Cyclone lineman Burton facing hometown team

AMES - The routine was the same for Daniel Burton most weekends in the fall as he was growing up in Oklahoma City.

He'd play football on Friday nights for Putnam City North, wake up early on Saturday mornings and make the 45-minute drive to Stillwater where his family would tailgate before going to watch their favorite team - Oklahoma State.

Now a sophomore offensive lineman at Iowa State, Burton will be going back to Stillwater this morning, but will be on the opposite sideline.

'Every year I look forward to getting after those guys. I know a few guys on the team, know of them I guess,” Burton said. 'I played against them and whatnot in high school. It is in a certain sense special for me, otherwise it's another Saturday on the calendar and another week to get better and get after it.”

It's safe to say before Burton decided to play football at Iowa State, his family was all Cowboys. His mother and father attended the school, as well as his two older brothers. Burton even owned an OSU jersey growing up and specifically remembers watching players like Dez Bryant and Justin Blackmon enjoy a lot of success at Oklahoma State.

Burton was recruited by Oklahoma State, but waited for an offer that never came. When he was offered by Iowa State, he readily accepted and thought about one thing in regards to his favorite team as a kid.

'I was like, ‘If you can't play for them, then I'd love to play against them,'” Burton said. 'So that was one more reason I really enjoyed coming to Iowa State.”

Burton said he believes he attended somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 or 50 games growing up and can remember the environment with the OSU paddle people pounding away on the side of the stadium.

ISU Coach Paul Rhoads knows all about that, too, and how challenging of an environment that can be for visitors.

'You're talking to their fans as well as talking to your players as you're making adjustments,” Rhoads said. 'They're very active and very involved in the game. Those particular people are there early and they're making noise and so forth in warm-ups.”

Was Burton ever one of those paddle people growing up?

'No I was not,” Burton said with a laugh. 'I guess they didn't let toddlers down there. But it seems like they really enjoy it.”