By: Chris B.
Email Chris at:
chrisb@cyclonefanatic.com
The time is here again; well for one day that is. Its spring time and it only means one thing. No not blooming flowers or walks in the brisk night air. No its time for football. The annual spring game of college football is upon us and there’s plenty to be excited for. With a new swagger, the team is ready to make
ISU a contender in the North Division, and hopefully the entire Big XII.
On April 14, the cardinal and gold takes the field for a head to head show down to see who can make an impact on this teams’ upcoming season. After departures and sluggish performances, there are plenty of openings for starting positions. Offensive strategies, defensive schemes, and offensive line performances are all going to be closely watched come game day.
Along with new players, there are a slew of new coaches. In case you haven’t followed that closely, they go as follows: Head Coach Gene Chizik, Offensive Coordinator Robert McFarland, Defensive Coordinator Wayne Bolt, Defensive Line Coach Mike Pelton, Secondary Coach Shawn Raney, Quarterbacks Coach Tony Petersen, Wide Receivers Coach Jay Rodgers, Running Backs and Special Teams Coach Jay Boulware, Tight Ends Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Scott Fountain, Assistant Coach Jeff Knooz, Strength and Conditioning Director Ken Sheppard, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Director Torre Becton, Director of Operations and Quality Control Barney Farrar, Director of Football Operations and Assistant to the Head Coach Travis Pearson, Assistant Director of Operations Erik Link, and Graduate Assistants Thomas Howe and Floyd White.
With all these new faces come new looks on the playing field as well. Offensive and defensive playing styles have been the most anticipated topics for this upcoming spring. Chizik has been known to run a Tampa 2 defense in his days at Auburn and Texas, and many fans look forward to experiencing a similar style of play this year. It’s a completely new system that differs from the old “bend but don’t break” concept used in years past. It’s known for its simple structure, speed, and aggressive mentality from the 11 players on the field. Quick linebackers and a secondary that can hit are the keys to having this become a success. With the focus of the team being about attacking the ball instead of memorizing a complex system; transitions for younger players should be smooth and turnovers should be high. Something even Dan McCarney expressed during his time as coach. But how much influence will Chizik have with Wayne Bolt running things? We’ll find out soon enough.
Offensively you should expect to see about the same things as in the past, but with an emphasis on the running game early on. McFarland has been quoted as saying that he likes to open things up by establishing a running attack first. Besides that, it seems that the offense will spread things out. Four to five receiver sets are possible to hopefully open holes, and make the job easier for the offensive line. At UCF, he oversaw a Golden Knights’ team that ranked 12th in the nation in passing; in 2002 he had two 1,000 yard receivers and a 1,000 yard rusher. This type of success with what was suppose to be an undersized and under-talented team, only makes it that more exciting for years to come at Iowa State.
Of course to ease the transition, soon to be four year starters Brett Meyer and Todd Blythe return to redeem a disappointing 2006 season. This passing duo hopes to get back on track to the numbers they were putting up in 2005, and a good spring game will help ease the minds of cyclone fans alike. In ‘06, Blythe only tallied 484 yards and 8 TDs over a 9 game span, along with a season long 31 yard reception. This is a polar opposite from his impressive ‘05 performance where he accumulated 1,000 yards with 9 TDs and a season long 63 yard reception. Obviously the low production in ‘06 is due in large part to the sluggish performance by Meyer. For his sophomore year, Meyer tacked on 2,876 passing yards with 19 passing TDs and a completion percentage of 61.4%. This in turn gave him All Big 12 preseason honors heading into the 2006 season; unfortunately a repeat seemed unattainable. Compiling only 2,546 passing yards, 12 TDs, and a completion percentage of 56.4%, everyone’s performance suffered. So a strong spring game could only help their confidence.
Alongside of them, underutilized TE Ben Barkema returns to provided underneath options for the passing attack. In 2006, he only pulled in 106 receiving yards while his counter-part obtained almost double that production. Now with the absence of fan favorite Walter Nickle, Barkema should see more touches in the spring game and hopefully the upcoming season.
Defensively, a lot of positions are up for grabs. Returners Chris Singleton and James Smith will have a lot to prove, though they were very highly touted with the previous staff. Singleton might be a sure start as depth at the CB position is limited and his experience could pay dividends; Smith has seen limited snaps though to be considered a valuable option at this point. For the linebacker position, the only lock is Cyclone favorite and team leading tackler for the ‘06 season, Alvin Bowen. At the weak-side position, Bowen is one of the most feared players in the Big XII accumulating 155 total tackles; it’ll be interesting to see his improvements and the other defensive players to see which young guns surprise the new coaching staff.
Along with the returning players, there are a new group of 2007 recruits pushing for playing time. Out of the 25 recruits, 3 JUCO linemen have already enrolled and taken part in spring practices. Alex Alvarez, Joe Blaes, and Doug Dedrick, are three men ready to make a difference. Their talents and experience will be highly called upon to make what was one of the greatest downfalls last year into one of the brightest.
One man was expected to fill the big shoes left by one of best Cyclone centers in the McCarney era. Joe McMahon, a 6’4” 290 lb JUCO was expected to start at center this year, but as of March 21, he stepped aside from the football team. As reported by the Ames Tribune in an article written by Eric Petersen, McMahon’s Junior College Coach was quoted as saying, "I think he just gave up…Part of it is not knowing anybody. He's the kind of guy who needs to know people that can help him. No matter where he went to school, he would have been an (academic) risk.". In 2006, McMahon was part of the 1st team All Conference and All Region teams. He was also selected to the NJCAA All-American Team. His departure is unfortunate, and he will be missed; to the best of luck to him.
On the line, the offensive tackle position will be one to watch. This is a crucial role to help protect Meyer and allow him to explode into the efficient passer he could be. Last year Scott Fisher and Aaron Brant could not contain the outside, allowing more hits than any one QB could withstand. This forced Meyer into scrambling situations sooner than he intended; not allowing him to check down his receivers and causing a decrease in his passing efficiency. In 2006, Meyer racked up 287 rushing yards for loss while 244 of those came on the 38 sacks that were allowed. This number was not much better in 2005 either. Out of the 262 yards for loss, 243 were accumulated on the 39 allowed sacks. This means that only 62 actual yards were for loss not caused by sacks. This is a staggering number that I’m sure will be addressed before next season.
So if it’s not the new coaches, or the new players, or even the new playing styles that get you excited about this Spring Game, then at least the fresh start for a new season is one to cheer for. It’s a rebuilding year in Cyclone football, but that shouldn’t stop it from being an exciting one. I look forward to seeing you out there come April 14th, and if you see me, shout out your two cents. See you on the gridiron. Go State!
Spring Football-Out with the Old, A Look at the New 
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