Summer gridiron report: Iowa St. looks to escape cellar

By Staff     Jun 5, 2009

After two uninspiring seasons of going 2-14 in Big 12 Conference play and finishing no higher than second-to-last in the North, Gene Chizik left his post as head coach at Iowa State and took the head coaching job offered by Auburn.

It was a curious move at the end of last season by the Tigers, who hired Chizik shortly after he completed an 0-8 conference campaign in the Big 12. The Cyclones coincidentally turned to Paul Rhoads, who was the defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2008, to lead the program out of the cellar.

Rhoads is a popular figure in Ames. He grew up in Ankeny, located only 20 miles from Jack Trice Stadium. At ISU’s recent Cyclone Tailgate Tour, he mingled with fans and spoke with a sense of pride about the university and the football team that reportedly wasn’t seen as much in the Chizik era.

What’s more is that Rhoads worked as an assistant coach at Iowa State from 1996 to 1999 under coach Dan McCarney, who was let go at ISU after the 2006 season, much to the dismay of many Cyclones fans. McCarney is the winningest coach in ISU history and brought a level of respectability to the program with five bowl games in six years from 2000 to 2005. Something tells me McCarney’s doing just fine at his current gig as defensive line coach at Florida. But Rhoads is from the McCarney school of thought. This has to be a welcome sign to nearly all Cyclone backers.

Thanks for stopping by for the third blog entry from Conference Chatter’s summer gridiron report. For reference, here’s a schedule of when each Big 12 team was/will be featured:

Big 12 North

Big 12 South

Let’s keep it rollin’ with Iowa State, which finished the 2008 season as the Big 12 doormat at 2-10 overall (0-8 conference).

Biggest question mark: The defense. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The ISU defense struggled mightily in 2008. The Cyclones ranked toward the bottom of the Big 12 in almost every statistical category. On the national scale, Iowa State was 116th in pass defense — not exactly the best formula in the modern era of Big 12 pyrotechnic displays on offense.

It should be somewhat comforting to Cyclones fans that Rhoads’ Auburn defense was 14th in scoring D last year with an average of only 18 points given up per game. The true test for Rhoads: Can he take slower and lesser-talented personnel and turn the defense around?

Biggest strength: Quarterback. Austen Arnaud proved last year he could engineer an offense that put up points. The Cyclones were 31st nationally with 248.42 passing yards per game. Only problem: That was just ninth in the Big 12. Arnaud lacks the playmakers to benefit from his presence in the pocket. Receiver R.J. Sumrall caught seven TD passes, but he exhausted his eligibility. Other than Sumrall, no Cyclone caught more than three TD passes last season.

http://worldonline.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/blogs/entry_img/2009/Jun/05/ku_fbc_isu_19.jpg
Nick Krug/Journal-World File Photo

Quarterback is a deep position for ISU, though. Redshirt freshman Robert Tiller impressed in ISU’s spring game with his pass-run versatility. The Houston native will challenge for the starting spot, but the position should be won by Arnaud. The Cyclones should still have a nice back-up option.

Breakthrough player: Junior running back Alexander Robinson. On a team that lacks big-play threats, Robinson is probably the closest home-run option out there. Working in Alexander’s favor is the offensive scheme getting a makeover. Rhoads hired former Rice offensive coordinator Tom Herman for the same position in Ames. Rice was fifth in the nation in passing offense last year and Herman is expected to install his no-huddle, spread attack immediately. As a result, Robinson should become more of a dual rushing-receiving threat. He should definitely add to his 863 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns from last year.

Coaching stability: Here’s guessing it’s strong. It didn’t seem to me like Chizik was on a scorching hot seat in Ames despite an 0-8 conference record last season. Rhoads should have time to build a program and rejuvenate a depleted defense.

ISU’s schedule

Fearless forecast: 6th in Big 12 North.

No Texas-Oklahoma-Texas Tech gauntlet, but it’s still too early in Ames. Rhoads needs time.

As always, discuss.

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