As if the Longhorns national title last season wasn’t enough to get the attention of the ISU football team, wide receiver Austin Flynn has more motivation when his Cyclones meet Texas on Saturday.

He really doesn’t like the Longhorns.

Growing up in Houston, Flynn was raised on Texas A&M football and cheered against the Longhorns.

“We’re A&M fans through and through,” Flynn said.

Now the senior returns to his home state for one last game.

Flynn has been bombarded by ticket requests from friends and family who want to make the three-hour trip from Houston to Austin.

“I’m trying to get as many people [tickets] as I can,” Flynn said. “I’ve made a lot of promises, but I don’t think I have the tickets for it. I’m working on it still.”

Flynn’s family will see him take on the Longhorns for the first time as a receiver. The last time Iowa State faced Texas was Flynn’s freshman year when he was a quarterback for the Cyclones.

He came off the bench in the second half to lead Iowa State on three scoring drives, throwing for a touchdown and adding two two-point conversions in the Cyclone loss.

Since its game in Ames in 2003, Texas has put together a 31-3 record, its only losses coming to Washington State, Oklahoma and Ohio State. The Longhorns also have two Rose Bowl victories, one that earned them a national title last season.

“Texas just doesn’t appear to have weaknesses,” said ISU coach Dan McCarney. “They’re a dominant football team.”

Texas owns a 2-1 record this season, its only loss coming to No. 1 Ohio State.

“They have tremendous talent,” McCarney said. “[Texas head coach] Mack Brown is not only one of the best coaches, he’s one of the great recruiters in college football. They don’t lack the resources in Texas, and it hasn’t slowed Mack down in any way. He works as hard as he ever has.”

Texas’ run defense is phenomenal, allowing just 75 yards in its first three games. Teams are averaging less than 1 yard per carry against the Longhorns.That will put more pressure on the Cyclones pass offense that has struggled making big plays. The Cyclones have just nine pass plays that have gone for more than 20 yards on the season.

Iowa State has struggled with getting the ball to Todd Blythe, its top receiver and best playmaker. Blythe has nine catches on the year for 138 yards and three scores.

Through three games, Iowa State has run 63 plays inside its opponent’s 30-yard line and on only three of those plays has Blythe heard his number called. The result of those three plays? All touchdowns.

The Cyclone coaches are trying to figure out how to get the combination of Blythe and quarterback Bret Meyer more involved.

“Those are two real premiere players and we want to do what we can to feature those kids,” McCarney said.

So do those two need a big game for Iowa State to win?

“Absolutely, absolutely,” McCarney answered. “No question.”