The Players Club: Iowa State Week

Welcome to the Players Club. This week's media session featured all three phases in the spotlight, thanks to the appearances of guard Clark Barrington, linebacker Garmon Randolph, and kicker Isaiah Hankins. 

After the win in Cincinnati, the rear view looks nice, but an entirely new storm lies ahead as the Iowa State Cyclones wind their way into Waco this weekend. 

Can the Bears make it two in a row and finally impress at home? Or, like the UCF win, will the thrill of victory be short-lived? We'll find out soon, but in the meantime, the players had their say ahead of Saturday. 

BACK AT GUARD 

According to Dave Aranda, the conversation about moving Clark Barrington from center to left guard began a couple of weeks ago, and he wondered if it was a move they should have made a little sooner. 

Nevertheless, in desperate need of a shakeup and with extra time during a bye week, the timing was right to pull the trigger against Cincinnati, one of the more formidable fronts in the Big 12 conference.

"We kind of just came together and I was like, I'll do whatever needs to happen to make sure this line starts doing what we need to do. And of course, we needed to get the best five guys out there," Barrington said. 

Getting the best five on the field meant his move to left guard. That also led to redshirt freshman Coleton Price taking over the center position. 

Barrington didn't make the initial offer to move to his old spot. Still, the senior from Spokane was a selfless teammate when the topic came up, and what resulted was some new blood and fresh opportunity for a struggling line, not to mention a bit extra nastiness with Barrington uncuffed at guard and Price now squarely in the mix. 

"Definitely just discussion with the coaches, just us needing to make a change with the front and needing to get better production out of the offensive line," Barrington said of how the bye week changes came together. "So, we felt like we needed to get Colten Price in there and get his toughness and his physicality in there, and the best spot for him was at center, and so we just did what we had to do."

As for being back at the position that earned him All-American discussion at BYU, there was comfort in the familiarity. 

"Yeah, it felt like being back home a little bit, being able to play a little bit more free, just get back to what I've been doing for three, four years. So it was good, yeah."

As for Price, this is just the beginning, and his feet are now firmly in the fire. Part of the hope is that these moves will allow the offensive line to have an added mean streak and toughness factor, but also the right chemistry. Barrington sees similarities between him and Price that could bode well moving forward. 

"Yeah, I do. I see Colton a lot like me and I feel like we get along real well and I get his mentality, he gets my mentality and so it was fun. Fun to play next to somebody that plays like you do." 

Iowa State will provide a fresh litmus test this week and test that toughness factor. 

BYE WEEK BENEFITS 

Opinions vary about the nature of last Saturday's win, but it was apparent they'd used the bye week to deploy some different tactics in the win. 

How much did the bye week help?

 "A lot. Putting people in the right position. Everybody finally understanding what they got to do. And I think it really brought us together," senior linebacker Garmon Randolph said. 

As for what changes led to a faster start last week compared to previous efforts, he pointed to some obvious areas while bluntly but vaguely spelling out a lack of certain qualities that have proven costly at times. 

"Focus. Intentionality. There ain't that much to talk about except for people got to be locked in when we need to be locked in, focused on the task at hand. So that's really the difference."

The focus can affect every part of the game, like not filling the correct gaps on defense, thus allowing for long runs. Missed tackles, penalties, drops, and missed reads are other potential side effects. 

But the good news is, with focus, there can be fixes, like being in the proper gap on defense. 

"Yes, that goes back to starting fast and being focused when we need to be focused and paying attention. That's all," Randolph said matter-of-factly. 

Loud and clear and straightforward. But it's also tough to digest, given how Cincinnati ran all over the defense last week and the numerous missed tackles. The unit's continued struggles are well-known and documented, save for some superb play in the secondary. 

Still, the win was good for this team's mind, body, and soul. 

"It was real good. I think we really needed it coming off of a bye week, especially the [Tech] game from the week before. You know, it was a good team win, everybody contributed. So it's a real good boost for this week coming up," Randolph said. 

DON'T GET STUCK 

Kicker Isaiah Hankins is the reigning Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the win over Cincinnati. An outing that saw the Arkansas native account for 14 points in a three-point win, including 4-4 on field goals from 54, 43, 46, and 43, again. 

But that was last week. 

"I mean, it's definitely nice. That's a pretty cool recognition and everything, but it is also like, I can't really dwell on that for too long," Hankins said. "It's cool, give it like a couple of hours and I gotta move on. If I keep on dwelling on that, then I'm going to get stuck there, you know?" 

Hankins' story is a tale of perseverance and resilience. And, well, learning to avoid getting stuck. 

In 2021, he was a true freshman handling all of the Bears' field goals and extra points during a special season. Then, in week two of 2022, he missed an early extra point and later his only FG attempt in the first overtime of the 2OT loss at BYU.

The Bears not only lost the game, but Hankins lost his starting gig, going on to redshirt the remainder of the season. To his credit, he kept working and returned this year for that starting spot, which he would regain in camp, and now here we are. 

As for why the journey has gone from that low point to helping win a game last week, the answer is pretty simple and spiritual. 

"Honestly, prayer, relaxation, and … I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to do any of this or have any of the success without the prayer, from me praying to others praying for me. So I think I think that's key."