Oct 12, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell celebrates with quarterback Rocco Becht (3) after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
KILRUSH, Ireland — Iowa State nose guard Domonique Orange’s dreams center on shoring up his stamina; reshaping his body and brain to be able to play most of the snaps, instead of some on any given Saturday.
So how will the 6-4, 325-pound senior nudge that hope into the realm of reality?
By snoozing smarter and better — per the expert instructions of a sleep specialist brought in by the No. 22 Cyclones in advance of Saturday’s season opener against No. 17 Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland.
“The sleep specialist that came in helped the team tremendously,” said Orange, who landed on Bruce Feldman of The Athletic’s so-called “Freaks” list for the second straight season. “Honestly, it helped me without even going overseas, (but) with what I’m able to do back home. So I’ve used what she has taught me to better my sleep.”
That’s true every day, not just this Saturday, in a rightly hyped “week zero” Big 12 rivalry game between ranked teams played under the banner of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Kickoff’s at 11 a.m. Iowa time (ESPN) and the team that sleeps deeper and prepares the most assiduously will leave Aviva Stadium with a leg-up in the nascent quest for a conference title.
“We’ve got a lot to prove to ourselves,” said ISU head coach Matt Campbell, who consulted with NFL teams and changed his strength and nutrition staff to craft unique regimens to serve as a bulwark against jet lag and other potential health complications from overseas travel.
“Fundamentally, we’ve got a lot to prove — a lot to prove to ourselves on this year’s team. We’ve got a lot of questions to answer. And no matter what environment or what continent we’re on or wherever we’re at, we have to play a 60-minute football game.”
And the Cyclones and the Wildcats have to do that six hours ahead of their body clock’s schedule. That may sound easy for 18-to-22-year-olds to handle, but it’s not. Routine reigns supreme in Campbell’s world — and it’s why he enters season 10 at ISU as the winningest head coach in program history.
So concepts such as “banked sleep” have entered the Cyclones’ lexicon alongside “positional flexibility” and being “gap sound.”
“Coach Campbell’s done a great job of communicating with us and finding us resources,” said ISU quarterback Rocco Becht, who enters this season with an FBS-high 18-game streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass. “I think a lot of that has helped us up to this point and hopefully helps us out (this) week as we travel over there.”
But back to “banked sleep.” It’s a well-established theory that posits that preloading extra sleep in advance of a known forthcoming sleep deficit (e.g. jet lag) can enhance performance and decrease lethargy on a short-term basis. Some dispute it’s effectiveness, but its wise to utilize any scheme to maximize one’s alertness and energy levels when dealing with the high intensity associated with playing a college football game a few days after flying nearly 4,000 miles in a single jet-fueled leap across the Atlantic.
“Obviously, everyone might not sleep as great on the plane over to Ireland,” said ISU tight end Gabe Burkle, a former Cedar Rapids Prairie standout. “Different atmosphere, so banking that sleep and getting more than eight hours a night, that was the main focus for me (last) week and this week.”
The Wildcats are likely following similar one-off routines to help counter there adverse affects of overseas travel, so pre-game sleep and nutrition preparations will almost certainly amount to a push.
That’s a big deal in a big-time “pick ‘em” game between two longtime bitter rivals expected to bring 10,000-plus fans each to the Emerald Isle.
“We’re going out there guessing,” said Orange, who added that the team plans to wear sunglasses for at least two hours after landing in Dublin to help adjust to the earlier-than-expected dose of daylight. “The first five plays per series is gonna be straight up guessing. Hopefully they don’t bomb us within the first two plays. So it’s just really (about) adjustments. That’s the biggest thing coming into this game.”
