Iowa State 2009 Football Predictions
Written June 23, 2009 by InfoPlays
Scoring points wasn’t a problem last season for the Iowa State Cyclones, and it shouldn’t be a big concern for Paul Rhoads in his first year as head coach. Rhoads was a former Pittsburgh and Auburn defensive coordinator, and also a position coach at ISU from 1995 to ‘99, and he’s not going to stand for a repeat effort from a defense that was one of the worst in college football. This could be the season for the Cyclones to make a move with a reasonable schedule, considering the next two years the rotation of the Big 12 South teams on the schedule has them facing Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech. ISU has talent on offense, led by QB Austen Arnaud. If they can gain some confidence in the non-conference games early, there might be hope for a .500 season. College football lines show the Cyclones listed at +7500 to win the Big 12 Title, far and away the biggest underdog to accomplish this feat.
Offense: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That’s what Iowa State did last season in joining the growing number of teams operating spread offenses. The Cyclones and new coordinator Tom Herman has a lot of reasons to believe they can be good at it, starting with junior quarterback Austen Arnaud. He’ll be in the shotgun throwing to receivers like Darius Darks and Sedrick Johnson, each of whom showed promise as true freshmen last season.
Veteran receivers Marquis Hamilton and Houston Jones are solid, and tight end Collin Franklin has the ability to create match-up problems on the outside with his size and quickness. Tailback Alexander Robinson is the best of a three-man rotation in the backfield. The offensive line isn’t one of the better units in the league, but they finally have some experience. Most important is solidifying the left tackle spot, which is where veteran Ben Lamaak might ultimately end up.
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Defense: A leaky defense was the biggest reason the Cyclones won just two games and went winless in Big 12 play last season. The new coaching staff has been big on re-teaching basic, fundamental principles, with tackling at the forefront. ISU ranked 112th out of 119 teams in total defense, giving up 452.8 yards/game. There are holes to fill on the line and at linebacker, and the secondary has to get a lot better.
Nose guard Nate Frere, middle linebacker Jesse Smith and safety James Smith are the veterans of this unit. They’ll need to lead by example in their seniors seasons and have some youngsters follow. Cornerback Leonard Johnsona nd Ter’ran Benton started as freshmen and should be improved. Newcomers such as linebacker Matt Taufoou and lineman Jake McDonough must hit the ground running. Strong safety David Sims joined the team in the spring and figures to be one of the incoming players who sees the field a lot.
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ISU has done pretty damn good so far this year compared to what most critics and some fans have harshly said about this seasons outlook. Their offense has greatly improved with the faster pace (no-or little of it) huddle offense. Lead the big 12 in rushing. Only allowed 3 sacks so far this season going into week 8. Even the defense has shown a great improvement compared to the last two seasons. ISU now 4-3 with dang good chance of beating Nebraska on Saturday.
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