How is that able to help this team move forward?

Well, I think when the coaches and Jimmy Rogers in particular said that, you know, eight and four can be our, um, But McCaffrey, I think a lot of people, you know, kind of raised an eyebrow with, like, wait a minute, come on, you know.

Nobody's saying he's that good, but he's really a good football player, and he's very versatile.

He can do so many different things.

And I think he's just a guy that got overlooked coming out of high school because he wasn't very big.

But he's fast.

You know, in high school at Adel DeSoto-Menber, and he was quarterback.

What steps can this pass offense still take to maybe – catch up a little or or get on track I know the loss of Evan Boyd to injury certainly did not help things but I know they have some guys that they're hoping to count on here moving forward including Omari Hayes who had a solid performance against Iowa a couple weeks back where can you still see the pass game make improvements here starting a big 12 play John

Uh, what stood out, what stood out to you, John, both good and bad, from how the offense operated, uh, on Saturday in that game?

Well, I loved how careful they were with the ball, which is such a big thing, especially in that stadium.

I mean, if you get loose with the ball and start turning it over, you're gonna get blown out.

And Iowa State kept themselves in a position to win that game right to the end by really taking great care of the football, being conscious of that.

Now, having said that, obviously, when you're starting at your own three yard line or your own nine yard line or 15, you really...

It tightens the playbook quite a bit.

And so you, you can't really kind of let it loose in those spots.

Uh, through two games, how have you seen him kind of grow into that role, uh, a- and, and really kind of become the back that, uh, Iowa State needs him to be? I know it's a small sample size, but encouraging returns, I think, from him for sure, right?

How much different does an off-season feel when that's the case?

It's easier.

I'm not going to lie.

It's a lot easier.

You know, my first 15 years covering the rivalry, I wasn't the voice of the Cyclones yet, but my first 15 years covering the rivalry, as I started at a TV station in 1982, Iowa won every year.

They won 15 in a row, and they absolutely dominated most of those games.

So it didn't feel like much of a rivalry.

But, yeah, John's point about slobber knockers is a great description.

But for Rainer in particular, what does he need to do and tweak and work on this week of practice going into Saturday's game? Because it's a much different environment, much different opponent coming up this weekend.

Yeah, I think just make sound decisions.

You know, I'd love to see another down.

If you try to be a superhero against Iowa's defense, that'll play right into their hands.

And you'll probably end up seeing one going back the other way.

And so I think for him, it's important to just Be one one eleventh of the offense.

Don't try to do more than what's being asked of you.

I guess, what type of game are you expecting? And, you know, you said it before, right? What does Iowa State have to do to walk into Kinnick Stadium and get a victory again?

How does having an experienced player like him, even if it wasn't for the Cyclones last year, but experience playing at the D1 level, how does that help what the coaching staff wants to do here in this first season in Ames?

Well, I think it helps enormously.

You know, he's, he's not nervous about it.

He's been through this before.

He's got 20 wins as a starting quarterback.

And I think his quarterback 36 games as a starter, which was the second most in college football.

So he's, he's very, very experienced.

I guess your general impressions on Southeast Missouri State, obviously having some confidence after that season opening win coming into games this weekend.

Uh, define for us emergency water deliveries, because it's not just about getting out there and filling up a tank, right?

Uh, absolutely, and it's, it's really just recognizing that, that Mother Nature can give our f- our farming families such a, such a tough time and, and drought is typically where we've been, um, at our busiest delivering water and I think back to, to those ye- those years, 2016, '17, '18, '19, four years of drought, like four years of drought, living it every single day.

And, and during that time, uh, we had trucks just crisscrossing the country getting water to families whose tanks had run dry and, and when you run out of water, that's an emergency.

There's not too many other things that you can do to sustain a family or an individual if there's no water.

Um, it's the most basic and the most important of all our needs.

Where are you sourcing water? Is it from private supplies only?

No, look, the, the, the s- the water that we source is, is typically from the local council.

Um, so we, we source the water from the local council, but it's, it's then Rural Aid who pays, um, off the money that's been donated by, by generous Aussies right around the country to have that water transported to that property.

Um, yes, uh, in, in the, in the front, a, a man who needs no introduction, President and CEO of Hudson Institute, John Walters.

Well, first of all, thank you for being here, and, uh, and God bless you for what you're doing.

May you succeed in all regards.

I'd like to know if in any international body or Ukraine, aside from Putin and the, and the criminals around him, uh, is there being kept a register of the people who grab these children are involved in the actual kidnapping and taking them out so that, uh, there's a chance down the line to hold these people accountable? We like to talk about international law, but of course, there is no law without enforcement sooner or later.

So I'd like to know whether the infrastructure to kind of pursue that is in place.

Um, how are we going with diesel and everything else, John? Are, are you, are you finding that the farmers are starting to get the diesel they've been crying out for, or, or is it still slim pickings out there at the moment?

I, I, I think things are definitely better than they, they were, but one of the, the, the pieces that we forget about is people had to pa- had to pay top dollar for diesel when it was incredibly short supply.

And while there might be more fuel available and the price of diesel may have gone down, so many people had to buy at the very top price there.

And, and that's the big worry.

They've got this really significant cost that they now carry the, the can for, and then they-- there's no guarantee that the crops that they plant and harvest at the other end are gonna be selling into a market that's, that's at a, a very strong market.

So it's just that risk that farmers carry every single day to do the work that they do, basically for the benefit of the rest of us.

I'm sure you'd agree with that.

Oh, totally.

Um, how are we going with diesel and everything else, John? Are, are you, are you finding that the farmers are starting to get the diesel they've been crying out for, or, or is it still slim pickings out there at the moment?

I, I, I think things are definitely better than they, they were, but one of the, the, the pieces that we forget about is people had to p- had to pay top dollar for diesel when it was incredibly short supply.

And while there might be more fuel available and the price of diesel may have gone down, so many people had to buy at the very top price there.

And, and that's the big worry.

They've got this really significant cost that they now carry the, the can for, and then they ...

There's no guarantee that the crops that they plant and harvest at the other end are gonna be selling into a market that's, that's at a, a very strong market.

So it's just that risk that farmers carry every single day to do the work that they do, basically for the benefit of the rest of us.

I'm sure you'd agree with that.