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IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 18, 2017

Matt Campbell

Waco, Texas

--> Iowa State - 23, Baylor - 13

Q. How is David doing?
COACH CAMPBELL: We got it x-rayed. Everything came back positive. So that part is really good. If I know David, he'll be ready to roll. But that's an early prediction and we'll see where he's at.

So no breaks, no strains. No any of that. We'll have to play it by ear.

Q. Do you know if it was like a high ankle, like if they x-rayed?
COACH CAMPBELL: It was in the ankle is what they x-rayed. Like I said, nothing came back positive so that's huge for this team.

Q. How scary was that for you?
COACH CAMPBELL: Well, I think any time you have one of your best players who's kind of put the team on his back in the second half, you never like to see them go down. But, I mean, it's football and that's what happens.

Next guy comes up, and Sheldon came in, did a great job running the football. So I think we're kind of the football team that's kind of resembled that all year. It's kind of been our niche is the next guy's stood up and played really good football for us.

Q. Up until that point, how did you feel like he was doing, especially in the second half? You did some things (no microphone).
COACH CAMPBELL: Yeah, I mean, you know how I feel about him. I mean, he's as good as there is in a lot of ways. So he put the team on his back. I thought the offensive line -- you know, the offensive line, I haven't bragged about them very much. But I tell you, the last three weeks, they've started to play some really good football.

That group has done some really good things and, obviously, I think David would be the first one to tell you that too. But David's ability to break tackles and do what he does, I mean, that's what makes him really special.

But that offensive line, tight ends, those guys are playing really good football for us right now.

Q. Did you feel like the run game was why you were able to win that game? I mean, the second half, that one drive, 61 yards was on the ground, I think.
COACH CAMPBELL: Well, I just thought for the first time in the game, I felt like we were kind of all over the place in the first half of the game on both sides. We just couldn't catch the momentum of the game. Little things were kind of shooting us in the foot.

I thought the second half, we played Iowa State football. When we played well, we're in and out of the ability to throw it and run it. We've controlled and been good in situational football.

Defensively, we've kind of dictated the pace of the game, and I felt we were able to do that for a lot of the second half.

Q. With Jones and Walker doing kick returns, how come?
COACH CAMPBELL: Landen was injured.

Q. With the defense, to get a three-yard line from Peavy, looks like he just pulled it out, and then Reggie, those two plays kind of kept you guys from --
COACH CAMPBELL: Well, I mean, Brian Peavy's play, I think that describes our football team. Our back's against the wall. We're on the 3-yard line, and it's really easy to bag it. We're on our fourth quarterback. Situationally, everybody else would bag it and this team never has.

So, to me, that was a defining play in the game because I think it really defines who we are, defines who or football team has been all year. Great thing is nobody can take that from us. I think everybody is kind of waiting to watch us fold our tent. Same thing, ball on the 3-yard line, first and three on the 3. Ready to fold your tent and our kids keep playing.

So I think that's kind of been our niche. It's what's allowed us to have success. Great play by Brian. Great job by our defensive line being able to kind of bottle things up. Keep playing.

Same thing with Reggie. Great play by Reg in the second half. I thought that was a great pick and dinking, doinking, moving their way down the field. And boom, he steps into a play over the middle and does a great job.

So, you know, big-time by both those kid.

Q. What do you say about your defense that's been able to manufacture key turnovers in the fourth quarter so far this season?
COACH CAMPBELL: I just think it's mentality by our whole football team, really. I mean, I really do. I don't know if it's anything that's different or -- I think it just becomes about detail and becomes about our guys' ability to certainly continue to stay the course and play defense.

I think easily, I could freak out, especially when the teams are moving the ball down the field. I think at times, when we haven't played as good as we needed to, guys try to do too much. Instead, just keep playing the next play.

That's when we played our best defense and we did that in the second half for sure.

Q. How did you feel like Zeb handled his first start and all the ebbs and flows.
COACH CAMPBELL: I thought for a guy that's, in all essence, a freshman, missing his whole freshman year due to an ACL injury, not practicing, and a kid that goes in his first start on the road, Big 12 team that's starting to play a lot better, some of those throws he makes, you know, the one drive, he's 3 for 3 on third down, gets us all the way down the field. A couple of the deep balls that he's able to throw in the game. I thought he did a really good job.

He'll continue to get better, and he'll continue to grow. But, boy, I think you got to leave here just being pretty impressed with what you saw from Zeb Noland today.

Q. Where does that leave you with the quarterback situation for next week?
COACH CAMPBELL: We'll just reevaluate it. I think it's a situation I'd love to -- Kyle's obviously not healthy yet. If he's healthy or healthier, that will be a discussion we have to have. Right now, it's not even a discussion we can have until Kyle's 100 percent healthy.

Q. You said that there were some little things here and there. Seemed like the offense, after the first three-and-outs, actually moved the ball and there were little things that kept you to field goals. Did it feel like a play here, a play there, and that game's maybe different?
COACH CAMPBELL: Yeah. You know, I think so similar to Oklahoma, to be honest with you. You got Kyle in his first two series and they're three-and-outs. Kind of the same thing with Zeb.

There's a young pup in there. He's trying to feel his way through it. I think you're trying to do a really good job, especially against this defense. They've been so multiple in so many different ways that you don't want to turn the ball over.

The best thing Zeb did today, more than anything, is he didn't turn the ball over. And those things were really big. It's been our formula for success offensively.

But, yeah, I think break here, break there. But, again, you make your own breaks and I've said that all year long. It comes down to detail, and you literally make your own breaks in football and the ball doesn't just bounce your way. You make the ball bounce your way.

Q. Hakeem caught that bomb there in the first half and had a fight through some contact to get into the end zone. How did you see that play?
COACH CAMPBELL: I saw it right in front of me because I was sitting there. I mean, my goodness, that kid is really special. It was great to see him come back home to Texas and be able -- I know he had a lot of family here. To be able to make a play like that, I thought that was a huge momentum swing for us, especially going into halftime.

Great play by him. That young man's made a lot of stride this year and it's been really fun to do it, and we're going to need him here as we finish off the season to continue to take his level that he can take it. But I think we've all seen this year he can be really special, and I think he showed why.

Q. Is that the same plays as the Oklahoma pre-half?
COACH CAMPBELL: Similar. Very similar in some way, shape and form.

Q. And then I guess defensively, what did you see from -- you guys really settled in, it seemed like, especially from the second quarter on, really settled in and contained them.
COACH CAMPBELL: Again, the credit's got to go to Baylor. Their kids, their quarterback, I really liked. He was able to make some plays and get out of the pocket. We had them in the first half, had them on third down and nine. He gets out and we had to spy on them and still couldn't tackle him.

The credit goes to him, and we just didn't -- we weren't very sharp in the first half, period. I put that on me. We've got to continue to do a great job. I thought our kids fought through it and certainly didn't succumb. That part I do appreciate.

Q. How was the bus ride over?
COACH CAMPBELL: It was a lot of fun. A lot of fun. I love this area. Anything else?

Q. Coach, this is the first time you guys will clinch a winning Big 12 record since 2000. I know it's not the end goal, but how important of a step is that for this program?
COACH CAMPBELL: Again, I don't even know what that means right now. I think the reality of it is we have such a big football game left to play against one of the, my opinion, premiere programs in our conference.

I think after the season's over, we can sit and evaluate what did we do, what didn't we do and, obviously, what do we have to do to continue to get better. But what you want to do is continue to push the needle and you want to continue to work your program in a positive direction. You want to start to create some momentum.

I think regardless of that, it's great to be moving forward, rather than backwards, in this football program.

Q. I know it was off to the side, but what have you season from the growth of Sheldon, because it seems like he's kind of really come up when he's got his opportunities.
COACH CAMPBELL: Again, I think Sheldon, you go back to spring practice, Sheldon, I think you heard me say, man, this kid had a really good spring. And then fall camp had a really good camp.

Sheldon's one of those guys, it's not about Sheldon. I think he's really pressed to get better every day, and that's hard to do because at running back, there's one ball, right? You'd love to have 800 carries by different guys, but David's kind of pushed himself to the front of the pack in his ability to block and catch and run.

And what's been fun for Sheldon is he's kind of mirrored that and he's allowed himself to really have a niche and a role in this football team. I'm really proud of him. He's one of those guys that has really worked hard, because it wasn't easy for Sheldon. I was all over his case a year ago, to be honest with you.

If you'd have asked me that question a year ago, I probably wouldn't have the same response. But he's taken that, he's got two great parents that have been, I think, a key asset to why he's stayed the course rather than go the other way, and it's been really fun to watch him. I'm really proud of him.

Q. Coach, Allen Lazard set the all-time Iowa State record for a senior today. Can you put into words what he's meant to this program?
COACH CAMPBELL: No, I can't. We've had to play -- for us to be really successful, we've had to play a little bit of a different style of football at times. I think the thing that I would tell you from Allen's standpoint is you talk about an MVP and you talk about a guy that literally steadied the ship.

I mean, four different quarterbacks throwing the football this year. When you have a guy like him who can stand up and lead the way and be the same guy every day, that's really impressive. And you talk about the growth he's made in the last 12 months -- he's always been a great player, but the growth he's made as a leader and the growth he's made as a guy that comes to work every day, a guy that has ability to showcase leadership, that's been really fun to watch about Allen.

All the records are great, but Allen's got a chance to leave here, because he did those leadership ability, those little things way better than I've seen in a long time, and I really appreciate him. He's done a great job.

Obviously, those records are all things he'll have to come back to Iowa State and be really proud of. But what he's done to this culture is maybe as good or better than any record he'll be able to leave here with.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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