2017 upset of OU emboldens Iowa State program

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell talks during Big 12 Media Days. (AP Photo)When Oct. 7, 2017, arrived, the Iowa State football team was 2-2, with victories over Northern Iowa and Akron, and the Cyclones were in Norman to play third-ranked Oklahoma. ISU quarterback Jacob Park didn’t make the trip, and the Cyclones instead started Kyle Kempt, who had barely taken a snap across four college seasons.

You know what happened next. Iowa State stunned the Sooners 38-31, went on to finish 8-5 and gave Cyclone a wave of optimism. The benefits if that upset of OU are many for the program of Matt Campbell, now in his third year at ISU.

“Year 1 we had to learn how to believe,” Campbell said. “What does real…