When Iowa State takes the field against No. 14 Texas Christian University in the Ev1.net Houston Bowl, the outcome of the game may simply hinge on who wins the battle in the rushing game.

The Cyclones are heading into bowl preparations desperately attempting to get starting tailback Stevie Hicks healthy to try and revive a rushing game that has managed just 92 yards in its past two games.

That will be no small task against a TCU rushing defense that is ranked No. 23 in the nation, allowing just 115 yards per game.

“They’re athletic; they’re fast,” ISU coach Dan McCarney said. “They’ve got lots of turnovers. They’ll hit you and be aggressive and knock the ball out.”

The Horned Frogs rank second in the nation in turnovers gained with 36, behind only Southern Cal’s 37.

Iowa State, which has compiled a 7-4 record this season, can see that the success of the ground game has shown up in their record, averaging just 95 yards in losses.

That number jumps nearly 50 yards to 139 when the Cyclones have won.

“We’re going to have to establish a running game,” McCarney said.

“A healthy Stevie Hicks will help that. We’re going to rest him and rehab him. If he’s not healthy until game week that’s good enough for me. We need him as close to 100 percent as we can, and frankly, he hasn’t been 100 percent since the Iowa game.”

Iowa State comes into the game with only the No. 92 ranked rushing offense at 118 yards per game, which pales in comparison with TCU’s 25th-ranked rushing attack, averaging 197 yards-per-game.

“We’ve got to gameplan and break those things down,” McCarney said.

“They’ve got a tremendous rush offense and they spread it out among the backs. There’s not one marquee guy who does all the work. They’re sound, physical and confident.

“This is the best rush defense in the history of Iowa State football. It should make a good matchup.”

The ISU defense checks in nationally at 14, allowing a shade under 100 yards per game with 99.7, and said they are ready for the challenge.

“They run a spread out offense kind of like Texas A&M, so you’ve just got to be sound,” defensive lineman Nick Leaders said. “We’ve got to tackle. Last game, we didn’t tackle well so we need to work on tackling.”

The defense also passed the credit around the coaching staff for the success against the run this year, both from a standpoint of personnel and the system.

“It’s just a bunch of people that believe in the system,” Leaders said. “We all knew it worked and we just kept working hard. Everyone just kind of does their job and that shows how well the defense has played.”

Defensive end Jason Berryman gave credit to line coach Mike Nelson.

“Our defensive line coach, Coach Nelly [Mike Nelson], he’s a great coach in developing a player into the best player they can be,” Berryman said. “He recruited Seneca Wallace. He’s got a good eye for talent and he’s just a great developmental coach.”

McCarney said while work still needs to be done, he doesn’t want the players to forget what the bowl game is all about.

“We want these kids to have a great experience and know that this is a tremendous reward for a lot of hard work,” McCarney said.