ISU's Mahoney ready to let loose

Swing away.

It's a full-go, let-it-all-hang-time-out attitude Grant Mahoney can enthusiastically roll with.

"Right now Coach (Paul Rhoads) has told me my role is kickoffs and the longer field goals," said Mahoney, a former Linn-Mar standout and senior kicker at Iowa State. "He didn't tell me what the longer ones are."

Mahoney, after four offseason rounds of competition with Zach Guyer, is a backup for PATs and shorter field goals for the first time entering Saturday's 11 a.m. game against Iowa. Guyer, a standout at Johnston before strolling onto the ISU campus along with Mahoney in 2008, is understandably stoked about seeing the field.

His previous action before two made PATs in Saturday's 20-19 win over Northern Iowa?

"I had three kickoffs as a freshman," said Guyer, who roomed with his good friend and competitor Mahoney for a year-and-a-half. "That's it."

Rhoads didn't want to employ the two-kickers-are-better-than-one approach, but Guyer proved most consistent in the offseason, including fall camp, when he wasn't hampered by a groin injury.

"He's the guy," Rhoads said after Saturday's tense win.

Mahoney closed the 2010 season missing nine of his last 10 field goals, but possesses the stronger leg of the duo.

"Coach is looking for consistency," said Mahoney, who ranks in the top six all-time at ISU in seven kicking categories. "Give credit to Zach. He's kicking good balls right now. He earned it."

The kicking game fueled the Cyclones' last win over the Hawkeyes.

Bret Culbertson's five field goals in 2007 accounted for all of ISU's scoring in a 15-13 triumph at Jack Trice Stadium.

"Those are five of the biggest kicks in his career," Guyer said. "So it will be fun."

It's still enjoyable for Mahoney, too - despite the partial demotion.

He remains a dictator of field position and his body of work Saturday included a touchback and two lofty kicks to the goal line that led to average returns.

"I tell everybody kickoffs and punts, it's changing the field," Mahoney said. "It's kind of a forgotten part of the game. I really feel like that last kickoff (which was returned to the 25-yard line), when we had 40 seconds left in the game, if I would have shanked that out of bounds or something, that could have changed the game and (UNI) could have ended up winning."

Guyer said he didn't fully comprehend he'd wrested away the PAT and field goals job until shortly before the season opener.

"(Coach Rhoads) told us, for sure, right before we were getting on the bus to head over to the spirit walk - that I was kicking the field goals and PATs and he was going to be kicking off," Guyer said. "Once we got over here to the spirit walk, it was a good feeling."

Good being the operative word.

For field goals and for friends.

"I really feel like on the deeper field goals, I just let loose," Mahoney said. "Those are a little lower percentage kicks. I feel like I can just be comfortable with those and swing away, whereas the shorter ones, it's like I aim them and I know I shouldn't. Kickoffs, that's just letting the dogs eat. Just getting my leg into it."

NOTES:  Former Kennedy and ISU offensive line standout Ben Lamaak didn't survive the last rounds of cuts with the Oakland Raiders, so returned to Ames to stay fit and assist his former teammates. "Hopefully if that phone rings he's ready to answer it and go," Rhoads said ... Rhoads continues to expect big things from wide receiver Darius Reynolds, who was slowed in fall camp by a broken toe and caught three passes for 27 yards against UNI. "He went into last Saturday's game with hardly any practice time," Rhoads said. "He practiced (last) Thursday and that was it. Hard to get timing, hard to catch the ball in the crowd, hard to do things that's you've got to do at this level without that kind of practice."