Woody works on punishing, finishing blocks

AMES - Iowa State running back Jeff Woody's big.

More explosive than he looks.

The textbook and playbook definition of a load.

“One of a kind,” Cyclone all-Big 12 linebacker Jake Knott said.

Woody - who barreled for the game-winning touchdown in last season's stunning 37-31 double-overtime win over then-No. 2 Oklahoma State - faced Knott in high school.

Woody, a 6-1, 245-pound bruising back, starred for Southeast Polk.

Knott shined for Waukee.

“He was the same guy,” said Knott, who has been cleared for all weightlifting and running activities after offseason shoulder surgery. “He ran hard. He ran fast. Definitely not a back that you saw all the time.”

Woody's a junior now - and intent on honing his blocking technique this spring and beyond.

“A lot of it is hand placement,” he said. “The main issue I have is I make good contact but my hands are too wide so I can't drive someone off. That's really the main thing I need to improve on so we can have the two running back set we have, or that we showed a little bit of last year. So I can be an extra offensive lineman or serve another purpose that last year or in year's past I haven't been able to do.”

Woody became ISU's second-most productive running back last season, churning up 381 yards and six touchdowns.

Not bad for a former walk-on who proved invaluable as starter Shontrelle Johnson was lost to the season because of a neck injury and backup James White endured the typical bumps and bruises as the No. 2 featured back.

Still, Woody's ceiling remains high - as long as his head continually bumps it up.

“We're looking for him to still be a complete back,” said Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads, whose team entered its fifth of 15 spring practices Tuesday afternoon. “Jeff's a good ball-carrier. And he took off this spring where he ended last season ... We want him to be a tremendous blocker. We want him to be a physical - you don't have to be a devastating blocker, but at his size, he shouldn't be a position blocking type of guy. We want him to put his face on people and knock them on the ground and as he develops that, his role, potentially, expands.”

To that end, Woody's hyper-focused on finishing a block; drilling proper offensive lineman-style technique until it becomes second nature.

“A lot of it is effort and I have that part down,” he said. “It's just the technique of instead of running into someone, knowing how you're supposed to run into someone. That's the big difference: Being able to hit and sustain contact, and actually being able to move someone instead of just stalemate him.”

NOTES: Defensive back Jeremy Reeves (wrist) and defensive end Roosevelt Maggitt (rehabilitating a knee) were among the known players already out this spring for the Cyclones. Add a few more to the list. Notably, wide receiver Aaron Horne, who will have surgery on a broken collarbone and miss the rest of the spring. Also, receivers Ja'Quarius Daniels (shoulder) and Chris Young (concussion) will miss some time. ... Rhoads was asked about his beard, which has become popular among players and fans alike - and will be shaved well before the season starts. Why wait? “Laziness and my wife sort of likes it,” Rhoads joked.