Iowa State’s Bundrage, Tucker ready for big things

AMES - Quenton Bundrage stepped onto the field, confident in his abilities despite missing a full year.

In fact, he's even seen himself make strides in several facets of the game.

'I got to see the game from a different perspective,” Bundrage said after sitting out 11 games after tearing his ACL last fall. 'I figured out what the coaches were talking about with certain players aren't giving it up or just being out there noticing the bad things and good things and just react to certain things.”

The ACL tear was the first serious injury of Bundrage's career, and happened on the fourth offensive play for Iowa State in the season-opener. Offseason rehabilitation has Bundrage back to old form, and has shown coaches more explosiveness in route running.

The senior wide receiver will participate in all 15 spring practices with the Cyclones, but will wear a blue jersey, signifying he's a no-contact player. Even though he won't have to fight through tackles this spring, he's still been able to show the coaching staff the skills in his arsenal.

'He needs to get through spring clean,” said Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads. 'There's no way he'll have contact, but just being out here and his leadership as well as knocking the rust off and running plays this spring will be invaluable.”

Bundrage's appreciation also grew during the time he sat out, and while he knows the limits on his knee while he's on the field, thoughts of reinjuring it don't enter his mind when he's lined up as a first-team receiver. As a sophomore in 2013, Bundrage led the team in catches (48), receiving yards (676) and receiving touchdowns (9).

'He's walking around like a kid in a candy store,” said offensive coordinator Mark Mangino. 'He's so happy to be back out there and we're so glad to have him. We expect big things for him and I'm confident he'll deliver.”

ISU coaches are also expecting big things from JUCO defensive lineman Demond Tucker. Tucker enrolled at Iowa State this spring and was the 2013 NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 for Copiah-Lincoln CC.

At 6-foot, 287 pounds, Tucker came to Iowa State known for his quickness. When Rhoads saw a pursuit drill at the first spring practice, he also saw a lot of speed during, what Rhoads estimated to be, a 40-yard sprint. Tucker's listed No. 2 on the depth chart for now, and Rhoads said that's largely due to him learning the defense.

'He's learning so I saw him operating slow,” Rhoads said. 'I saw him do too much thinking as opposed top playing so (defensive line coach) Shane's (Burnham) got to get him to the point where he takes what's been coached in the meeting room as individual so he can get out there and turn it lose in the team stuff so he can play at a faster rate.”

Part of that learning process for Tucker has been adjusting to playing with more technique as well as using his hands at the line. Above all else, he's going to try to bring his pursuit-first identity to the position.

'I don't just sit there and play with them,” Tucker said. 'I go get it and when I see the ball and if he's going across, I'm going.”