2-Minute Drill: Iowa State Cyclones

IOWA RUSH OFFENSE VS. IOWA STATE RUSH DEFENSE

Defensively is where Iowa State appears to have made the most improvement through the offseason. The integration of junior college players at every level of the defense helped in the first game, especially in the front seven.

Along the defensive line, senior DE Dale Pierson (6-2, 249) had three sacks and a pick against UNI and Trent Taylor (6-2, 267) will be back at defensive end after serving a one-game suspension for a policy violation. Noseguard Demond Tucker (6-0, 296), one of the most highly recruited juco D-linemen in the country last year, is big and athletic up front. Middle linebacker Jordan Harris (6-0, 233) and strongside/nickel linebacker Jay Jones (6-3, 209) are new starters, but led the Cyclones with nine tackles apiece last week.

In their victory over Northern Iowa, the Cyclones used a 3-4 front, taking advantage of quick and speedy players to cover the Panthers' up-tempo offense. ISU coach Paul Rhoads is backing off that this week (it's ISU's base defense this season) and, said Monday, he planned to go to a 4-3 to knuckle up against Iowa's zone running game.

'You're not going to survive in a three-man front against that offense,” Rhoads said. 'So you'll see both varieties on Saturday. The three-man stuff you'll see matched up when necessary, whether it be down and distance or personnel situations. The same will be true for the four-man front.”

In week one, the Hawkeyes offense produced a 100-yard rusher (did that just three times last year) and rushed for more than 200 yards (just four times last year). If you watched closely, you noticed a slight uptick in O-line pulls, taking advantage of center Austin Blythe's quickness and getting more bodies to the edge in a different way. You also may have noticed only one rush went for negative yards.

Junior LeShun Daniels rushed for 123 yards in his first career start. Senior Jordan Canzeri had 118 all-purpose yards. That's pretty much a perfect blend for Iowa.

This comes down to Iowa's run game coordination vs. an Iowa State defense reshaped by more than a half dozen junior college transfers.

Advantage: Iowa

IOWA PASS OFFENSE VS. IOWA STATE PASS DEFENSE

The secondary is the strength of the Iowa State defense. Free safety Kamari Cotton-Moya (6-1, 197) had eight tackles and two tackles for loss against Northern Iowa. As a redshirt freshman last season, Cotton-Moya led ISU with 77 tackles.

Cornerbacks Nigel Tribune (5-11, 184) and Sam E. Richardson (5-8, 182) lack protypical size, but are veteran performers who've earned some stripes. Tribune had 13 pass breakups (sixth nationally) and three interceptions while earning second-team all-Big 12 honors last season. Richardson led the Cyclones with four interceptions last season.

Rhoads said the 3-4 won't be completely wiped out of the playcalls against a power-run Big Ten team. You'll see it in passing situations Saturday (the ISU staff brought it in to combat pass-happy Big 12 offenses). When ISU does go with four LBs they are Harris, Jones, Levi Peters and Kane Seeley (6-2, 239). Harris and Seeley are middle linebackers, so, theoretically, this formation might be able to hold up against a rugged running game and on pass downs.

Your one big question for Iowa's offense last weekend was where was the deep passing game? They simply didn't need it. The running game worked at 4.8 yards a carry on 44 carries.

It wasn't a tweak, but Iowa's short passing game and perimeter work overall (outside zone rushing plays) worked better than they did at any point last season. One cog in that was the bubble screen. QB C.J. Beathard hit wide receiver Matt VandeBerg on a pair of bubble screens, one of which went 9 yards for a TD in the second half.

Were the throws to Canzeri a departure and will they be lost in the wind or will the 5-9, 192-pounder be used in space, where he has a chance to use his quickness? Canzeri had 118 all-purpose yards (third best in his career), including 90 receiving on four catches. This seems as if it should be more of a thing.

Tight end George Kittle, who had one of the better camp performances, suffered a knee injury last week and will be a game-time decision Saturday.

Advantage: Push

IOWA STATE RUSH OFFENSE VS. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE

The offensive line was without Daniel Burton (starting right guard) with a knee injury, but Rhoads said there is a possibility he will return against Iowa to bolster what appears to be an improved line, with four returning starters and the new guy, left guard Wendell Taiese, weighing in at 350 pounds.

Running back Tyler Brown (known for breakaway speed) started well with four carries for 50 yards, but was a little banged up, although he is expected to play. He gained 68 yards on 11 carries last week.

The Cyclones running game wasn't great last week and that's putting it mildly. ISU rushed for just 98 yards, with the total being adjusted for sacks and a team loss. ISU averaged just 2.4 yards a carry, so its running game wasn't even fitful. It was a non-starter.

On paper, in the eye test and pretty much reality world, you have to think Iowa's front seven has a leg or two or dozen up on UNI's. In their first career starts, defensive tackles Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata were active. Johnson was particularly dominant with near constant penetration in the middle of Illinois State's offense.

Iowa's perimeter defense was this good last week: If you count sack yardage (and the NCAA does), Illinois State quarterback Tre Roberson rushed for minus-12 yards. Iowa kicker Marshall Koehn rushed for 8 yards on a failed field goal attempt. So yes, Koehn outrushed Roberson.

Iowa threw defensive ends at the read option and forced Roberson to keep the ball and then deal with a linebacker and a safety coming downhill over the top. Iowa will face teams with better O-lines who'll execute the read option better, but one week in, the perimeter defense seemed much sharper.

Advantage: Iowa

IOWA STATE PASS OFFENSE VS. IOWA PASS DEFENSE

Iowa State's wide receivers are the strength of the offense with Quenton Bundrage (6-2, 198), Allen Lazard (6-5, 223) and D'Vario Montgomery (6-6, 213) at the forefront, but Dondre Daley (6-2, 191) showed up against UNI with four catches for 70 yards and a score.

Lazard is a WR everyone wanted, including Notre Dame and Iowa, and he has a chance to be a generational talent for the Cyclones. As a true freshman last season, Lazard finished second on the team in receptions (45) and receiving yards (593). Against UNI, he had four catches for 43 yards and a TD and returned four punts for 100 total yards.

Last week, quarterback Sam Richardson looked a bit uncomfortable in the first half, but was consistent in the second half and went 6-for-6 for 96 yards and 2 touchdowns in the third quarter.

In his career against Iowa, Richardson has a 1-1 record, directing a 20-17 victory at Kinnick Stadium last year, and has completed 47 of 75 (63 percent) for 515 yards and five TDs with two interceptions. To win last season's Cy-Hawk, Richardson orchestrated an 11-play, 51-yard drive that was capped off by a game-winning field goal by Cole Netten with 2 seconds remaining.

Richardson, a highly accurate passer (72.4 percent last week) knows his way around the Hawkeyes and he has the best receivers he's had to work with during his time at Iowa State.

Iowa will counter with experienced corners Desmond King and Greg Mabin. Illinois State didn't throw King's way last week. Mabin broke up a pair of passes.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz talked about 'rerouting” Iowa State receivers, a fundamental and essential for Iowa here. This is where you might see linebackers in the slot, getting hands on receivers, knocking them off route and passing them along to a corner or safety.

Iowa's best punch here might be pass rush. You saw defensive end Drew Ott last week. He picked up two of Iowa's five sacks and at least two QB hurries. Richardson doesn't hold on to the ball very long, however, and so pressure likely won't come in the form of a sack, but rather forcing Richardson to move his feet and reset.

Advantage: Iowa State

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Cole Netten missed two field goals (38 and 41 yards) but made a 24-yarder against UNI. He made 11 in a row to start the season a year ago and hit the game-winner in Iowa City. Punter Colin Downing punted five times for 200 yards and a long of 57 against the Panthers. He came on strong at the end of fall camp to retain the starting job. Holden Kramer is used for pooch punts.

Lazard was a force in punt returns last week with four for 100 yards. He was helped by line-drive punts, but given time, he can use his size to work through contact. As if Lazard wasn't enough, Trever Ryen, the other punt returner, took a kick 81 yards for a touchdown.

Iowa punter Dillon Kidd showed a strong leg (47.0 yards on two punts), but one of those punts was the kind of line drive that Lazard will salivate over and both of his punts went into the end zone for touchbacks. Not a big deal last week, no. This week, it might be everything. By the way, those touchbacks chopped Iowa's net punting to 27.0 yards, which is No. 116 in the country. Iowa doesn't appear to be out of the woods at punter.

Advantage: Push

INTANGIBLES

1. Maybe No. 1 on Iowa fan list of grievances

- At the end of 2014, you watched the Hawkeyes go through a whupping at the hands of Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Your forgot about the 45-28 defeat before you turned off the TV. What stung you more than anything about the relative malaise that was '14 was the 0-for-4 in trophy games. Iowa plays four of these. You can argue that it's too many, but the die has been cast. Besides, you want the Hawkeyes to beat your neighbors Iowa State (Cy-Hawk Trophy), Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale), Wisconsin (Heartland) and Nebraska (Heroes). You really want this. About 10,000 of you sent athletics director Gary Barta emails after Iowa crumbled in overtime last season against Nebraska reminding him how much you want this.

2. Stone-cold reality for Rhoads

- Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads is a good fit in Ames. Born in Nevada and raised in Ankeny, he's 'of” the area. This is his seventh year at ISU as head coach and 12th overall (1995-99 he was an assistant in Ames). Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard rewarded Rhoads with a 10-year, $20 million contract in 2011. Jack Trice Stadium had the south end zone finished and bowled in this offseason. In last week's opener, Trice sold out with a record crowd of 61,500.

Where is all this going? Rhoads will eventually have to win more than he has. He's led the Cyclones to one winning record and that was 7-6 in 2009. Last season was the nadir, bottoming out at 2-10.

Does beating Iowa keep the wolves off the doorstep? No. Beating Iowa isn't the golden moment it once was for ISU (and that's a good thing for ISU). Iowa State has won three of the last four in this series.

The closer the Cyclones get to six wins, the better for all of Cyclone nation. Iowa is a winnable this year and one step closer to that six.

3. Defending home field, keeping the Cy-Hawk

- You likely will never see ESPN's College GameDay in Ames or Iowa City for this game, but the Cy-Hawk is a competitive little cuss of a rivalry. Since 2004, the trophy has changed hands eight times in 11 years. So, both teams have had troubles hanging on to the thing. Another weird stat, the road team has won this game in each of the last three seasons, with two of those victories by ISU in Kinnick. So ... pressure on Iowa State? Can the Cyclones hang on to this 100-pound hot potato? Can the Cyclones snap the home-team losing streak?

IOWA WILL WIN IF

... The Hawkeyes need to hold down big plays out of Iowa State's passing game. In the last two years, ISU has cranked out seven 20-plus yard plays against Iowa. When those started showing with last year's defense, that was the beginning of the end. In his first start in a hostile environment, Beathard will have to be super careful with the ball. Points off turnovers are a crusher for a team starting a new QB on the road in a trophy game.

IOWA STATE WILL WIN IF

... The defense, boosted by an infusion of junior college athletes, plays a solid team concept and doesn't let Iowa get anything easily. The Cyclones played nine juco transfers against the Panthers last week. This is a Big Ten offense, so you have to expect a learning curve. ISU has a different grade of athlete - bigger, faster, quicker - on defense this season, but it has to keep assignments in mind.

PREDICTION

: Iowa 27, Iowa State 20

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com