Defense coming of age

AMES - Question: Which Big 12 football team has allowed the fewest points in regulation the past four games?

The answer may surprise you - unless you're an avid Iowa State fan. The Cyclones lead the 10-team league in that category, yielding 16.8 points per game, excluding overtime, in that span.

“Our defense is hot right now,” said ISU cornerback Leonard Johnson, who hopes to help provide more staunch resistance in Saturday's regular-season finale at No. 16 Kansas State. “The chemistry between the guys is like it's never been before. We're just all coming together, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.”

That reconstruction project began after an unsettling, pick-up-the-pieces moment. The Cyclones hit a low-point in a 52-17 loss at Missouri. Players were out of position and especially banged up. ISU was mired in what became a four-game skid, during which opponents averaged 42.8 points.

“Maybe it was that midseason debacle at Missouri that helped turn the light on,” Cyclone Coach Paul Rhoads said.

Extreme adversity can refocus team leaders and that appeared to happen in Columbia. ISU improved the following week - still losing 33-17 to Texas A&M - and the light began to burn brightly.

“(Since A&M week), our preparation has been a lot better than it has been since I've probably been here,” said linebacker A.J. Klein, who has recorded at least eight tackles in five straight games. “We've been playing better defense than we have since I've been here and it shows because of practice.”

Thus, the keys to the Cyclones' defensive revival - they've allowed their fewest points in a four-game conference stretch since 2005 - stem mostly from what happens behind closed doors, when they're accountable only to each other and the coaching staff.

The games simply offer proof of that progress gleaned from mastering game plans, watching film and fulfilling assignments.

“It's a group of players having an ‘I'll take the field anywhere, coach,' type of attitude,” Rhoads said. And that's a result of confidence, that's the result of a high level of play.”

How high? Klein ranks third in the Big 12 in tackles, at 8.9 per game. Fellow linebacker Jake Knott stands second, at 9.4, despite playing through a laundry list of injuries.

“I think (they) are as good a pair of linebackers as there are in this league and I think they've shown that to the league as the season wore on,” Rhoads said. “But I think the overall play of our defense helps those guys play at the level they're playing at.”

Safety Ter'Ran Benton has clutched all three of his career interceptions in the past four weeks. The defensive line put just enough pressure on top-flight quarterbacks such as the Cowboys' Brandon Weeden and Oklahoma's Landry Jones to help force five interceptions.

“You saw we were able to force turnovers against teams that don't turn the ball over a lot,” defensive end Patrick Neal said.