By Grant Wall

Daily Staff Writer

Forget that the road to the Big 12 North title goes through Nebraska. That isn’t the biggest motivation for ISU running back Stevie Hicks.

Hicks wants to score a point for his family.

When Hicks breaks into the secondary Saturday against the Cornhuskers, he’ll be greeted by a familiar face, a member of the family.

Hicks’ cousin, Cortney Grixby, is a defensive back for the Huskers.

“There’s always a little trash talking when family is involved,” Hicks said. “They know personal things about you and you know personal things about them. You just lay it out on the field.”

Is Hicks going to save a hit for his cousin?

“I’m not going to touch that one,” Hicks said.

For Hicks and fellow starters Jon Davis and Caleb Berg, this game is their big one. All three are from Nebraska, and all three are itching for a chance to get back at their home state.

“I treat every game the same way, each game is the biggest game of the year,” Davis said. “Last week UNI was the biggest game of the year. I treat it the same way.

“But at the same time it has a little emphasis on it, there are a little bragging rights at home.”

Hicks finds the family and friends on the opposing side one of the most appealing things of this rivalry.

“It’s nice. I get to play against some cousins and some old friends,” Hicks said. “It’s always a lot more fun when you know the guys you’re playing against.”

Twice an all-state running back at Creighton Prep in Omaha, Hicks was recruited by Nebraska. He rushed for more than 3,000 yards in his final two seasons and scored 42 career touchdowns. But the Huskers saw him playing on the other side of the ball.

While Nebraska told Hicks he was being recruited to play running back, he got the feeling they wanted him to switch to defense. Wanting to continue running the ball, Hicks turned his eyes elsewhere.

“When you’re younger, everyone is watching the Huskers because Nebraska has no pro team,” Hicks said. “Everyone is watching them.

“When it came to recruiting I knew where my heart was, and that was Iowa State.”

Davis’ story is a bit different from his teammate’s.

While Hicks is Nebraska born and raised, Davis moved to the state from Japan when he was in ninth grade.

He didn’t play organized football until he was a junior in high school and didn’t start until he was a senior.

Davis was offered a chance to play at Nebraska, being asked to walk on. But the Husker offensive scheme – the option that relied almost completely on the run – didn’t suit Davis’ receiving talents.

“When they were talking to me, that’s when they were still [running] the option and as a receiver that wouldn’t have worked well. That was one of the biggest things for me coming to Iowa State.”

The move paid off for Davis, who is steadily cementing himself in the ISU record books.

His 111 career catches are seventh on the ISU all-time receiving charts. He also has more than 1,200 yards and five touchdowns.

Davis torched the Huskers the last time they visited Ames, catching four passes for 103 yards. Included in that line was a 77-yard touchdown.

Just like Hicks, Davis will see familiar faces on the other sideline.

“It’s a big game just because I’m playing against people I played against in high school, but overall it’s just another game,” Davis said. “I don’t know that I put too much, like it’s the make-or-break game for me either.”

Cyclone safety Caleb Berg grew up in York, Neb. He was given a chance to walk on with the Huskers, but he left the state for a chance to play in Ames.

This is his first starting duty against the team from his home state.

“It’ll be a fun game,” Berg said. “I’m not going to treat it like the Super Bowl, but it’s going to be a fun game.”

A win over Nebraska would also do wonders for Iowa State’s division title chances. Nebraska is ranked No. 22, and is the favorite to represent the North in the Big 12 title game in Kansas City.

Although Iowa is looked at as the season’s biggest game, it’s the Nebraska game that might be the most important.

“The Iowa game is more of a state thing, for bragging rights,” Davis said. “This game is for our conference, to get to the conference championship game and to get down there to play in Kansas City.

“Overall, I think this is a more important game for us. This counts for more than just our record, it counts for our Big 12 record as well.”

Coming from a football crazy state like Nebraska, both Davis and Hicks know what a win over their rival would do for the Cyclones – as well as what it would do to Husker Nation.

“When you’re in Nebraska, you cheer for the Huskers,” Davis said.

Many Husker fans base their emotional state on the results of their team.

“It’s nice when things are going good, when the team is winning,” Hicks said.

“You can tell when you go to Nebraska and there is a loss because everyone is down.

“After a big win everyone is up. Going back home, I get a lot of stuff from people, saying I went to the wrong place.”