Matt Campbell praises Iowa State's offensive line, breaks down special teams missteps against Iowa

AMES — Iowa State football’s Matt Campbell spoke to the media Tuesday, fresh off the win against Iowa in Iowa City on Saturday.

It was the first time in Campbell’s career as the Cyclones' head coach that he’s started the season 2-0. He’ll look to increase that number by one against Ohio this coming weekend.

Iowa State enters Week 3 with a perfect record and will face its last non-conference opponent of the season in Ohio. The Bobcats are 1-1, coming off a 46-10 loss to Penn State. After the Ohio game, the Cyclones will start off Big 12 play strong with No. 19 Baylor on Sept. 24.

But Iowa State's win over Iowa was still on people's minds on Tuesday. Here's what Campbell said during Tuesday's press conference.

Let’s talk about Campbell’s halftime speech

Iowa State was down, 7-3, at halftime of the Iowa game. Campbell came into the locker room and delivered a speech that his players didn’t expect.

“I was expecting him to come in and maybe get on us a little bit,” Jarrod Hufford said Tuesday. “But he was just like, just keep fighting, and then he gave us the story.”

Campbell told his team about coaching the Gilbert 5th- and 6th-grade softball team in the championship game, and how that team came back after falling behind in the third inning. It clearly worked for Iowa State football as well, because the Cyclones came back in the second half to beat Iowa.

And, well, the Gilbert storyline stuck. Several of the players at Tuesday’s press conference wore Gilbert softball shirts.

More: Peterson: Cyclones fans enjoying The Drive, concerned about punting, wonder about Campbell

Breaking down the offensive line’s contribution against Iowa

One of the bright spots of the Cy-Hawk game for Iowa State was the 99-yard touchdown drive. It was, after all, the game-winning moment.

A lot of the credit went to quarterback Hunter Dekkers, and to the offensive coaching staff who put together a drive that spanned the length of the field and resulted in the only touchdown the Cyclones need to pull off the win.

But another part of the offense deserved some credit for giving Dekkers and his offensive options the time to make those plays: The offensive line. Campbell was impressed by what they were able to do on Saturday, especially after losing some key pieces in the offseason.

“I think there is a lot of growth that we have seen in terms of where we would like to be with consistency,” Campbell said. “We’re gonna continue to see, their growth is going to be critical for us to be the team we would like to be as the season continues on.”

While Campbell looked ahead to the rest of the season, he could take time to appreciate how the offensive line performed through two games.

“So far, so good, and certainly proud of what that group has done,” Campbell said.

More: Peterson: Why Matt Campbell isn't getting too hyped over Iowa State win over Iowa

How does Campbell feel about Iowa blocking two Iowa State punts?

So, the 99-yard scoring drive was the highlight.

But the two blocked punts were one of the low points. Iowa State started a true freshman punter, Tyler Perkins, in both games this season, and he struggled in Kinnick Stadium. Sure, part of that was the strength of Iowa’s special teams unit, but it also exposed some cracks for the Cyclones' starters.

Campbell shared his thoughts on the blocked punts, but isn’t overly concerned that this will be a long-term trend with Perkins.

“You’re disappointed a little bit because you say, ‘Man, we’ve been off to such a great start,’” Campbell said. “I don’t feel deflated at all by it. …You hate that it happened. You’re glad it didn’t cost us the game. And you gotta be humble enough…to grow from it and continue to put some of our best players in great position to affect the game in a positive way.”

More: From 99 yards to eternity: How Iowa State marched down the field and into Cy-Hawk legend

Injury updates on Beau Freyler, Jaylin Noel, Jake Remsburg

Iowa State has dealt with its fair share of injuries early this season, including offensive lineman Jake Remsburg, who's not played in the Cyclones' first two games.

Campbell was vague about Remsburg’s status at last week’s press conference, and he offered few details about when Iowa State fans could expect to see Remsburg back on the field on Tuesday.

“I don’t think there would be any greater joy to have those guys ready to play on the field,” Campbell said. “I think Jake was really close by Thursday, Friday last week. We just didn’t feel comfortable with where he was on Saturday.”

Campbell also shared that true freshman running back Cartevious Norton – who left the Cyclones' season opener against Southeast Missouri with an undisclosed injury – was “a lot closer yesterday than where he was on Thursday” but didn't elaborate.

More: Peterson: In 99-yard drive, Hunter Dekkers became 'the guy' for Iowa State football

Beau Freyler is another player Iowa State coaches are evaluating after he was seemingly injured during the Iowa game. But Campbell shared that he was more “shaken up than it was a physical injury.”

Starting wide receivers Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson’s names also came up in the injury conversation, and Campbell said that “both of those guys are in a really good spot.”

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: Matt Campbell talks Iowa State's win over Iowa, gives injury updates