R.J. Sumrall

Wide receiver

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 203 lbs.

Year: Junior

Hometown: Orlando, Fla.

2006: 25 receptions, 310 yards, 0 touchdowns

2005: 20 receptions, 311 yards, 0 touchdowns

For the first time in two seasons, wide receiver Todd Blythe will have a new counterpart lining up on the opposite side of the field. With the graduation of Austin Flynn and Jon Davis, R.J. Sumrall has been named the No. 2 receiver on Iowa State’s depth chart.

Sumrall was the team’s fourth-leading receiver last season, and has the task of reproducing the production of Davis last season who actually led the team with 508 yards.

“I think I have shown what I can do, but I still got a lot more work to do so I am working on it,” Sumrall said. “Our coaches are really trying to help out the receivers to make us the best we can be, so we are just working our butts off.”

The wide receiving core as a whole must step up this season, as the Cyclones must deal with a Davis-and-Flynn-combined 77-reception, 978-yard hole in production.

Luckily for Sumrall all of the pressure won’t come down on himself alone.

The Cyclones possess a bevy of solid receivers and tend to use a lot of three- and four-receiver sets, so the new need for production at wide receiver will be spread between Sumrall, Marquis Hamilton, Milan Moses and Euseph Messiah.

As for Sumrall, he should bring what every team needs and wants – speed. He was a member of the ISU shuttle hurdle team that won the Drake Relays in 2006, and hopes he can help take some of the focus off Blythe.

“I think I can just help open up everything, some more passing to me will help open up Todd [Blythe], and open up the other receivers,” Sumrall said. “More passing to everybody else will open up things for me, the passing game will open up the run and the run game will open the pass.”

The thing to watch this season for Sumrall will be how he fares in the redzone, as he failed to haul in a touchdown pass in both 2005 and 2006.

Rashawn Parker

Defensive line

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 252 lbs.

Year: Sophomore

Hometown: Ponca City, Okla.

Rashawn Parker was a hero in his first game as a Cyclone. His two sacks late in the game moved Toledo out of field goal range, and forced an overtime that the Cyclones won. From there on out, however, Parker remained quiet – and banged up.

Injuries plagued the undersized Parker the rest of the season, and he wound up with just three sacks on the season.

He has, however, impressed his new coach despite his lack of size.

“Rashawn is a guy that has great heart, he is a guy that has a knack for playing that position he has a toughness about him,” Gene Chizik said.

“His challenge as the year goes on, at 6-foot-0-inches, 250 pounds, is can he hold up during the year. But when it comes to mentally approaching the game, when it comes to being mentally and physically tough, he has all that, and I think that is what at his size allows him to compete.”

Rashawn’s success is vital for the Cyclones in 2007. Last year the Cyclones ranked 66 out of 119 teams with just 24 sacks. Western Michigan led all teams with 46. The Cyclones’ lack of pressure was a constant problem with their defense all last season, and was a contributing factor to their No. 106 rank for turnovers.

Chizik downplayed his lack of height, and pointed to the importance of using your hands on the defensive line for the reason he feels Parker can be successful.

“If I have a wing span of x amount of inches and yours is 5 or 6 inches shorter than mine, then I have problems right now, because defensive line is played with my hands, and it is hard to get my hands where I need them to be,” Chizik said.

“It’s not about the height, it’s about the short arms and the short levers that you have to have to play with your hands and compete at the position, but he does great at it, and just has a knack for it.”

Alvin Bowen

Linebacker

Year: Senior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 218 lbs.

Hometown: East Orange, N.J.

2006: 155 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

Alvin “Ace” Bowen’s biggest blessing this season just may be a “duece.” Bowen became the primary caretaker for his 12-year-old brother Jamar this off-season, and defensive coordinator Wayne Bolt believes it helped Bowen.

“You know he has an added responsibility, and I call him [Jamar] Duece, and Duece is a good kid and I think it has really helped Ace as far as maturing him,” Bolt said. “But he is a mature guy anyway- he is a grown man.”

Bowen is going to need that added maturity this season as he will be looked to for leadership on the defense.

Bowen was one of few bright spots last season for a struggling ISU defense. He totaled 155 tackles last season and led the nation with an average of 12.92 tackles per game en route to being named first team All-Big 12.

“I am trying to use it [leadership role], but you don’t need to be a senior or a captain to be a leader,” Bowen said. “You can be a leader as a freshman as long as you come in and you do what you’re supposed to do, and you are doing it your best, you can be a leader by pure example.”

One area Bowen will have to lead by example in is creating turnovers. The Cyclones created only 15 in 2006, which ranked 106th out of 119 Division I teams. Bolt has made it a goal for the entire team to focus on, and Bowen could go a long way toward achieving that goal. Bowen himself created three turnovers last season, while earning one sack, but is looking for more in 2007.

“He has great enthusiasm, he has a passion for the game, and he loves to learn,” Bolt said. “He wants to be good and he has a chance to make some money afterwards.”

Bret Culbertson

Place kicker

Height: 6’6″

Weight: 185 lbs.

Year: Senior

Hometown: Des Moines

2006: 8-11 FGs, 24-24 xpt, Long – 52 yards

2005: 12-16 FGs, 34-34 xpt, Long – 45 yards

2004: 8-10 FGs, 16-16 xpt, Long – 37 yards

Bret Culbertson is Iowa State’s most accurate kicker of all time. Yep, the same Bret Culbertson that is continually harrassed by fans and media for missing crucial kicks in both 2004 and 2005 that could have sent Iowa State to the Big 12 Championship game.

Culbertson, who walked on in 2004, is 28-of-37 (.757) in his career and has gone perfect on extra points, nailing all 74 that he has attempted.

Culbertson has been nothing but a rock for the Cyclones, and has provided a consistancy at a position that has long caused headaches for coaches, players and fans.

The misses, however, weigh too heavy in most fans minds to forgive Culbertson, leaving them more likely to look over his consistent play. As for Culbertson, the misses serve only as motivation.

“I do kind of feel I have some unfinished business and that just gets me so excited for this coming season,” Culbertson said. “I have had a couple of heartbreaks but I am ready, it’s been behind me for two years now.”

Although accurate from inside 40 yards (23-of-27), Culbertson has been shoddy from beyond that, going 5-of-10.

He did, however, drill a 52-yarder against Texas Tech last season and said that he has spent the off-season in the weight room trying to build more leg strength.

Last year came and went without Culbertson being tested by another pressure kick situation, but Culbertson is searching for a chance to redeem himself, and make fans remember him in a better light when he leaves following this season.

“I want to be in [that situation] bad. I want to hit a game winner this year,” Culbertson said. “Those few misses early in my career, I really think that is what has made what I am on and off the field today.”