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Hometown hero, native son, senior co-captain, starting quarterback, oldest son, fiance, grown man; he just wants to be called a winner.

Austen Arnaud has grown up in the public eye in Ames, literally and figuratively. There isn’t much about his composure, physique, media relations or even facial hair that suggest he’s the same kid recruited his freshman year at Ames High by former ISU coach Dan McCarney in 2002.

“We knew he could really play when McCarney started to recruit him. It didn’t seem like there was any other choice besides Iowa State,” said John Arnaud, the senior quarterback’s father.

A majority of the university’s student body hadn’t received acceptance letters to Iowa State when Arnaud began playing quarterback, as it was with the record-setting Bret Meyer before him.

He’s living a balancing act of a life, as getting Iowa State to another bowl game isn’t his only focus. Arnaud wants to improve his grades after learning offensive coordinator Tom Herman’s offense cramped his study time in 2009. There’s talk of improving his throwing motion, which, statistically, would improve him on the field. A graduation in December and marriage in June don’t necessarily open up his calendar.

“I’m really taking it step-by-step,” said the tired signal-caller after a rough practice.

He might have to ice his ankles tonight before he takes that next step.

Bowl victories can sweeten up the off-season, make winners relax and put their feet up. That isn’t current ISU coach Paul Rhoads’ forte, but with the starting job locked up and his last season in cardinal and gold approaching, Arnaud hit the film room and refined his throwing motion.

All No. 4 talked about this off-season was improving his completion percentage. He’s already got the highest completion percentage in ISU football history.

“It’s got to be a lot higher for us to win more games. Last year it was 57.9 and that’s not good enough for what we want to do,” Arnaud said. “I want to be at 65 or above.”

It’s the second year under Rhoads, and the continuity of Herman’s offense is beginning to make the spread a comfortable topic. Once described as one of the toughest things he’s ever had to do, learning the spread offense made Arnaud’s head spin and caused a drop in passing yards and a rise in interceptions.

Not this year. Its been a long off-season, and he didn’t spend his summer cooped up just to throw it away by casually phoning in his senior season. And for the record, Iowa State’s stat sheets actually show him at 58.7 percent in 2009.

“I stand there and I watch him turn around and ask coach Herman questions, student to teacher, in a very instructional manner,” Rhoads said. “He’s got great grasp and knowledge of what we’re doing, and he craves even more and that’s very positive.”

Arnaud feels comfortable. The game has slowed down for him in this offense. That may not seem like much for a guy that didn’t leave his hometown to play at the next level. But recruited by McCarney, put into action by Gene Chizik and now being appreciated by Rhoads means he’s seen a lot of faces come and go in this program. He’s still here.

“Ames is my home, and I never could see myself going. Iowa State is right here in town, I could never see myself going to play anywhere else,” Arnaud said.

Never leaving meant splitting snaps with Meyer in 2007, when Arnaud showed promise but only threw 37 passes in game time and didn’t put the ball in the end zone. He had to split snaps with the since-transferred Phillip Bates in 2008, but once he took over the job he put a choke hold on it.

A comeback drive and four touchdowns on the road against UNLV, then huge passing numbers against Texas A&M, Missouri and 493 total yards against Kansas State to end the year made him the man — not untouchable, as no one is in college sports. But in his hometown, dealing with change year in and year out, Arnaud put his hand on top of the bat and claimed the job.

Sometimes though, even the big fish in the small pond needs support. Chizik and his staff left town. All the faith put in him, all the sweat and offseason work he had put in and committed to under different coaches would have to be restored, and put in again. He was trusted to throw the ball 99 times in his last two games with Chizik.

Rhoads came in and wanted something different. Arnaud knew it was his time to lead, so he adapted. All parties involved think that was the best possible solution for the entire program.

“If a coach is to have one returning guy on his football team, he’d want it to be his quarterback, and I’m glad for Austen’s sake that he’s in a position to be that guy in his senior year, with the same offense, with the same teacher,” Rhoads said.

2009 tested the quarterback’s mettle, not tossing the ball around the lot like he did for Chizik, but leading the team to a 4–3 record before he hurt his hand against Baylor and was forced to miss the Nebraska game. Backup Jerome Tiller would go on to lead the team to a historic win in Lincoln, and Arnaud would come back two games later to lead the Cyclones to a pounding from Oklahoma State.

Rhoads started getting questions. Will you give Tiller a chance to start? Is Austen healthy enough to play?

Following an Insight Bowl victory after his first season as a co-captain, those questions stopped.

Its been nothing but work since then, and improving off of an improved season with an improved coach; you get the idea.

“I think he’s drastically improved where he’s at from a game management stand point heading into the season than where he was a year ago. But he’s gotta go out and do that under the lights, in games. He’s poised and in position to do exactly that,” Rhoads said.

If the quarterback of a college football team isn’t known for being hyper-competitive; fans, bloggers, but most importantly, other players may question who they’re dealing with. Austen Arnaud is the rule, not the exception.

“I remember when he was about four or five, and we’d hang the plastic hoop on the backside of the door. We’d play HORSE and PIG and he was already getting competitive,” John Arnaud said.

“He was a better baseball player than anything … but he was pretty good at just about everything growing up.”

The younger Arnaud describes himself as a leader in most things he’s played competitively: Pitcher and centerfielder out on the baseball diamond, point guard on the basketball court. But once he started focusing on just being a quarterback, he got his face all over the papers.

There are plenty of parts of his life that are similar to the average ISU student. His favorite football movie is “Remember the Titans,” he plays Xbox frequently and he thinks Missouri’s Faurot Field is the worst place to play in the Big 12. He’s not alone thinking the cement patch in Columbia, Mo., is an unattractive location.

He spends as much time as he can with his family and fiance, even though his father swears his 6-year-old sister is the best athlete in the family.

Balancing football life and college life while planning a wedding means Arnaud owes his future wife some major brownie points.

“My fiance is definitely better at this than me. She puts up with more stuff than I do. In that sense I really appreciate the way she handles herself and handles our relationship,” Arnaud said.

Is he finally conceding a loss, that he isn’t capable of being better than his fiance? Not a chance. Arnaud just wants to be a winner. Besides, marriage is a joint venture anyway.

“He’s not an overly gifted athlete, he’d be the first to tell you that Jerome [Tiller] and several other players could beat him in this or that. And then he’d fire back well I can beat them in that,” Rhoads said about the senior.

“That, in the end, is the competitive spirit you want in every player, that when the final horn blows I’m going to be able to beat him in enough things to win a football game. That’s the kind of attitude he has and the team appreciates that.”

Arnaud wants to take that spirit to the next level, where ever that may take him.

“I’m going to play football as long as I can. Then as far as that goes, who knows,” Arnaud said.

Coaching is a common consideration of former football players, especially quarterbacks, and again, Arnaud is the rule, not the exception. He’s definitely considering it.

“He wants to go to the next level, and I hope he does well with that. I’m an old football player myself, it takes a toll on the bones,” John Arnaud said.

“So I’d rather he went into coaching or something like that, I think he’d like to coach, more than anything else.”

That’s still in the future though. Northern Illinois hasn’t even hit the field at Jack Trice to begin game one of his last year in Ames. There’s plenty to look back on, plenty to be content with in the here and now.

“I feel like I’ve been building up my whole life for this,” Austen said. “But in the same sense, when it’s over it’s over, and we’ll see where I go.”

He’s unquestionably grown up. With the mix of self-awareness, confidence and responsibility that makes him who he his, Austen Arnaud has got to be excited to walk through the tunnel at Jack Trice and have the crowd know of his arrival.

“I’ll have nerves on Thursday. I’m calm and even keel on the field, but the key for me is staying calm before the game starts and not get too riled up,” Arnaud said.

His teammates will be looking for his example, just like his 12-year-old brother and little sister. Just like his coaches look for him to set the guide for the program.

“You’ve got a guy that’s a two-time captain. Speaks highly of what his teammates think of him,” Rhoads said. “And if I put that vote to a total team vote, he’d be elected by offensive and defensive players, not just the guys that are on his side of the ball.”

“He competes, he’s well respected because of that. He comes to practice and to work everyday.”

Arnaud lists being named a two-time captain as his proudest accomplishment as a Cyclone. That came about because he stuck it out through the storm, through major losing seasons and regime changes and the life-changing events that happens to every college student.

He did it because he’s a winner.

“He’s worked on his skills a little bit, and he’s fresh and confident. I think he’s ready to go,” said the quarterback’s father.

The lights will be on Thursday night, just like they will be all season. Not just the lamps because it’s a night game. Not the lights a kid can see when he’s 19 and gets hit by a 270-pound linebacker on a sweep play.

They’re the lights that let Austen Arnaud know he’s in the spotlight, and everyone’s watching. So he knows its time to play ball.

“I’m just excited to be here in Ames and get a chance to be successful,” Arnaud said.