There’s always a lot on the line when Iowa State faces Missouri.

Last season, Iowa State was 6-4 and trying to win the Big 12 North outright. The Tigers won in overtime.

This season, the Cyclones rest at 3-2, having just dropped their first two conference games, and are sitting at the bottom of the Big 12 North.

Is the team using revenge as motivation?

“I didn’t even mention it in my meetings Sunday; we won’t talk about it today,” said coach Dan McCarney. “Missouri came in here and made a couple more plays than we did, but it’s a different time, a different season, some of the same players and a lot of different players.”

Iowa State lost one of those key players in its loss against Baylor, as junior wide receiver Ryan Baum suffered a torn ACL. Baum had not caught any passes at wideout, but was Iowa State’s punt-return specialist.

The severity of Baum’s injury was not known Tuesday, but McCarney said he’s fairly sure Baum has been lost for the season.

“I don’t feel good that we’ll get any good news out of [the MRI],” McCarney said. “It’s probably a torn ACL, which means he’s done for the season, and we’ll miss him dearly. He is really a great young man, and contributes so much.”

With Baum out, McCarney said receiver Todd Blythe is the frontrunner for the job, as he has practiced punt returns throughout the season. Receivers Jon Davis and R.J. Sumrall are also being considered.

“He’s excited … but he’s got to work at it, though,” said receiver Austin Flynn.

“I would not want to be back there, I’ll tell you that. I mean, I can catch kickoffs, but I don’t think I could catch a punt for my life. It’s a tough job, but you have to have a lot of courage, and be pretty brave back there.”

The loss of Baum, coupled with so much being at stake for Iowa State, has set a precedent in some players’ minds.

“Last year, they took something away from us that we really wanted,” said offensive lineman Aaron Brant.

“They really played hard, and they won. That was their mindset, and that’s what they were playing for.”

Quarterback Bret Meyer said he agreed with Brant, but also said the Cyclones cannot afford to get caught up in thinking about vengeance.

“Any time a team beats you before, you want to go down there and win, but this is this season,” Meyer said.

“What we have at stake this year is a lot more important than just trying to get revenge on them for last year.”

Faced with a must-win game, the Cyclones are grasping whatever they can to build positive momentum.

McCarney, meanwhile, said he has noticed a pattern in the team’s wins, especially over Iowa and Army.

“We’re playing against another team that’s in black and gold.” McCarney said. “Hopefully that will be in our favor. We’re 2-0 against those black and gold teams this year.”

Luckily for the Cyclones, there are no more teams with the colors green and gold on their schedule this season.