Oct. 4, 2000

Here is what Iowa State Cyclones coach Dan McCarney and several of his players were saying in the locker room after the Cyclones had plundered Baylor's defense and carted off a decisive 31-17 victory at Floyd Casey Stadium Saturday night:

McCarney: "I'm proud of this team. It's great to be 4-0. There aren't many teams that are 4-0 right now. I'd feel better if we had played better football in the second half, but it's better than the alternative.

"We were dominant in the first half and not dominant in the second half. We showed some grit, some toughness at times. We did a lot of good things (in the first half). We got some turnovers, made some good plays. We made some real good plays on special teams. I was very disappointed in our second half. We should have put more points on the board.

"That's not to take anything away from the Baylor team or Kevin Steele. Those kids played real hard in the second half. My hat is off to them... It's going to be a dogfight every week in the Big 12. At least now we've got a chance to win more fights than we ever have in the past."

Concerning his durable tailback Ennis Haywood, a former Dallas Carter schoolboy running back who left Baylor's defense reeling, carrying the ball a whopping 39 times and gaining an even more whopping 241 yards:

"He's tough, strong, physical, determined, and a great ball security guy. Just a real good football player. He's a punishing runner. He gets lots of yards after contact."

And about Baylor quarterback Guy Tomcheck, making only the second start of his collegiate career: "We tried to mix it up on him. We did get some hits on him. We disrupted him a lot more than they (South Florida) did last week. He's a real talented quarterback."

Said Iowa State defensive lineman Ryan Harklau, a 6-4, 280-pound senior: "We haven't been 4-0 in 20 years. Before the game, that's what we were talking about. I love it. We're trying to gain respect right now, and I think we're starting to do it. We responded to coach McCarney's pregame speech, to go out and get respect, and we did that."

Said Iowa State senior quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who rushed for 38 yards and threw for 167 and one touchdown and was seldom disturbed by Baylor's pass rush: "Anytime you're 4-0, you can't complain. We didn't play the way we want to in the second half, but there are only a few teams in the country with this record.

"We executed in the first half about as well as you can in college football. In the second half, we executed pretty good until we got to third-and-one, fourth-and-one, and we'd hurt ourselves with some penalty or missed assignment. I felt like we stopped ourselves."

Here is what some of the sports writers who covered the game said in their game accounts:

W.H. Stickney, Jr., of the Houston Chronicle: "Baylor probably couldn't have stopped Iowa State's Ennis Haywood on Saturday night with the help of a roadblock by Texas state troopers. The junior tailback from Dallas Carter rushed for 241 yards on 39 carries and scored two touchdowns as the Cyclones rolled over the Bears, 31-17, before 31,126 at Floyd Casey Stadium.

"But what bothered Baylor coach Kevin Steele more than Haywood's punishing runs -- most of them straight up the gut of a gaping defense -- was the turnovers that seemingly stopped the Bears before they ever got started... Baylor lost three fumbles in addition to (Guy) Tomcheck's interception."

Nathan Sanders of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "Iowa State may not yet be a serious contender in the Big 12. But on Saturday night the Cyclones were at least champions of the Bottom Two, posting a 31-17 victory against Baylor, their perennial cellar-dwelling twin from the other division.

"Iowa State used a few turnovers and a lot of running back Ennis Haywood to take a 31-3 halftime lead, then hung on for the victory in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. Iowa State is 4-0 for the first time since 1980.

"Baylor and Iowa State have finished in last place in their respective divisions in each of the conference's four years of existence. They are a combined 8-57 in Big 12 play, with three of those eight victories coming at each other's expense. But victory No. 8 went to the Cyclones, thanks mostly to a poor first half by Baylor that an improved second half could not cancel."

Lee Scheide of the San Antonio Express-News: "Baylor won the second half Saturday night against Iowa State in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Unfortunately for the Bears, the Cyclones crushed them in the first half.

"Taking advantage of three turnovers in the first half and the stellar performance of running back Ennis Haywood, Iowa State defeated Baylor, 31-17, in front of 31,126 at Floyd Casey Stadium. Iowa State led, 31-3, at the break.

Jerry Hill of the Waco Tribune-Herald: "How far they have come.

"Three years ago, the fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts (in Ames) when the Iowa State Cyclones snapped a 13-game losing streak with a 24-17 win over Baylor.

"When they finished off a methodical, easier-than-it-looked 31-17 dismantling of the Bears Saturday night before an announced crowd of 31,126 at Floyd Casey Stadium, they barely paused to celebrate. They walked off the field, boarded the buses and headed back to Ames, Iowa, happy with their first 4-0 start in 20 years."

John Werner of the Waco Tribune-Herald: "After a brilliant performance against South Florida, Guy Tomcheck's welcome to the Big 12 was harsh, rude and painful. Facing a fast, physical Iowa State defense, Tomcheck hit just eight of 17 passes for 161 yards in Baylor's 31-17 loss Saturday night. It was the complete opposite of his starting debut against South Florida last week.

"And he blames no one but himself. "If I had come out with my head on straight, it would have been a different ballgame," Tomcheck said. "Iowa State is bigger and faster than South Florida. But the bottom line is that I didn't produce."