After a 2-10 2003 season, the ISU football team found itself playing the role of a hunter. A 7-5 finish in 2004, including an Independence Bowl victory, has made it the hunted.

The quest for the Cyclones this season is to overcome any added pressure brought on by wearing the proverbial target on their backs.

Coach Dan McCarney said the team must find a way to work together in a push to achieve success for the upcoming season. Just a few weeks into spring camp, some of the young members of the team have not yet proven themselves to their coach.

“They have to have enough pride about themselves to make sure that they’re not taking from this program, but giving,” McCarney said. “Giving means you show up on game day, not just Monday through Friday.”

He also said the base of the team is a confident one that should be ready to compete come September.

Junior receiver Jon Davis said all of the wideouts have felt some added pressure because expectations are much higher for the upcoming season.

“I think the rest of the team feels a little bit more pressure on us, because we did come from down to the bottom all the way up to the top again,” he said. “[Other teams] might be looking for us to fall off again, but we have to work harder to try and stay up there.”

In an effort to alleviate some of the pressure, senior nose guard Nick Leaders said he has tried to step up and show the youth how to properly perform while wearing cardinal and gold. His seniority on the team has aided him on how to motivate the younger players.

“I realize that I’m one of the only guys on the team that plays on top of the football,” he said. “I have to teach [younger players] how to practice, how to prepare for games … it’s just something that you do as you get older.”

Sophomore quarterback Bret Meyer, who split time with Austin Flynn at the beginning of last season, said he doesn’t feel much pressure despite knowing he has the starting job to himself this year. Flynn moved to wide receiver this spring.

Meyer said the only pressure he feels is what he puts on himself, or what the coaches put on him. He has been trying to improve himself as a player throughout the spring season, something he said he feels will keep the team moving in the right direction.

“I’m trying to quicken up my release a little bit,” Meyer said. “And footwork, definitely. It’s one of the biggest things for a quarterback.”

Davis said the team has not buckled, despite heavier expectations this time around, and expects great things from the Cyclones this season. With expected improvement, they may even achieve a better bowl.

“We have a lot of stuff that we have to work on,” he said. “But when we get rolling, we can do a lot of things, and you never know what can happen.”