Coe has reached the 'tip of the iceberg'

By Rob Gray

 Correspondent

 AMES - Rodney Coe found himself mentally adrift and overwhelmed, a bad place to be for a so-called “impact” defensive tackle.

Iowa State's 6-3, 305-pound pillar of potential up the middle couldn't seem to fit his gaps, both in the classroom and the meeting room.

“Early in the season I guess you could say I wasn't too sure of myself or I wasn't too sure about the position,” said Coe, who's coming off his second highest tackle total of the season (five), entering Saturday's 7 p.m. home finale against Big 12 rival Kansas. “But lately I've been playing with confidence - just going out there and not really trying to think too much. Just play the game and use my hands, all the things the coaches have been saying. So it feels good that I can actually see myself make an impact and other people are seeing it, too.”

Nobody said the transition from Iowa Western Community College to the Big 12 would be easy.

Coe certainly didn't, but the pressure to produce - now and often - wore on him, causing doubts to creep in.

“He didn't really know how to play assignment football,” Cyclone defensive coordinator Wally Burnham said. “He was a freelancing fool, you know? So he's had to learn the discipline of defense.”

Accordingly, snaps came in fits and starts for the former running back, who moved to defensive end last season for the NJCAA national champion Reivers, but had never lined up inside until this season.

“I had some troubles with academics and even on the field, where I wasn't doing things I had to do and getting in trouble,” Coe said of early-season struggles. “I just told (defensive tackles coach Shane Burnham) I feel like I haven't been playing up to my potential Iowa State wanted me to come play to, so that's why I kind of got down on myself.”

Consider him “down” no more - and fully equipped with a wealth of upside.

Coe's production has spiked in recent weeks, save for a forgettable one-tackle performance in the Oklahoma State loss.

He batted down a pass while posting 1.5 tackles for loss in the 21-17 setback to TCU two weeks ago.

The previous week at Kansas State, he notched another stop behind the line of scrimmage and began showing up as a backfield disruptor with regularity.

“Rodney, he's still a long ways from where I hope I can get him and I'm sure he hopes he can be,” Shane Burnham said. “Still new to the position, but you're seeing now the pad level's starting to come. … He's starting to get the hang of things.”

Burnham said Coe's merely in “tip of the iceberg” territory now, something that should change after he gets a full year within ISU's strength and conditioning program.

“I don't think he even knows what he might be capable of,” Burnham said.

That's true, but confidence has begun nudging doubt from Coe's mind.

He's relaxed.

He's making the right connections.

He's a work in progress.

“I was just pressuring myself and then I just kind of took a step back - ‘Whoah, just take a chill pill,'” Coe said. “Just go out there and play your game. It will come when it's time to come and I just feel like lately it's been coming. So that's a real good feeling.”