ISU's Irving making early impact

By Rob Gray, correspondent

David Irving's first game was the big one.

The Iowa State freshman defensive lineman shedded his red-shirt in last Saturday's 44-41 triple-overtime win over Iowa, entering the fray with alacrity.

“I felt it,” said the 6-7, 261-pound Irving, who impressed Cyclone Coach Paul Rhoads throughout the spring and fall with his athletic and explosive presence. “I got a better understanding of it. And it was a great game on top of that, so it was a good experience, period.”

An experience Irving didn't expect to be a part of when an ankle injury struck this fall.

“I was like, ‘Oh, no playing time for me,'” said Irving, who hopes to help ISU win its first road game of 2011 Friday at 7 p.m. at Connecticut. “But as it got better, they saw me again, doing better, so they put me in.”

Irving played sporadically at defensive end against the Hawkeyes and didn't make a mark on the stat sheet.

“I think I did all right,” he said. “You can't be an all-star in your first game, you know what I'm saying?”

His commanding presence added depth to a still somewhat nicked up Cyclone defense.

“He's got a body, that's for sure,” said ISU linebacker A.J. Klein, who had eight tackles in Saturday's win. “He's a tall, athletic kid. He's got long arms and he just has to learn as he matures into the program - learn how to use those abilities and his arm length and get off blockers and everything. But having him on the field is definitely kind of a psychological thing as well, just because of his sheer size.”

Rhoads said Irving's already a playmaker and that became more evident in practice as the ankle injury healed.

“He was down there just wreaking havoc in the backfield and against our offensive line,” Rhoads said. “I said, ‘OK, he's healthy again. Let's get the shirt off and get him out there playing.' He seemed to thank me in the locker room for taking that shirt off in (the Iowa) game.”

And why not?

At this time last year, Irving still was playing high school ball back in San Jacinto, Calif. - and following a post-Friday night rest-and-recovery ritual on Saturdays.

“I probably would have been asleep right now,” he said after the win over the Hawkeyes.

Joltin' Josh

ISU wide receiver Josh Lenz rolled up 163 all-purpose yards against Iowa - one week after a pivitol 26-yard touchdown catch that helped key a win over Northern Iowa.

He grew up a Hawk fan, though - so congratulatory texts from still-Black and Gold obsessed friends took on a conflicted tone.

“I got one (text) that said, ‘You were supposed to do good, but we were supposed to win,'” Lenz said. “It's all in good fun.”

Stat book

ISU punter Kirby Van Der Kamp would be in a dead heat for the top spot in the nation - if the Cyclones had punted enough in their first two games.

l Van Der Kamp has punted seven times for a 51.3-yard average.

National leader Brett Maher of Nebraska has a 51.33-per-punt average, but meets the minimum requirement of 3.6 kicks per game to be listed on the NCAA's individual leaders list.

l Only one team in the Football Bowl Subdivision has converted more fourth down plays than the Cyclones. Army has six fourth-down conversions to the Cyclones five, but failed to convert three times. ISU is 5-for-5.