Iowa State 2006 Season | Team Page

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Special Athlon offer for SI.com readers The Lowdown 2007 Schedule Coach: Gene Chizik (First season) 2006 record: 4-8 Big 12 finish: 1-7 (6th North) 2006 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 99th (101.8 ypg) Passing: 44th (216.1 ypg) 2006 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 89th (153.8 ypg) Passing: 101st (238.5 ypg) Date Opponent Aug. 30 Kent State Sept. 8 Northern Iowa Sept. 15 Iowa Sept. 22 at Toledo Sept. 29 at Nebraska Oct. 6 at Texas Tech Oct. 13 Texas Oct. 20 Oklahoma Oct. 27 at Missouri Nov. 3 Kansas State Nov. 10 Colorado Nov. 17 at Kansas Depth Chart: Offense 4 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 1 Todd Blythe Sr. 82 Marquis Hamilton So. WR 32 Milan Moses Sr. 14 Houston Jones So. WR 5 R.J. Sumrall Jr. - Wallace Franklin Jr. LT 75 Doug Dedrick So. 67 Matt Hulbert Fr. LG 73 Reggie Stephens So. 66 Joe Blaes Jr. C 60 Brandon Johnson Jr. 70 Tom Schmeling Jr. RG 70 Tom Schmeling Jr. 77 Alex Alvarez So. RT 76 Lee Tibbs Sr. 67 Matt Hulbert Fr. TE 41 Ben Barkema Sr. 80 Brandon Tinlin Sr. QB 7 Bret Meyer Sr. 4 Austen Arnaud Fr. RB - J.J. Bass Jr. 6 Jason Scales Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 5 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 29 Rashawn Parker So. - Christopher Lyle Jr. NG 71 Athyba Rubin Sr. 62 Nate Frere So. DT - Michael Tate Jr. 93 Bryce Braaksma Sr. DE 47 Kurtis Taylor Jr. - Randy Kellman Fr. SLB 16 Jon Banks Sr. - Michael Bibbs Jr. MLB 10 Adam Carper Jr. 43 Fred Garrin So. WLB 15 Alvin Bowen Sr. 54 Jesse Smith So. CB 11 Chris Singleton Jr. 6 Chris Brown Jr. CB - Allen Bell Jr. 7 Drenard Williams So. SS 21 Caleb Berg Sr. 20 Brandon Hunley Jr. FS 2 James Smith So. - Allen Bell Jr. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. K 37 Bret Culbertson Sr. P 13 Mike Brandtner So. KR 32 Milan Moses Sr. PR 5 R.J. Sumrall Jr. To order your 2007 Athlon Sports annual and receive $1 off plus free shipping courtesy of SI.com, click here.

Gene Chizik had never met Alvin Bowen, but the new Iowa State coach had to like seeing the tattoo forever printed on his star linebacker’s right forearm saying, “Earn your keep.”

Those three words, along with some others like discipline, pain and competition, perfectly reflect the program Chizik is rebuilding in Ames. The first-time head coach will put the best players he finds on the field, whether they’ve been nobodies or All-Big 12 performers.

Every spot on this roster has been earned since Chizik took over for longtime coach Dan McCarney last November. The former Texas and Auburn defensive coordinator pushed his new players’ mental and physical strength to new limits.

Will it help turn around a team that a year ago went 4–8 and won only one Big 12 game? Time will tell, though the pre-dawn workouts and hard-hitting spring practices served as a sign of how far this team must go to reach Chizik’s level of expectation.

“That’s part of being a football player — doing things you don’t want to do knowing that it’s going to make you better,” senior quarterback Bret Meyer says.

OFFENSE

Iowa State thought it had all the pieces in place last year for an explosive offense. But veterans at every position translated to just 18.8 points and 317.8 yards per game, which ranked just 11th and ninth in the Big 12, respectively.

This year, the unit has fewer returners but a new lease on life under a new group of coaches. The nucleus returns with Meyer and receiver Todd Blythe looking to add to their legacies in their final season with the Cyclones. How well they perform will set the stage for the rest of the group.

The offensive line will be breaking in four new starters — which is no small task — and a running game that’s been virtually non-existent the last two years must find a go-to guy between Jason Scales, Jason Harris and junior college transfer J.J. Bass.

A talented but unassuming bunch of receivers has had its moments. Meyer has to find a second or third option he can trust so teams don’t blanket Blythe. Tight end Ben Barkema can be a factor in the passing game, although he is a much better blocker.

DEFENSE

Bowen can and will be a force. That much the Cyclones can count on. The rest of the defense is largely unsettled and unproven against Big 12 competition. Several starters return from last year, although considering how badly the Cyclones performed defensively in ’06 that’s not exactly music to anybody’s ears.

Bowen, who led the nation in tackles per game (12.9) last season, will be asked to help whip them into shape.

“He is a leader of our defense and our team,” defensive coordinator Wayne Bolt said.

Newcomers should play a huge role on this side of the ball — with three junior college linemen expected to join the team — as well as highly regarded linebacker Michael Bibbs and defensive back Allen Bell.

The stop-units of years past that went to bowl games forced turnovers at a rapid rate. ISU’s defense managed only six interceptions last year and scooped up nine fumbles.

On the bright side, linebacker Adam Carper and defensive end Kurtis Taylor are returning from knee surgeries. Carper has started games in each of his first two seasons.

SPECIALISTS

The kicking game is in good hands with senior Bret Culbertson. The former walk-on has connected on 75.7 percent of his field goal tries during his career and seems to have put his haunted past behind him when it comes to pressure kicks. Punter Mike Brandtner will only get better after a solid freshman season in 2006. Milan Moses showed he can be an explosive returner on kickoffs.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Chizik will find out quickly the difference between coaching at ISU as opposed to Auburn and Texas. His team has some good pieces with Meyer, Blythe and Bowen, but not enough talent or experience to do much better than McCarney did (4–8 overall, 1–7 Big 12) in his final season.

Chizik signed a dozen junior college players hoping they could provide immediate help, which is hard to count on. If the ones coming in on the offensive and defensive lines can be difference-makers, it’s possible for the Cyclones to surprise some people.

With the schedule being as difficult as it is — including consecutive games against Nebraska, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri in the middle of the season — Chizik’s postseason debut at Iowa State likely will have to wait another year.