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KILRUSH, Ireland—Dominique Orange, the nose guard for Iowa State, wants to improve his endurance and reshape his body and mind so that he can play most of the snaps rather than just a few on any given Saturday.
How, then, will the 6-foot-4, 325-pound senior bring that dream closer to reality?
By sleeping better and more intelligently in accordance with the professional advice of a sleep specialist hired by the No. 22 Cyclones ahead of their season opening against No. 17 Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday.
Orange, who made The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman’s so-called Freaks list for the second consecutive season, claimed the squad benefited greatly from the sleep specialist who joined. To be honest, it aided me with what I can achieve at home, even without traveling abroad. I’ve improved my sleep by applying the lessons she taught me.
In a highly anticipated Week 0 Big 12 rivalry game between ranked teams held under the auspices of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, that is true every day, not just this Saturday. 11 a.m. is the kickoff time. The club that gets the most sleep and prepares the best will leave Aviva Stadium with an advantage in the early pursuit of a conference championship. Iowa time (ESPN).
ISU head coach Matt Campbell, who spoke with NFL teams and reorganized his strength and nutrition staff to create special regimens to guard against jet lag and other possible health issues from traveling abroad, stated, “We have a lot to prove to ourselves.” At the core, we have. We have a lot to prove to this year’s squad. There are numerous questions that need to be addressed. Additionally, we must play a 60-minute football game regardless of the setting, continent, or location.
Additionally, the Cyclones and Wildcats must complete that task six hours before their body clocks are set to go off. For 18 to 22-year-olds, that might seem simple, but it’s not. Campbell believes that routine is the most important thing, which is why he starts season 10 at ISU as the most successful head coach in the history of the program.
Thus, ideas like “banked sleep,” “positional flexibility,” and “gap sound” have all entered the Cyclones’ vocabulary.
ISU quarterback Rocco Becht, who starts this season with an FBS-high 18-game streak of completing at least one touchdown pass, said, “Coach Campbell has done a great job of communicating with us and finding us resources.” Much of that, I believe, has aided us so far and should do so again this week as we make the trip there.
Back to banked slumber, though. It is a well-established notion that suggests preloading additional sleep ahead of a known impending sleep deficiency (such as jet lag) can temporarily improve performance and reduce lethargy. When dealing with the high intensity of playing a college football game a few days after traveling over 4,000 miles in a single jet-fueled leap across the Atlantic, it’s prudent to employ any strategy to maximize one’s alertness and energy levels, even if some people question its efficacy.
“Obviously, everyone might not sleep as well on the plane over to Ireland,” said former Cedar Rapids Prairie standout Gabe Burkle, a tight end for ISU. This week and previous week, my main focus was on getting more than eight hours of sleep every night in a different surroundings.
Pregame sleep and dietary preparations will almost surely amount to a push, as the Wildcats are probably implementing similar one-time procedures to help counteract the negative effects of traveling abroad.
That is significant in a major pick-em match between two bitter rivals who have been around for a long time and are anticipated to draw more than 10,000 spectators apiece to the Emerald Isle.
Orange stated, “We’re going out there guessing.” In order to assist the crew acclimate to the earlier-than-expected dose of daylight, they intend to wear sunglasses for at least two hours after arriving in Dublin. Each series’ first five plays will be pure guesswork. In the first two plays, I hope they don’t blow us away. Therefore, it really just comes down to making changes. The most important factor going into this game is that.
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