2009 Record: 7-6 (3-5)
Head Coach: Paul Rhodes (7-6 2nd season)
Offensive Coordinator: Tom Herman (2nd season)
Defensive Coordinator: Waly Burnham (2nd season)
2009 Bowl Game: Insight Bowl, defeated Minnesota 14-13
Offense: Austen Arnaud returns at QB, but will that make ISU better than teh 94th ranked passing team? He will be pushed somewhat by Jerome Tiller, but Tiller is clearly the backup coming into 2010. Alexander Robinson is the TB and star of the offense. He'll be expected to carry a huge load again in 2010. Sedrick Johnson, Jake Williams, and Darius Darks return at WR, but all had health issues in 2009, and that must be overcome if the passing game is to improve. 4 starters return on the line, led by 327 lb LT Kelechi Osemele and C Ben Lamaak, both all Big 12 selections in 2009.RT Braydon Burris is the lone new starter and is by far the lightest (276 lbs) player in the group.
Defense: The defense must improve as well, after ranking 99th in the nation last season in total. Every starter in the LB group must be replaced. The group will be young and inexperienced. There will be a five man secondary in most situations, and Leonard Johnson will be the lone returning starter at CB. David Sims and Ter'ran Benton will be two of the safeties. , but the pass defense was pourous at best in 2009.
Special Teams: Grant Mahoney is the returning PK. He has a strong leg, but is all over the place. Kirby VanDerKamp is the new punter, and he is just a freshman who has never kicked in a college game. There's a first time for everything I suppose.
2010 Schedule
Wins: 9/25 Northern Iowa
Toss Up Games: 9/2 Northern Illinois, 9/18 @ Kansas State, 10/30 Kansas, 11/13 @ Colorado
Losses: 9/11 @ Iowa, 10/2 Texas Tech, 10/9 Utah, 10/16 @ Oklahoma, 10/23 @ Texas, 11/6 Nebraska, 11/20 Missouri
Don't look for a return to a bowl for the Cyclones. This schedule is brutal with Texas Tech, Utah, Oklahoma, and Texas all in a row.
Outlook: The schedule dictates that ISU will not be as good as they were last season. This is brutal and way beyond their means. By the way, the Cyclones have not won a league title of any kind since 1912 (Missouri Valley Conference).
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