Coach Paul Rhoads spoke during a news release earlier this week about how the final week before the opener is a challenge for football coaches to get into “game mode.”

Rhoads talked about how the Tulsa team is slightly favored in the game against Iowa State at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1.

“[We are] blessed with great health, and we’ll need that health and everyone against a favored Tulsa football team,” Rhoads said. “[Tulsa] is team that knows how to win and expects to win.”

Rhoads said all the coaches have talked about how hard the Tulsa football team plays when they take the field.

Rhoads said he has been using the fact that the Golden Hurricane is a 1.5-point favorite against the Cyclones as motivation heading into the opener.

“You don’t have to remind them,” Rhoads said. “[The team is] completely aware that they are the underdog going into this football game.” 

Being an underdog against the Golden Hurricane isn’t affecting the Cyclones, however.

“We don’t really look at [being the underdog]; we just go out there and play our game,” said senior wide receiver Josh Lenz. “We’re kind of used to being the underdogs every year, so that doesn’t change our mindset.”

Despite being a slight underdog in the game against Tulsa, the coaches and players alike have been preparing to come away with a victory. 

Defensive coordinator Wally Burnham has been preparing his defense to adjust to an offense he says he’s familiar with.

“I expect they’re going to do what they did last year,” Burnham said. “I don’t think they’re going to change the scheme and take the same approach, the fast tempo.”

Burnham gave a lot of respect to the Tulsa quarterback, Cody Green, and said Green will be able to do a lot of things. Burnham added that he is curious to see if Green has improved since leaving Nebraska. 

Green won four games as a starter at Nebraska, and Burnham said he is using his prior knowledge of Green’s playing style to Iowa State’s advantage.

“You have to put a lot of stock in what he did,” Burnham said. “Evidently he’s got a lot of talent, and we were worried about him two years ago.”

One adjustment Burnham has had to make to his defense is the replacement of defensive backs Leonard Johnson and Ter’Ran Benton, who both played large roles in the 2011 season.

“It’s going to be different, but the two guys replacing them have done a good job,” Burnham said. “But now we’ll find out starting Saturday, in a game-type situation, how it’s going to affect our team.”

The Cyclones will take the field in the season opener against the Golden Hurricane at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.