2002 Statistics

written by Ryan Hockensmith

At quarterback, a bevy of qualified candidates lurk, and they'll have plenty of weapons. Iowa State's top three running backs from a year ago will line up behind whoever wins the job, and the starter will have four veteran wide receivers to snag his passes. The only thing left to figure out is who it'll be. Coach Dan McCarney has a slew of capable options.

Massive junior Cris Love, who at 6'5" and 215 pounds stands seven inches taller and 20 pounds beefier than Wallace, spent the season at No. 2 on the ISU depth chart. But he threw only 10 passes, completing five, and insiders predict he could be as far down as third on the depth chart come August. Coaches love his feel for the game and toughness, but he's a stationary pocket passer, unlike what the entire offense has grown accustomed to with the extraordinarily elusive Wallace. Even if the pocket crumbles, this guy isn't going anywhere quick.

His primary competition will come from junior college transfer Waye Terry and redshirt freshman Austin Flynn. Both are pass/run threats and have a year under their belts watching Wallace and the offense operate - either should be ready for action. Terry, a Foothill College transfer, didn't take a snap during his junior year but racked up 2,659 total yards and 28 passing touchdowns in his sophomore JUCO season.

Flynn, a smallish but athletic redshirt freshman, came out of Texas two years ago as the Lone Star's fifth-best QB prospect. His exceptional vision and instincts under center give him a shot at unseating incumbent Love and veteran challenger Terry.

Whoever wins the quarterback job - and we might not know until deep into August - will have a plethora of weapons. Top rushers Hiawatha Rutland and Michael Wagner, both seniors, combined for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns in Iowa State's traditionally ground-control offense. Redshirt sophomore Brian Thompson comes back, too. But the buzz out of Ames is that 6'2", 210-pound redshirt freshman Stevie Hicks will blow both of their doors off come August.

Hicks was the talk of the town as a scout teamer last year, and McCarney went so far as to call Hicks "special" and mention that he could be the best running back he'd ever coached. High praise from somebody who coached both Troy Davis and Ennis Haywood. Hicks, an All-State Nebraskan prepster, haunted Iowa State's first-team defense. That, plus the Cyclones' ground game not producing a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 1994, made holding Hicks out of the lineup virtually impossible. McCartney will have no such dilemma this year. With Wallace gone and a veteran group of linemen back, look for Hicks (and company) to start a new 1,000-yard rusher streak.

At wideout, former walk-ons Lane Danielsen and Jack Whitver, roommates and best friends, pace a steady band of pass-catchers. Danielsen, who never got a D-1 offer, is sturdier than he looks and explosive off the line of scrimmage (he was an Iowa state champion in the 100 meters to average 17 yards per 2002 catch). He's only the second receiver in ISU history to rack up 1,000 yards receiving in a season, and should duplicate that feat regardless of whom McCartney puts under center.

Likewise with possession guy Whitver. He's good for a similar stat line this year, provided Hicks isn't as good this season as he supposedly will be. Both Danielsen and Whitver are overachieving seniors who've worked for every out-route thrown their way, and should be calming, steady heads in the huddle. Explosive senior Lance Young, who maneuvered his 43 catches into 704 yards (16.4 yards per catch), is a nice third option for a rookie starting quarterback.

On the offensive line, only tight end Kyle Knock and center Zach Butler depart, but that's seven letters lost. Iowa State doesn't utilize its tight ends much (Knock had 11 catches a year ago as the starter), so 6'4", 249-pound junior back-up Kenny Segin should be able to handle his block-first, catch-one-ball-a-game role with ease. Segin should have space to operate with the wideouts stretching defenses and linebackers biting on play-fakes, and tight ends generally become nice fallback options for first-year quarterbacks. Segin ought to be good for 12-15 catches.

The interior line will be tough to handle, especially with a restored running game to balance an attack that gradually drifted toward all-Wallace, all the time. Only Butler's gone, but three-year letterman Matt Bockes, a senior, knows the line calls and should step in with little difficulty. Flanking him will be three seniors and a junior. Two monstrous frosh could push for time, too. Aaron Brant - a 6'7", 295-pound guard/center who runs a 5.2 40-yard-dash and ranked as one of the top 15 interior linemen recruits in the country - should challenge for time after enrolling early in Ames. Despite struggling to rush the ball in 2002 (just five 100-yard games, one by Wallace), there's enough experience and beef (average weight: 297 pounds) to get those third-and-ones. With a rookie quarterback, they'll have to run the ball to have any chance against a schedule that includes Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Texas and Colorado.

WR Lane Danielsen

written by Ryan Hockensmith

Senior defensive end senior Tyson Smith anchors a good but undersized defensive line. Smith racked up 102 tackles and 21 quarterback hurries last year and has the edge push to pester quarterbacks and just enough beef to impact the run-defense.

Defensive MVP Jordan Carstens returns as the backbone of a solid interior line. The defensive tackle is a four-year letterman who gobbles up Gilbert Brown-type masses of trench acreage, yet plays with explosiveness (13 TFLs and 26 quarterback hurries) despite consistent double-teams. He'll see plenty more of those this season, even with linemate Nick Leaders back. Leaders, a precocious 275-pound true sophomore nose guard, picked up five sacks and nine TFLs a year ago. He has to - and will - alleviate some of the pressure on Carstens. This will be essential for the LBs to have a chance (see next paragraph).

The linebacker corps might have even more difficulty holding up against a stout October schedule of Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas and Nebraska. October 2002 was when the defense began to wear down after a start that pushed Iowa State into the Top 10. Likely starters Erik Anderson, Chris Whitaker and Brandon Brown average 224 pounds, which will mean big trouble against the big fronts of the Big 12. All move well side-to-side but simple up-the-gut grinding will be hard to stop, especially if the smallish defensive line doesn't hold up.

Perhaps the strongest suit of the Cyclones defense will be the secondary. Eight of Iowa State's top nine DBs return to an already good pass defense (24th in Div 1-A). But McCarney and staff want more turnovers after notching only 10 INTs, and this group could do it. The starting corners will come from a talented, albeit small, trio of Harold Clewis, Ellis Hobbs and Johnny Smith (5'11"). If they play as well as they did a year ago, that should enable Iowa State to maneuver its defense to provide support for needed run-stopping.

Safeties JaMaine Billups and Marc Timmons, both 5'8", should be able to help the front seven by creeping toward the line of scrimmage. That puts the corners on an island, but the top three have proven capable of handling wide receivers one-on-one and the majority of top teams the Cyclones will face (Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, etc.) aren't exactly known for Fun n' Gun, downfield passing attacks.

SS JaMaine Billups