You can’t do that.

The Cyclones have received 15-yard personal foul penalties at an alarming rate in their first three games of the season.

“We’ve gotten more penalties probably in the first three games than we probably had in the first seven or eight last year, and that’s very disappointing,” said coach Gene Chizik.

Iowa State has committed 18 penalties so far this season, which only ranks sixth in the Big 12, but it’s the 10 personal fouls that is a cause for concern.

“At times we’re not very disciplined, and that’s bothersome,” Chizik said.

All of last season, the Cyclones only committed seven personal fouls, so they already have three more than last season.

Opponents of the Cyclones have been given only one personal foul this season, and it was an off-setting penalty committed by Kent State.

Last season, ISU opponents were called for nine personal fouls.

If the Cyclones don’t start playing smarter, these types of penalties could continue to mount up and spell doom for the young Cyclones.

Wide receiver Marquis Hamilton was the victim of one of the personal foul calls versus Iowa last Saturday. Hamilton said he was blocking a defensive back and couldn’t hear the whistle that blew the play dead, so he kept playing.

Short-yardage failure hampers offense

Iowa State has struggled in short yardage situations this season.

The Cyclones have converted just 6 of 18 third- or fourth-down situations of five yards or less. Chizik said a “conglomeration” of factors are to blame.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in that regard,” he said. “We don’t feel comfortable right now in those situations, and it showed up Saturday. Glaringly.”

The Cyclones converted just 4 of 15 third-down situations against Iowa and rank last in the Big 12 in overall third-down conversion — 39 percent.

“I don’t want to call it an Achilles’ heel,” said offensive coordinator Robert McFarland. “Because I don’t want it to be something where you just can’t do it. You jinx yourself.”

McFarland said the offensive line isn’t “as physical as we need to be, especially in short-yardage situations.” Chizik said the quarterbacks also need to recognize when the defense has the line “out-manned.”

Las Vegas

The bright lights and slot machines of Las Vegas shouldn’t be a distraction for Cyclone football players.

Chizik said the coaching staff hasn’t even addressed the team about the subject.

“If I’m worrying about that with our football team, then I haven’t done a very good job,” Chizik said. “That’s the way I see it.”

The Sin City weather has been a larger concern. Forecasts for Saturday predict high temperatures in the mid-90s.

Early in the week, the coaching staff discussed how to rotate players.

“We’ve tried to condition our guys pretty well this week,” Chizik said. “And we know it’ll be different. We know it could be 90 degrees at kickoff, which would be very different for us. That’s all part of the game.”

Looks smart now

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit picked UNLV to go to a bowl game this season, despite the Rebel’s 2-10 record in 2007.

Chizik said UNLV is vastly improved.

“You can even go back to the films that you watched last year, and then you compare them to the games they’ve played this year. It’s a totally different football team,” he said. “They’re doing a lot of the same things … but you can tell they play with an attitude and swagger. You have to beat Arizona State.”