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Cy Hawk Week is upon us. We got a lot to talk about. I'm not going to do it alone. I got my guy, your guy. Our leader, it's Joe Schmelka. What's up, Joe? Hey man, just ready for, ready for this weekend.

I was a little nervous.

And, you know, just ready for some football.

I didn't get... Hey, man. Just ready for this weekend. I was a little nervous.

And, you know, just ready for some football.

I didn't get over to Kinnick last weekend.

So I'm looking forward to being there this weekend.

It's going to be a great tailgate environment.

Weather's great.

It's going to be an awesome football game.

So it should be a fun, fun day. Yeah, you mentioned the nerves. And that is kind of what this week is all about. And we'll look ahead to the Iowa State game and a little more depth later on in the program. We'll recap the game one first. But before we get to that, there's just, it's like tension, right? Like, it's fun to win this game. There's no doubt. And to go back into the office and see your cyclone friends or your neighbors or your family members or whoever that is and kind of have those bragging rights for the entire season. And obviously, this is the biggest game of the entire Seahawks series. But there is, there is tension. It's like it almost sucks to lose worse than it is good to win.

Yeah, you're exactly right. I just said that to somebody the other day. I said, it's just so awful when you lose. I mean, it's great to win, but I don't know. I'm kind of expected to win. Yeah. Blah, blah, blah, blah. But yeah, you're right. It's just a little bit of tension, a little bit of tension. There is, there is. But hey, we'll work that tension out together over in Iowa City on Saturday afternoon, a 2.30 kick and a sold-out Kinnick Stadium as the cyclones come to town. Before we get there, Joe, what a second half against Illinois State. We will get to that, but I'm not going to lie. I was concerned in that first half.

And it kind of feels foolish now, how concerned I was watching that.

And of course, the team needed some time.

It's a new offense.

There were a bunch of suspensions and injuries,

a quarterback who hadn't played healthy in over two years.

So there were a lot of reasons to expect a slow start, but even then, I was worried in

that first half that we were seeing more of the same, an offensive line that can't open up

holes, a passing game that can't keep a defense honest, a quarterback throwing off his back foot.

Where were you at mentally at halftime against Illinois State?

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