Most experts are picking Kansas to finish last in the Big 12 Conference this year, and for good reason. The Jayhawks were terrible last season finishing with an overall 3-9 record. But KU returns a lot of their core players plus a top 40 recruiting class. For that reason the Iowa State Cyclones are picked to finish at the bottom of the conference in this 10-part Ranking the Big 12 series. Iowa State does bring back the majority of their core defensive players, but lose most of their offense.
Iowa State Offense
Quarterbacks
Iowa State has been led by quarterback Austen Arnaud since the 2008 season (splitting time with Phillip Bates, who quit the team near the end of the season). Surprisingly Arnaud was not a popular player among Iowa State fans, even though he was a very good dual threat QB (the second best rusher for the Cyclones behind Alexander Robinson). Arnaud has graduated, leaving the position to junior QB Jerome Tiller. Last season Tiller only completed 39 of 82 passes for 363 yards and one touchdown.
Tiller will be in a position battle with JUCO transfer Steele Jantz (junior). Jantz led the College of San Francisco to an 11-1 record while accounting for a combined 3,676 total yards and 37 touchdowns passing and on the ground.
Running Backs
Last season Iowa State had an abundance of talent with senior Alexander Robinson, and freshmen Shontelle Johnson and Jeff Woody. Robinson was one of the Big 12’s best halfbacks and was able to lead the team with 946 yards rushing and 9 touchdowns despite having to battle through injuries.
Johnson looks to take over the reins for Robinson as the most experienced back (35 carries for 218 yards and two touchdowns). A fan favorite in Ames is Woody (47 carries 191 yards and one touchdown). However, 82 carries combined is not a great deal of experience.
The Cyclones also bring in two freshman that have a chance to play immediately if they impress in camp. DeVondrick Nealy was ranked as the 7th best all-purpose halfback by Rivals. He ran for 2,700+ yards as a high school senior. Fellow freshman Robert Standard was rated as the offensive player of the year in St. Louis by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was ranked as the 11th best prospect in Missouri, as well as the 53rd halfback in the nation. Expect these two to redshirt, but do not be shocked if they are able to get playing time.
Wide Receivers
The Cyclones will have to deal with the loss of their two leading receivers (plus Robinson) in Collin Franklin (54 receptions and 3 touchdowns), and Jake Williams (35 carries 404 and 4 touchdowns). This position is clearly Iowa State’s weakest offensive position. Seniors Darius Danks and Darius Reynolds look to be the starters. Danks is the most experienced receiver (29 catches 355 yards and a touchdown), Reynolds is a speedy receiver and will be the Cyclones’ best deep threat.
Iowa State also brought in some good receiving talent this offseason who have a chance to get on the field this season. The player with the best chance to play early is college is San Fransisco transfer Arron Horne (first team JUCO all-american).
Offensive Line
The offensive line is the strongest part of the Cyclone offense. They return honorable mention all-Big 12 tackle Kelechi Osemele as well as senior right guard Hayworth Hicks and junior right tackle Brayden Burris. Sophomore Ethan Tuftee looks to be the starter at left guard, and JUCO transfer Sam Tautolo looks to start at center. Freshman Tom Farniok was the starter during the Spring, and may yet start during the season.
Iowa State Defense
The Cyclones bring back a solid group of upperclassmen on defense. Ten out of 11 starters are either juniors or seniors, and six of those 10 are returning starters.
Defensive Line
The Cyclones front is very experienced. All eight players who are expected to be in the rotation are either juniors or seniors. The starters look to be senior defensive end Jacob Lattimer, junior defensive end Roosevelt Maggitt, junior tackle Cleon Laing, and the lone returning starter senior nose guard Stephan Ruempolhamer. The main four reserves are senior defensive end Patrick Neal (who is a starter), junior tackle Jake McDonough, junior nose guard Henry Simon, and junior defensive end Rony Nelson. The front four may have a lot of experience, but they need to up their performance. The entire Cyclone team only had 11 combined sacks last season.
Linebackers
The linebacking core is the strongest part of the Cyclone defense. Iowa State is led by junior outside linebackers Jake Knott and A.J. Klein. Both of whom had at least 110 tackles last season (Klein with 111, Knott with 130). These two also led the team in interceptions (Klein with 3, Knott with 4).
Senior Matt Tau’fo’ou looks to be taking over as the starting middle linebacker. The reserves for this unit will be very inexperienced with two freshmen, and a lone sophomore.
Secondary
Iowa State’s secondary lost a star player in safety David Sims. But they do return 2nd team all-Big 12 Leornard Johnson and starter Jeremy Reeves. Ter’Ran Benton will look to replace Sims as he moves from being a linebacker/cornerback. Sophomore Jaques Washington will look to fill the starting spot at free safety.
Special Teams
The Cyclones bring back star sophomore punter Kirby Van Der Kamp. He averaged 45.2 yards per punt, and landed 22 inside the 20 yard line. The kicker, on the other hand, struggled greatly. At one point Grant Mahoney hit seven straight field goals. He ended up 8 for 17 in the season. He will need to make improvements.
Iowa State 2011 Season Predection
Northern Iowa – Iowa State has played Northern Iowa close the last three times they have played. In 2006 ISU beat Northern Iowa 28-27, and then lost to the Panthers in 2007, 13-24. Last season the ‘Clones beat the Panthers 27-0, and should be expected to beat them again this year in a closer game then they would like. Win.
Iowa – ISU hasn’t beaten rival Iowa since a 2007 upset. That season ISU was 17 point underdogs and shocked the Hawkeyes 15-13. The last three meetings, however, have not turned out as well with the Cyclones losing by a combined score of 15-87. Expect another blowout loss even though the game is in Ames. Loss.
@ Connecticut – ISU and UConn have only met once resulting in a 37-20 loss for the Cyclones in Ames. Expect a similar finish with the game being in Connecticut this year. UConn is fresh off of a Big East championship. This was the Huskies fourth consecutive bowl game, and they return 16 starters (9 being on defense). UConn does lose star running back Jordan Toddman (rushed for 1,758 yards last season), but never the less they bring back a talented defense against an inexperienced offense of ISU. Loss.
Texas – Last season ISU shocked the world by beating Texas, granted Texas struggled against everyone last season. Still, it was an impressive road victory. This year the Longhorns come to Ames looking for revenge. With the loss of starters on offense, ISU will get shut down by a tough Texas defense. Texas also will have an improved offense, starring running back Malcolm Brown plus a lot of returning starters. Texas will be much improved and shouldn’t have any problems dismantling Iowa State. Loss.
@ Baylor – Iowa State beat Baylor in their last meeting (24-10 in 2009). That Baylor team, however, did not have Robert Griffin (he suffered an injury previously in the season). This team does have Robert Griffin, and the game is in Waco. Baylor is fresh off a season where they went to a bowl game for the first time since 1994. Baylor returns an explosive and experienced offense, so don’t expect for ISU to keep up on the scoreboard. Loss.
@ Missouri – The Cyclones played Mizzou very tough last year losing only 0-14. That being said, ISU hasn’t beat the Tigers since the 2006 season. Missouri is also a very experienced team. They have made 6 consecutive bowl games, and have 8 offensive starters who are seniors. With this game being in Columbia the Cyclones will have a difficult time being able to pull this one off. Loss.
Texas A&M – The Aggies dismantled Iowa State the last time they met (10-35 loss in 2009). Bad news for ISU is that the Aggies offense is much better now with Travis Tannehill as the quarterback. Expect a blowout loss for ISU. Loss.
@ Texas Tech – If ISU has a chance to pull off an upset, it may be against Tech. Tech loses its two leading receivers, star halfback, and starting quarterback. Still the Red Raiders return a promising back in Eric Stephans, and junior quarterback Seth Doege who has Tech fans raving. Not to mention the last three times these teams have met, ISU has allowed at least 42 points. Tech should win a relatively close game. Loss.
Kansas – KU loses four of its five leading tacklers, but does return star linebacker Steven Johnson and gets Huldon Tharp back who has recovered from an injury that kept him out of the 2010 season. KU returns their starting quarterback, starting halfback, and leading wide receiver. KU was the most inexperienced team in 2010, and it showed as they were by far the worst team in the Big 12. They have experience under their belt now, but still are lacking in talent, but not like ISU. KU has beaten ISU 4 of their previous 5 meetings, with the lone loss being a 28-16 loss last year. ISU has a very good chance to win this, but KU with a more experienced team will win in a very close game. Loss.
Oklahoma State – OSU has one of the best offenses in the country. This is another situation, much like the Baylor game, where ISU will struggle to keep up with the Cowboys’ explosive offense. OSU has beat the Cyclones pretty bad the previous two meetings (59-17 in 2008, 34-8 in 2009) and expect that trend to continue. Loss.
@ Oklahoma – OU beat ISU 52-0 last year, and the Sooners are predicted to win the national title by many experts this year. This game will be a warm-up for the Sooners. Loss.
@ Kansas State – K-State has had ISU’s number the past couple of years. The last win against KSU was in 2007 when ISU beat KSU 32-20. The last two seasons KSU has barely beat ISU (27-20 in 2010, 24-23 in 2009 both at Arrowhead Stadium). This game should be a very important one for K-State as it may or may not determine if they make a bowl game and will have a lot more to play for. This is another game that Iowa State has a chance to win, but as this game is in Manhattan which should be the difference. Loss.
Predicted Finish: 1-11
The Cyclones do have a lot of experience on defense. That being said they were not very productive in 2010, and shouldn’t be expected to be in 2011 either. The offense does have young talent, and will improve throughout the season. That being said they lost a lot of talent, and should will not be better for it. Watch for Shontrelle Johnson to be a breakout player, but with the absence of Alexander Robinson he will be focused on by defenses more and may not have as impressive numbers as last season. The quarterback position will have a drop off, and Arnaud was not very productive last year.
