2013 Iowa State Spring Football Analysis

2013 Iowa State Cyclones ... Head Coach: Paul Rhodes

Iowa State Cyclones

2012 Record: 3-0

Sep. 1 Tulsa W 38-23
Sep. 8 at Iowa W 9-6
Sep. 15 Western Illinois W 37-3
Sep. 22 OPEN DATE
Sep. 29 Texas Tech
Oct. 6 at TCU
Oct. 13 Kansas State
Oct. 20 at Oklahoma St
Oct. 27 Baylor
Nov. 3 Oklahoma
Nov. 10 at Texas
Nov. 17 at Kansas
Nov. 24 West Virginia

2013 Schedule
8/31 Northern Iowa
9/7 OPEN DATE
9/14 Iowa
9/21 at Tulsa
9/28 OPEN DATE
10/5 Texas
10/12 at Texas Tech
10/19 at Baylor
10/26 Oklahoma State
11/2 at Kansas State
11/9 TCU
11/16 at Oklahoma
11/23 Kansas
11/30 at West Virginia

Why To Be Excited The offense might not have exploded or kept up the pace with most Big 12 powerhouses, but the potential is there to be more effective thanks to a good line that loses tackle Carter Bykowski but gets everyone else back. The quarterback situation should be settled with Sam B. Richardson the face of the franchise after Jared Barnett transferred, and now it’s about maximizing his potential. A baller, he ran for 119 yards against West Virginia and threw three touchdown passes, and he finished up the year as the main man for the final three games throwing for eight scores with just one pick. However …

Why To Be Grouchy Most of Richardson’s top targets are gone including leading receiver Josh Lenz, Chris Young and Aaron Horne. The passing game wasn’t exactly efficient, and it might take a little while before it can find the pop needed to keep up with some of the league’s better offenses. The defense that did next to nothing to get into the backfield on a regular basis loses three starters on the front line including tackle Cleyon Laing and end Roosevelt Maggitt. The back seven has the near impossibility of coming up with fill-ins for the injured Jake Knott and all-around playmaking linebacker A.J. Klein.

What Needs Working On The secondary. If the offense isn’t going to hang 40 points on the board and crank out 500 yards a game, the defense has to occasionally be a rock to have any hope of doing anything in the Big 12. The Cyclone pass defense didn’t get beaten deep on a regular basis, but it gave up way too many yards and occasionally got dinked and dunked on to death. Corner Jeremy Teeves and safety Durrell Givens are gone, and now the spotlight will be on this spring to see if Deon Broomfield can rise up as either a strong safety or in a corner role. Jansen Watson should be set at one corner and Jacques Washington is a good free safety, but Cliff Stokes and Sam Richardson have to show that they’ll not only be ready to play, but can improve the situation.

Non-Conference Games: Northern Iowa, Iowa, at Tulsa
Realistic Best Case Record: 7-5
Worst Case Record: 2-10
Likely Finish: 4-8

Pre-Preseason Projected Wins: Northern Iowa, Iowa, at Tulsa, Kansas

Pre-Preseason Projected Losses: Texas, at Texas Tech, at Baylor, Oklahoma State, at Kansas State, TCU, at Oklahoma, at West Virginia

Schedule Analysis: Basically, as always for the Cyclones, it’s going to take a few out-of-the-blue upsets to go bowling. It’s a strangely planned out slate with two weeks off in September and none the rest of the way. The Cyclones open up with the always-feisty in-state game against Northern Iowa before getting a week off to get ready for Iowa and a trip to Tulsa. But just when teams begin to hit their stride, all of a sudden, there’s another bye week before starting Big 12 play against Texas.

As if starting out against the Longhorns wasn’t bad enough, ISU has to go on the road three times in the next four weeks going to Texas Tech and Baylor before hosting Oklahoma State and going to Kansas State. It’s not like things ease up with TCU to follow before going to Oklahoma. Finally, there seems to be a bit of a break getting Kansas in Jack Trice, but the year finishes up at West Virginia.

Team Concerns For 2013: The Cyclones have to find more pop on offense. The attack was able to come up big against some of the weaker defenses, but it didn't do enough on a consistent basis to make much noise in the second half of the season. The quarterback play has to be more efficient and more effective. The defense has to find a way to get into someone's backfield after finishing 112th in the nation in sacks and 103rd in tackles for loss. With just five starters returning, there are plenty of openings, especially on the line. The kickoff return game was the worst in the Big 12 and needs more out of Jarvis West..

The 2013 Class Is Heavy On ... Offensive linemen. The Cyclones need more firepower to keep up with the Big 12 powerhouses, and they went hard after quarterbacks bringing in three options in Joel Lanning, Trevor Hodge and Alton Meeks. The line is getting the big reinforcements with tackle Jake Campos the star of the clas, and Shawn Curtis out of Orlando a decent prospect who just needs a little time in the weight room. JUCO tackle Rodney Coe and prepster J.D. Waggoner add talent to the defensive front.

2012 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 74. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receivers. Iowa State will never get the four and five-star prospects the other Big 12 teams bring in, so it’s all about strength in numbers. The Cyclones will sign several receivers to try to improve an always-mediocre passing game, while the defense will concentrate mostly on the line. The last few classes have been working on the skill players, and soon it all has to start paying off. It might take one more year, though. 

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 70. That Class Was Heavy On ... Skill players. Apparently, head coach Paul Rhoads is looking to branch out and looking for more options to play around with. Three quarterbacks were brought in with an eye both to 2011, with JUCO transfer Steele Jantz, and to the future with Jaquarius Daniels and Sam Richardson getting time to groom. JUCO transfer tight end Ernst Brun will be a part of the offense right away, while the hope will be for at least one new receiver, probably Quenton Bundrage or Tad Ecby, to be ready. Running backs DeVondrick Nealy and Rob Standard fit the Cyclone mold.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 71. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. After going after wide receivers last year, second-year head coach Paul Rhoads made sure the defensive shelves were stocked bringing in six key prospects including JUCO transfer Anthony Young, who might be penciled in at one corner spot, and JUCO safety Durrell Evans. For the offense, Shontrelle Johnson leads a good-looking group of running backs and JUCO transfers Chris Young and Albert Gary will be counted on in the receiving corps.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 73. That Class Was Heavy On ... receivers. New head coach Paul Rhoads might be a defensive coach by nature, but he and his staff went after offense with the passing game getting the most help. Running backs James White and Beau Blankenship will be a major part of the attack soon, but the goal is to get the new receivers into the mix as soon as possible. Five wide receivers and tight end Willie Scott were added, with Donnie Jennert the best prospect with 6-6 size and good speed, while JUCO transfer Josh Bellamy has field-stretching wheels.