Pierson leading the nation in sacks per game, aiding ISU’s 3-4 defense

AMES - Dale Pierson spent a lot of time on the phone in his first days at his new school. Things just weren't going as he hoped.

Pierson arrived at Iowa State just as fall camp began in 2014 - after transferring from Pasadena Community College - but was discouraged by the start to his Division I career. Pierson only played three snaps in a season-opening loss to North Dakota State and didn't feel like he had much of a chance to make an impact.

The 6-foot-2, 249-pound Bakersfield, Calif., native needed to hear the sound of reassuring voices. So after practices, he stood outside the Bergstrom Football Complex and talked.

'I was always calling my family back home and talking to them about the hard time I was having and what I needed to do,” Pierson said. 'They were telling me, ‘Just stick it out and things will change for you.'”

Pierson gutted through the first half of last season and became an effective piece in the second half. Now he is leading the charge for the revamped Cyclones defense.

The senior leads the nation in sacks per game at 2.5 - five total - and is 3.5 short of the nine-year old ISU record for sacks in a season. Iowa State has earned nine sacks through two games after recording 15 all of last season.

Pierson's personality dictates he downplay his nation-leading mark, but he does take pride in it. His work ethic has been described as one of the best on the team by ISU coaches, and that's the edge Pierson doesn't want to lose in his game.

'I try not to make a big deal out of it,” Pierson said. 'Some people have been asking me, ‘How many sacks are you going to get in the next game?' But I try not to go into games thinking about my stats. I try to go into the game (to) do the very best I can and try to help my team win.”

'How about that? An Iowa State Cyclone is leading the nation in sacks. That's something to take note of,” said Iowa State Coach Paul Rhoads. 'When he finally embraced our defense and Stan's (Eggen) coaching and his role, that's when he really took off last year.”

In his last six games, dating back to last season, Pierson has 33 tackles, 7.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and an interception, but has felt production pick up in the new defensive scheme. Running a three-man front has defensive coordinator Wally Burnham feeling like his most athletic defense is starting to take shape.

Burnham said the defensive staff looked at the way a number of other schools ran 3-4 schemes and settled on one that would showcase the ISU personnel best. Pierson's production is partly aided by scheme, but it goes beyond that.

'He's just a tremendous, hard-working, overachieving kid,” Burnham said. 'He's going to make plays, I don't care how big (he is). He doesn't get knocked off the ball badly and then loose his gap. He can still rush inside technique on a big, 300-pound offensive lineman and get outside and rush the quarterback. So he's got a lot of good traits for this defense.”

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