ISU's offensive line must improve quickly

By Rob Gray, Correspondent

AMES - Iowa sent three defensive linemen to the NFL this season.

Don't expect Iowa State's highly-touted offensive tackle Kelechi Osemele to breathe easy about the Hawkeyes' next men in come Saturday, though.

“I've heard about Iowa's D-line since like the eighth grade,” said the 6-foot-6, 347-pound all-Big 12 senior, who also is a top pro prospect. “They just produce D-linemen and good defensive players in general. Guys go to that school because of it.”

Improved offensive line play stands paramount for the Cyclones (1-0) if they are to beat the Hawkeyes (1-0) for the first time since 2007.

ISU expects to be better both in run blocking and pass protection for Saturday's 11 a.m. rivalry game, since Osemele's injured right ankle should be a bit healthier and fellow starter Hayworth Hicks will return after sitting out last weekend for violating team rules.

“Those are significant guys,” Rhoads said of the 336-pound Hicks and Osemele. “Kelechi spent a good deal of training camp on a sprained ankle and he tweaked it again, so he'll be playing somewhat not at full speed, or 100 percent again this Saturday, I would suspect, although he ran good (Sunday).”

Fielding a nimble, shifty quarterback such as Steele Jantz affords ISU a measure of leeway in terms of protection.

The late-blooming transfer from California evaded pressure frequently in Saturday's white-knuckle 20-19 win over Northern Iowa and was sacked just once while being hurried seven times.

“He was under duress too much,” Rhoads said of Jantz, who scored three total touchdowns - two rushing, one passing - while throwing three interceptions in the comeback win.

Jantz said he needed to trust his linemen more and felt he fled the pocket early a few times.

He graded his Cyclone debut as “poor.”

“But we got the win,” Jantz added. “Anytime we win, like coach Rhoads says, there's no such thing as an ugly win. So I grade myself on my performance, but when it comes down to it I'd rather do bad and win than do good and lose.”

Osemele said newcomers to the ISU offensive line such as guard Ethan Tuftee and center Tom Farniok will progress as they accumulate snaps.

“To fix it, honestly, it's just going to take some experience,” Osemele said. “I know for me, it comes naturally because I already know what the idea is and where everybody's going. For these new guys, they just need to communicate more between each other.”

Those learned, then intuitive connections must crystallize quickly for the Cyclones to be successful against Iowa's new-look defensive front.

“Without a doubt, still a strength for them,” Rhoads said. “They reload at that position. (Mike) Daniels leads that group. He's a fantastic player. They continue to get good push in the pocket and pressure on the quarterback. You're just never going to have much success running the football against them.”

Notable

Iowa State nickel back C.J. Morgan will not have to miss any of Saturday's game, Rhoads said. Morgan was ejected from the season opener after being called for a person foul (hands to the face). ... Rhoads said wide receiver Darius Darks and defensive end Cleyon Laing will play against the Hawkeyes after sitting out one game for violating team rules. ... Defensive end Roosevelt Maggitt is out Saturday because of a knee injury and could miss significant time, Rhoads said. ... Defensive tackle Stephen Ruempolhamer should play more, Rhoads said. He underwent meniscus surgery just 10 days ago, but attempted to go against the Panthers. “Courageously, he tried, but it just wasn't up to speed,” Rhoads said.