When the Cyclones (1-5, 0-2) kick off against No. 23 Texas (4-2, 0-2) on Saturday, there will be no surprises about what either team plans to do, as former Longhorns’ defensive coordinator and current ISU coach Gene Chizik prepares to square off against his former team.

“They know exactly what’s going on,” Chizik said. “They know, we know. There’s no secrets. They’re not going to change and we’re not going to change. It’ll be fun.”

What Chizik knows about is the explosiveness of Longhorns’ quarterback Colt McCoy. The sophomore quarterback is coming off a 2006 season that saw him pass for 2,570 yards and 29 touchdowns. This year, he’s guided the Texas offense, completing 127 passes for 1,578 yards and 10 touchdowns. He’s also thrown 10 interceptions.

“He’s still made a lot of great throws and he’s done a lot of great things,” Chizik said.

Chizik said McCoy is also a good topic of discussion – something he’s addressed his team about numerous times.

“He doesn’t just throw the ball up to anybody,” said ISU defensive back Jesse Smith. “He reads the defense very well, and we’re going to have to be sound in our positions and do our jobs to get this win.”

He also knows about junior running back Jamaal Charles, who has rushed for 622 yards and seven touchdowns this season. The 6-foot-1-inch running back is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this season.

“Great back, world-class speed,” Chizik said of Charles. “A great running back; big-time explosion; has a knack for big plays in big games, so he’ll be juiced up.”

Chizik isn’t the only one working with inside knowledge. Having spent two years working under Texas coach Mack Brown and coaching many of the current Texas players, McCoy feels he has as much of an edge thanks to time he spent with Chizik.

“He’s been around me for two years, been around our offense and [offensive coordinator and quarterbacks] coach [Greg] Davis and everybody, so he knows what we do; but we know what he does too,” McCoy said in a press release Monday.

They also have three and a half years of tape to look at two of Iowa State’s biggest offensive weapons – senior quarterback Bret Meyer and senior wide receiver Todd Blythe. Meyer, who has passed for more than 8,000 yards in his career, has completed 127 of 205 pass attempts for 1,279 yards and five touchdowns this season. Blythe, Iowa State’s all-time touchdown receptions leader, has caught 32 passes for 419 yards this season, all in Chizik’s new offensive system.

“They’ve got six games to work with right now,” Blythe said. “Hopefully, I’m a better player than I was last year and every other that I’ve been here. Hopefully I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve still.”

While everyone seems to have an idea of what will happen Saturday, they all agree it’ll come down to execution.

“You’ve just got to go out there and play,” said ISU linebacker Alvin Bowen. “Play defense. Play sound offense. Don’t go out there trying to do something you’re not capable of or something you’ve never done before – just play football.”