He’s never been to Toledo, played Toledo, or seen a Rocket player in person, but running back J.J. Bass is sure of one thing: His team will be leaving Ohio with a victory. The Cyclones (1-2) will travel to Toledo on Saturday for the start of a three-game road trip.

“We’re going in just like any other game,” said Bass of their first road game. “We’re just going to go in and execute our plays and we’ll definitely get this W.”

While Bass feels confident, Cyclones coach Gene Chizik said he’ll have to see improvement from the running game. In their first game against Kent State, Cyclone running backs combined to rush for 158 yards. Against Northern Iowa, Iowa State ran for 129 yards, while last weekend they grounded 143 yards out of the Iowa defense.

“We feel like we have to continue every week to run the ball better than we are now, because we’re running it very average right now,” Chizik said. “We’ve got to run the ball better, whether it’s J.J. [Bass] or Alexander [Robinson].”

Whoever is running the ball, the Cyclones enter Saturday’s game as three-point favorites against a Toledo team that is 0-3 this year. Besides a stuttering start, the Rockets’ defense has allowed 694 rushing yards on the season.

In their first three games, Toledo has allowed 149 points to opponents.

“It definitely given me a lot of excitement,” said Bass, referring to what he has seen of the Toledo defense. “You can’t really come into a game overlooking them, seeing what they’ve done in the past because on any given Saturday, any team can win.”

That was almost the Cyclones last fall as the Rockets took Iowa State to three overtimes in Ames before eventually losing, 45-43.

Senior wide receiver Todd Blythe scored a pair of overtime touchdowns in the win, something he attributed mostly to man-to-man coverage. Now, he’s hoping to again see that type of attention.

“As a receiver, I love to see that out there, look across the board and see a guy in your face and no safety deep,” Blythe said. “How much they’ll give us that, I’m not sure.”

The Cyclones hope to get their first road victory in nearly two years. The last time the Cyclones won a game away from Jack Trice Stadium came in week eight of the 2005 season when Iowa State won, 42-14, at Texas A&M. In that game, Blythe set a school record with four touchdown receptions and 214 yards receiving.

“We’re going to try to make it as much like a home game as possible in terms of routine,” Chizik said. “Obviously, the difference is that we’re getting on a plane.”

To make things as close to normal as possible, Chizik said his team will have walk-throughs, team meetings and several other activities they typically do on game days at home.

He added they’ll also keep a close eye on Toledo tight end Chris Hopkins, who has pulled in 13 passes for 77 yards and one touchdown this season. Hopkins, a 6-foot-5 senior, caught 13 passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns in the opener against the Cyclones last season, but dropped a potential game-tying two-point conversation pass on the goal line in the final overtime.

“We’ll always know where he is,” he said. “Let’s just put it that way.”

As for Bass, he’s excited to get his first taste of the Rockets’ defense.

“We had a great week of practice,” Bass said. “I’m definitely looking out to put out some big numbers this week.”