Game week has finally arrived for Iowa State

AMES - The wait is over.

Finally, it's game week.

Iowa State opens its season Thursday night against Northern Illinois at Jack Trice Stadium as a three-point favorite over the Huskies, who are expected to contend for the Mid-American Conference title.

The Cyclones - 22-4 all-time against MAC teams - began normal gamelike preparation Sunday.

Coaches and players have been encouraged by what they've seen since practice began earlier this month. Paul Rhoads has instilled a real sense of pride in his guys, different from what most of them have experienced.

“We are light years ahead of where we were when I first got here,” said left tackle Kelechi Osemele. “People are completely committed to the program compared to how they were. Part of that is maturing. Another part is a tradition developing when new players come in.”

The coaching staff has spent the last several weeks fine-tuning its depth chart, which will be released today.

The punting job still is up for grabs.

It'll either be former walk-on Daniel Kuehl or left-footed true freshman Kirby Van Der Kamp. Rhoads wasn't ready to name a starter when asked last week.

“It's competitive right now,” Rhoads said. “Dan Kuehl ... is punting with a lot more consistency. We've got an even race.”

The Cyclones know it'll be senior Zac Sandvig filling in for safety David Sims, who is serving out his suspension for unauthorized use of a credit card.

Sandvig will provide depth throughout the year for Sims and free safety Mike O'Connell.

“I expect Zac to have a big role for us,” said defensive backs coach Bobby Elliott. “He plays both safety positions for us. He's a very, very smart player. He can anticipate and knows what to do all the time.”

Depth at tailback still is in flux after senior star Alexander Robinson.

Red-shirt freshmen Jeff Woody and James White along with true freshmen Shontrelle Johnson and Duran “Duck” Hollis are the contenders to back him up. Rhoads and his offensive coaches are trying to determine if Johnson or Hollis should red-shirt.

“I want to do some special teams,” Johnson said. “Hopefully kick return. I'm not really big on punt returns. I'll leave that to the other guys.”

Health has been good throughout training camp.

Rhoads has not mentioned any of ISU's key players missing significant time due to injury.

“It's luck and it's a credit to their summer training methods,” he said. “You can tell when kids don't train like they need to. Our kids are very strong. That's a big factor in it. Hopefully it stays that way.”