Iowa State football's Matt Campbell 'frustrated' with Cyclones inconsistency

AMES — Another day, another Iowa State football game, except this Saturday is the final home game for the Cyclones. Matt Campbell’s squad will take on Texas Tech at 6 p.m. before capping the season with an away game at TCU.

This hasn’t exactly been the season Iowa State fans expected. The Cyclones started 3-0 after beating Southeast Missouri, Iowa and Ohio. Things quickly fell apart after that, though, and Iowa State dropped six of its last seven games.

The Cyclones (4-6, 1-6 Big 12) now have two more chances to pick up a fifth win, which could put ISU in conversations for a bowl game. First, Iowa State will need to get through Texas Tech on Saturday, which is also senior day for the Cyclones.

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“We’ve got a tremendous opponent,” Campbell said Tuesday. “Senior, veteran football team that’s played really good football at times this year and have got good players. That will be a great challenge for us this Saturday, and obviously, the purpose behind our challenge is strong as well with our senior day.”

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Iowa State will face off against a Red Raiders (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) team that's been through three different quarterbacks. Donovan Smith has the most experience this year, with time in 10 games. He has 146 completions for 1,505 yards and 12 touchdowns – but has also thrown eight interceptions.

Senior Tyler Shough has played in four games, recording 491 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Redshirt freshman Behren Morton has 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns but has been picked off six times.

“All those quarterbacks, other than the freshman, have played a ton of football,” Campbell said. “And those guys have done a great job. I do think, systematically, they certainly have a unique system. Their system is set up for balance.

“At the end of the day, the credit has got to go to their coaching staff. To have a new guy in there, you have to have a system that allows that consistency to show up at the quarterback position.”

Matt Campbell frustrated with Iowa State's inconsistency

Iowa State’s head coach noted that, while fans have seen the Cyclones play really good football at times, there's still room for improvement. He took responsibility for some of ISU’s mistakes this season and said that he’s upset with the way this season has turned.

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“(As) the head coach, you’re frustrated at yourself, because I know I’ve asked our kids to be purpose-driven and process-driven and I think we’re in a great spot there,” Campbell said. “The outcome, that’s on me, that’s on the head football coach.

“For whatever reason, we’re kind of sputtering in that inconsistency and I haven’t been able to totally get us out of there yet. It’s frustrating.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State's Matt Campbell 'frustrated' with team's inconsistency