Previewing Iowa State - Ask a Blogger

As part of our continuing coverage of Nebraska's 2008 opponents, we are asking our comrades in blogging to give us the inside skinny on the teams they cover. This week's features center on the Iowa State Cyclones. For all things ISU, I posed my probing questions to the Clone Chronicles – a well run site dedicated to ISU Athletics. Make a point to check them out, if you don't already. Now…on to the five questions.

Expectations and outlook - what do you think the top end is for this team, and what is the basement? Coming off of 3-9, I suspect most fans expect them to be better.
Clone Chronicles - The top end for this team could probably be second place in the division, while the basement would obviously be a winless season. I honestly think 5 wins should be the target for this team. The team that we saw in the last half of last season was much better than the team that played against Nebraska last year in the first half. The coaching staff has us dreaming big, and I would like to think that bowl dreams are not ridiculous. I'd be pumped for any bowl invite that may come our way.

Personnel - You lost the most prolific pass-catch combo in ISU history. There is a quarterback competition going on. Break it down for us. Who is going to step up for this team? Who should fans be watching for in 2008?
CC- The quarterback position should improve with the departure of Bret Meyer. I was discussing it with a former team member, and he said that "after Meyer won the job as a freshman, he was never really pressed again, so the improvement didn't really continue." I tend to agree with that.

Arnaud and Bates will battle for the starting spot. Arnaud is the better passer, Bates, the better creator. I'd say Arnaud has the edge, but expect Bates to get minutes.

Iowa State has the potential to be better at the skills positions. Marquis Hamilton should take over at #1 WR, and while he isn't as flashy as Blythe, he has the potential. My biggest problem with Blythe was that if he knew the ball wasn't coming his way, he'd tend to half-ass the play, including blocking. Marquis, if nothing else, can throw a block.

The runningback position will probably be by committee, but expect Alexander Robinson and JJ Bass to get most of the snaps.

The strength of the Cyclone defense will be in the secondary, notably at cornerback, with big play guys in Chris Singelton and Allen Bell. Also watch for JUCO transfer Kennard Banks to get serious time.

The schedule - ISU had a brutal gauntlet run last year. This year things are more favorable. Which games do you think fans are circling as important "swing" games, or as more important than the others?
CC- Every goddamned one of 'em. There are certainly games that stick out, but we realize that we had 3 EXTREMELY winnable games last year that we dropped against Kent State, UNI and Toledo that kept us from a bowl game. We also stayed step for step with Oklahoma and Missouri.

However, if things start out well (5-1 is not out of the question with South Dakota State, Kent State, Iowa, UNLV, Kansas and Baylor), the Nebraska game will be absolutely huge.

Program - There has been a lot of discussion about the direction of the ISU program in general, with the new AD, ticket policies, logo change, facilities, etc. Can you characterize how all of this is going over with fans and boosters? Do they see these necessary steps to compete in the big-money Big 12, or are they more negative about things?
CC- People are starting to wonder a little bit about the continual rise of ticket prices, but most seem to understand it's what has to be done to compete. The facilities improvements have created a whirlwind of excitement. You're always gonna run into some good old-fashioned Midwestern stubbornness, but I think fans are starting to figure out what they need to do.

The Coach - Dan McCarney had success at ISU and was liked by many. You could see his imprint on that team. How has Gene Chizik gone about putting his stamp on this team in his first year? Can you compare/contrast it to the style of play or attitude under McCarney?
CC- This is Chizik's program through and through. He's created a sense of excitement that hasn't been there in a while. He wants to create a program that other teams don't want to line up against, while remaining upstanding and respectful. Unlike that program to the east, the Clones have pretty much stayed off the police blotter.

It's hard for someone outside of the ISU family to get the sense of excitement that he's created, but listen to the guy speak to his team, or address people in his natural element (i.e. the football field), and you walk away not only 100% sure we hired the right guy, but you sure as heck believe him when he says we can bring a Big 12 Championship to Ames. The masses started to believe in him when he beat Iowa, really bought in when they took Oklahoma to the wire, and were won over with performances against Kansas State and Colorado.

People elsewhere may not know what to think of Chizik, but Cyclone fans absolutely believe we've got someone special.

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That concludes the interview portion of tonight's program, folks. I hope you enjoyed the show. Seriously, check out Clone Chronicles when you want to know what is up with ISU. Do it now. Come on, I know you are reading this at work. Might as well waste a little more of your company's time. Right?