ISU's Knott always in the middle of the action

By Chuck Schoffner, Correspondent

AMES - Here's a story that tells a little something about Jake Knott, Iowa State's all-Big 12 linebacker.

Last summer, when floodwaters threatened the Jacobson Athletic Building, Knott and many of his teammates hauled sandbags and moved equipment to make sure everything stayed dry.

That task finished, Knott passed up a chance to take a breather and instead headed to the east side of Ames where some apartments were under siege from the high water.

Why?

Because a friend asked.

“We had gotten everything done here,” Knott said. “He called up and needed some help, so we went over there and helped out.”

That's Jake Knott for you, always in the middle of the action. It's why the junior from Waukee ranked second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally in tackles last fall (10.8 per game, 130 total). It's also why he insists on staying in the game from start to finish.

Knott never wants to miss a play. Not one. Never. Ever.

“I don't want to miss a rep in practice, I don't want to miss a rep in a game,” he said. “There's no worse feeling than that. I just love being out there. That's why you work, so you can be out there and play.”

There's also this: When Knott's on the field, Iowa State's defense is better. He's confident enough in his ability to understand that.

“I want to be out there because I know I can control that situation a little better,” he said. “You never know when you're going to be able to help somebody make a big play or you're going to be the one making a big play. Just the will to win keeps me out there no matter what.”

That happens even when he's hurt. Knott broke the ulna, or forearm bone, in his right arm just before the spring game last April. He had surgery on a Friday and was back lifting weights the following Monday.

“I can't stand not being around the team,” Knott said. “I felt like I really needed to be there.”

Knott and fellow junior A.J. Klein make up one of the best linebacking duos in the league. With senior Matt Tau'fo'ou and sophomore Jeremiah George in the middle, linebacker should be the defense's strongest position.

Klein and Knott are cut from the same cloth. Klein is 6-feet-1 and 243 pounds, Knott 6-2 and 243. They played some as true freshmen in 2009, then ran with the jobs when they became starters last fall. Both are agile and fast, both have a knack for sniffing out a play in advance and moving quickly to where the ball's going.

They combined for more than half the team's 13 interceptions last fall, four by Knott and three by Klein, and Klein was second on the team with 111 tackles. After all the time they've spent together - they used to be roommates - they can play off each other during games.

“We know what each other is thinking,” Klein said. “We feed off each other's energy. If we keep up our tempo on the field, it pulls the rest of the defense with us. Having that level of connection and knowing what each other is thinking and communicating with each other, we can make the defense better.”

Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham has no doubt about that. He'd just like to see his two stars get a break now and then. Klein was just like Knott in 2010, in for almost every play.

“The quandary you get in is when you take them out, do you have somebody to back them up?” Burnham said. “They're so vital. They're always going to be in there most of the time, but we've got to get them some rest, no doubt. We think we've got some depth now we can do that.”

Jevohn Miller, a 6-4, 244-pound freshman who played at BGM High School, is listed behind Knott on the depth chart after enrolling last January and taking part in spring practice. Junior Matt Morton (6-2, 202), who played in 11 games last fall, backs up Klein.

Having linebackers who go 240 pounds-plus is a luxury for the Cyclones. In years past, ISU linebackers found themselves physically overmatched at times simply because they weren't big enough.

That's not a problem with Knott and Klein.

“The lines in this league are like our video board - they're mammoth,” ISU Coach Paul Rhoads said. “To take on those blocks and defeat those blocks, you've got to have the size to take it on.

“I get a little nervous about them being too heavy, too big, because there's so much speed and so much running involved against today's offenses. But they carry it well.”

Just like they carry the defense.