AMES — After patiently rehabbing and anxiously waiting to return to the field following an ACL injury that kept Carson Willich sidelined in 2024, the highly anticipated 2025 season-opener against Kansas State was a dream scenario.

The Iowa State football linebacker got to play in his first game since 2023 and did so in the unique setting of Dublin, Ireland. The hard-fought Farmageddon victory was a great way to top off the international trip.

The morning after was almost an "Oh no, not again" nightmare.

"I didn't really feel it during the game, I had so much adrenaline going and stuff, so wasn't a lot of pain from that, but I woke up the next morning and didn't feel right," Willich said of his foot injury that required a walking boot. "Then, obviously, the plane back and stuff didn'

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