Iowa State College Football Preview

Second year coach Gene Chizik is attempting to build this program from the ground up. His 3-9 campaign last fall showed as much and this 2008 bunch will have to work though the loss of some quality seniors. Two sophomores are fighting for the right to replace Bret Meyer and his 48 consecutive starts at QB. The best bet for now is local boy Austen Arnaud who has seen some reps and brings quicker feet to the table. The OL broke in four new starters a year ago and returns this season as a solid building block for the offense. The run game has not been proving to be very effective. But returning leading rusher Alexander Robinson and senior Jason Scales, who started five games in '07, give the Cyclones a double option. Chizik is a former defensive coordinator who wants to turn up the heat on this side of the ball. He will have to do it without big DT Athyba Rubin and the two top tacklers on the team in Alvin Bowen and Jon Banks, who were the heart at LB last fall. The pass rush should be fine on the outside with experience at DE, but the middle has some serious questions. The better news is that the secondary should be much improved with all four starters returning from a year where the Big 12 battle tested these junior and senior DBs. This is not anywhere near one of the elite teams in the conference. Iowa State will be seeking a new identity that doesn't bode well for immediate results. Bettering the fifth place finish of a year ago in the North Division is going to be difficult with a new QB and a group of receivers lacking a go-to playmaker.