Editor’s note: Each week, Pat Brown, assistant sports editor, and Brett McIntyre, sports reporter, will play the ISU football game using NCAA 2006. Brown will play the season as the Cyclones while McIntyre will suit up as their opponents.

The ISU football team knew it had potential to have an explosive offense when it took to Jack Trice Stadium for the first game of the 2005 season.

It just didn’t have any idea how explosive.

Iowa State jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead against Illinois State, and then scored again on its first drive of the second half before the Redbirds could get on the board.

A nonexistent Illinois State defense and a punishing Cyclone running game destroyed the Redbirds, with Iowa State decimating the Redbirds 70-10.

Cyclone quarterback Bret Meyer was forced to throw just nine times, as running back Stevie Hicks took the team on his back, rushing for 319 yards and three scores. All three of Hicks’ scoring runs were of more then 70 yards.

Fullback Ryan Kock added two touchdowns on the ground, punching in from two yards out on two occasions.

While the offense was dominating, Iowa State’s defense was also in top form.

Illinois State running back Brian Thompson was never a factor, gaining just two yards on 13 carries. As a team, the Redbirds rushed for -22 yards.

Although nothing worked on the ground for Illinois State, it did have some success passing the ball. Quarterback Luke Drone threw for 341 yards, completing 21-of-43 passes. He completed one scoring pass to Laurent Robinson in the third quarter, but was intercepted twice — both times by DeAndre Jackson.

Illinois State was forced to punt seven times, and would pay dearly for a lack of special teams talent.

Iowa State’s Terrance Highsmith took three punts back for scores, two in the first quarter and another to end the third. He would also passed to tight end Ben Barkema for a touchdown in the fourth.

Meyer completed just two of his nine pass attempts, one a 30-yard scoring strike to fellow sophomore Todd Blythe.