A good, long look at … Iowa State

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | 10:45 p.m.

Each Friday during the 2008 season, the Sun will take an in-depth look at the Rebels' upcoming weekend foe, giving you a crash course on what you need to know, plus what you might not have known already.

A good, long look at ... Iowa State (Saturday, 6 p.m. PST, The Mtn.)

The rep ... It's hard to say just what Iowa State's identity is. Gene Chizik, a coach with a defense-heavy resumé, has fielded relatively balanced teams at ISU so far in his two seasons at the helm. It's hard to say whether not having a clear-cut No. 1 quarterback this season is helping or hurting the Cyclones, though. There's an old saying that preaches that if you say you have a two-quarterback system, it means you really don't have a quarterback at all. Sophomores Austen Arnaud and Phillip Bates are both of the athletic mold, and both should see time on the field Saturday. Of the 80 pass attempts ISU has under its belt, Arnaud has 60 of them. Though Bates leads the Cyclones in rushing yards with 140 on 20 attempts. Whoever's throwing the ball has one sure thing on the perimeter in R.J. Sumrall, who has 185 yards and a pair of scores this year, and is one of the Big 12's finest pass catchers. Despite the whole team identity thing, one thing is for sure, though, and that's that under Chizik, Iowa State is not a successful road team. In that span, the 'Clones are 0-6.

Last week ... Don't let last week's 17-5 snoozer at Iowa fool you - Iowa State, like most of the Big 12, can provide some fireworks on offense. It might not be what you'd expect from a team under a second-year coach who was the defensive coordinator for national champion Texas in his previous sideline gig. The Cyclones beat up on a pair of weaklings in the season's first two weeks (South Dakota State and Kent State), but took a step back offensively against Iowa. Despite moving the ball relatively well, the Cyclones' two-headed quarterback of Arnaud and Bates threw a combined three picks, and ISU backs totaled just 73 yards on 27 carries. Where Iowa did its work was on the ground, hammering out 122 yards. The Cyclones have to be hoping the hangover which plagued them a year ago coming off of an emotional showdown with Iowa (a 15-13 win in Ames) doesn't come back. Following that win, they lost six straight en route to a 3-9 finish.

The significance of this week ... For UNLV, it can be summed up in one word: Capitalization. Mike Sanford hasn't stopped stressing that his team just failed to capitalize on a benchmark win a year ago, when it knocked off Utah 27-0 at home in Week Four. After that came eight straight losses. Now the Rebels get a shot at redemption with the Cyclones, who are not only beatable, but bring a bit of history with them to the desert. It was two years ago when a controversial finish gave ISU a 16-10 victory over UNLV in Ames. Sanford claimed an injustice in the fact that the referees didn't seem to want to review the game's final play, a pass to the end zone which could have tied things up as time expired. Several names and faces have changed on both sides since then, but the Cyclones are facing a good amount of Rebel veterans who still burn over it and want some payback.

For ISU, this game can be seen as a golden opportunity. First, they can slough off the road woes they've had under Chizik, but also it's a winnable game with the Big 12 schedule set to begin next weekend with a home date against nationally-ranked Kansas. ISU avoids Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech on its league schedule this year, so grabbing as many wins as possible before the rotation resets in two years is key for a program on the rebound.

Why Iowa State can beat UNLV ... In all honesty, until UNLV proves otherwise, Iowa State has history on its side. The collapse last season by the Rebels following the Utah win won't be forgotten by anyone until Sanford's team proves that this time it's different, coming off of a 23-20 overtime thriller of a win at Arizona State.

Despite being 2-1, the Rebels haven't scored more than 27 points in a game this season. Even though the opponents were a bit suspect, ISU totaled 92 points in its first two games. If the Cyclones can draw the Rebels into a shootout early on, it could put UNLV into a scenario they're not quite ready for.

Plus, quarterbacks who can run have given the Rebels fits so far this year. And ISU has a pair of them. In the opener against Utah State, Diondre Borel came in for the Aggies and ran for 70 yards and threw for another 80 with a touchdown. A week later, Utah's Brian Johnson ran for 80 yards and a TD, plus threw for two more.

Why UNLV can beat Iowa State ... Even though ISU allowed a modest 122 rushing yards last week, the Cyclones are still surrendering an average of 182 per game this season. Coincidentally, it was last week when Frank Summers and the UNLV offensive line really found a groove as the game wore on, with the senior finishing with 103 yards on 22 carries after totaling just eight yards on his first seven totes. With that said, ISU needs to stem the ground game and force Omar Clayton to beat them. Nate Frere's been a solid anchor for the ISU defensive line, but he'll need some help along the way to keep Frank 'The Tank' from plowing the Sam Boyd Stadium turf.

Also, UNLV should have an added boost from a home crowd that is probably going to be a bit higher in numbers than it would have been had the Rebels not shocked the college football world a week ago and sparked potential bowl game chatter around town.

Infirmary report ... While UNLV's injury issues mostly involve linemen heading into this weekend, Iowa State's revolve around the defensive backfield. ISU hopes to have cornerback Devin McDowell back in the fold. he had a pick and a pass breakup in the opener against SDSU, but has missed the past two games with an undisclosed woe. Chizik said that both he and corner Leonard Johnson could be back Saturday, but nothing is definite. The Cyclones are also hoping to get defensive tackle Bailey Johnson back on the field. The concern was that he may have suffered a concussion last week after colliding with Iowa's Toy Moeaki, but it doesn't appear that's the case.

A name which could creep up for the Cyclones ... Omar Clayton has yet to throw a pick this season for the Rebels, but he's going up against one very experienced corner this weekend who also has a history against UNLV. Chris Singleton, who has eight tackles and a sack so far this year, started the game in Ames two years ago for ISU.

Also, tailback Alexander Robinson's gotten off to a relatively quiet start so far this season for Chizik's club. he has 135 yards on 34 carries - right at a 4.0 average - but has yet to find the end zone and has struggled in short-yardage situations. He's talented enough to be able to break out at just about any moment.

Be sure to log onto www.lasvegassun.com both leading up to, during and after Saturday's game at Sam Boyd Stadium. You'll find ongoing numbers and analysis in our game day blog, plus postgame analysis, reactions from the Rebels, photos, video highlights and much more.