Blackshirts to hold Cyclones to 28 points

Nebraska opens Big 12 Conference play Saturday at Memorial Stadium against the Iowa State Cyclones.

The Huskers will look for redemption after a less than inspiring 41-40 win over Ball State. The game will not be televised and is set for a 1:05 p.m. kickoff. The all-time series belongs to the Big Red 83-16-2.

The 3-1 Huskers meet the 1-3 Cyclones in a game that is critical for both teams. Gene Chizik is the first year coach of the Cyclones. Chizik had a solid run as an assistant coach, including a stop as defensive coordinator of the Texas Longhorns.

Iowa State is coming off a one-point loss at Toledo last week after losing an 11-point lead in the final minutes. The Cyclones do own a 15-13 victory over their traditional rival, the University of Iowa.

That one victory may be enough to endear Chizik in the hearts of ISU fans in his first season.

Iowa State is not a team without talent. Leading the way is quarterback Bret Meyer (6-foot-3, 211 pounds, Senior). Meyer has skills both running and throwing the football. Meyer is 86 of 128 (67.2 percent) throwing the ball for 811 yards (202.8 yards per game) with four touchdowns and five interceptions. Meyer also is the Cyclones' second leading rusher, averaging 41.8 yards per game on the ground. That combination is much like what the Blackshirts saw from Nate Davis of Ball State a week ago. Meyer will not make the same key mistake that Davis did when Bo Ruud got the key interception in the fourth quarter last week.

Junior running back J.J. Bass (6-1, 206) paces the ground attack of Iowa State. Bass has 96 carries for 404 yards (97.5 yards per game) with four touchdowns. After Meyer, no other Cyclone has over 82 rushing yards for the season. Bass must be kept in check for Nebraska to be effective in this game.

The receivers are the best part of the Cyclone offense. Wideout R.J. Sumrall (6-1, 203, Jr.) leads the team with 22 catches for 221 yards, an average of 55.2 yards per game.

The home run hitter in the Cyclone air attack is Todd Blythe (6-5, 214, Sr.). He has over 2,500 receiving yards in his career. His 28 touchdown catches ranks fifth in the history of the Big 12. Blythe has the size to be a tough matchup for the Husker secondary.

Tight end Ben Barkema (6-3, 252, Sr.) also can be a big target for Meyer in the ISU passing attack.

The Cyclone offensive line has no seniors. The most veteran member up front is junior Tom Schmeling (6-3, 293) with only 12 career starts. From tackle to tackle, the Cyclones average nearly 6-4 and 301 pounds. This is not an overly impressive group.

The future star up front is right tackle Ben Lamaack (6-4, 306, Fr.). He has started all four games this season after coming to Ames as a 240-pound tight end.

Defensively, the Cyclones line up in a 4-3 look. Up front the key man is nose guard Athyba Rubin (6-3, 320, Sr.). Rubin has to be the main run stopper at the point of attack. Defensive end Kurtis Taylor (6-2, 257, Jr.) is coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss last season. So far he has 14 tackles in 2007 and leads the Cyclones with three sacks.

The best player on the Cyclone defense is weakside linebacker Alvin Bowen (6-2, 218, Sr.). “Ace,” as he is known, led the nation in 2006 with 12.9 tackles per game. Middle linebacker Jesse Smith (6-0, 235, So.) must play well for Iowa State to keep the Husker offense off the field. He is fourth on the team with 26 tackles.

The secondary only has allowed 164 yards passing per game this season. The key man in the defensive backfield for Iowa State is free safety James Smith (5-8, 192, So.). Smith is undersized, but he is second on the team with 30 stops in 2007. Left corner Allen Bell (6-2, 189, So.) is the only Iowa State defensive back with any size to match the Husker receivers.

Iowa State lost the game last week at Toledo because of poor play in the final minutes on special teams. Kicker Bret Culbertson (6-6, 185, Sr.) had five field goals to win the Iowa game, but has been inconsistent over his career. Punter Mike Brandtner (6-1, 208, So.) averages 39.7 yards on 16 punts. The Cyclones have been hurt on kick and punt returns as they have yet to develop a serious threat in the return game.

Nebraska got hit in the mouth the last two weeks. USC knocked them out, while the got off the canvas to win a split decision over Ball State.

The Huskers need to run the ball well for four quarters and keep the defense rested as much as possible.

I believe the Huskers will circle the wagons for a 45-28 win over Iowa State.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers' opposition from a “hometown” perspective every Thursday throughout the season.