ISU head football coach Dan McCarney knows the two blocked punts his team gave up against Iowa last year cost his Cyclones any chance of a comeback.

He knows his young team can’t afford to make the same mistake in Saturday’s game in Iowa City, and he knows the Hawkeyes will again be gunning for the punter every chance they get.

“Iowa’s going to come in with their heads down and their rear ends up in the air coming after us getting ready to block punts,” McCarney said.

Though special team players don’t usually garner Heisman hype, kick and return teams can swing the outcome of a game in an instant.

“A blocked punt, a punt return for a touchdown; they’re both big momentum changers and football is all about momentum,” said junior safety Nik Moser. “[Both of the blocked punts] were turning points in [last year’s] game. You’re not going to notice special teams unless something really bad or really good happens.”

McCarney said he hopes ISU fans will see his special teams triumph over Iowa this year because during the offseason he hired Terry Allen, a new special teams coach.

“Every week the guy in charge of the punt team — my guy’s Terry Allen — probably gets less sleep than a lot of coaches because they’re worried about where the next scheme or next block is coming from. We got off to a good start [on special teams] on Saturday and we’ve got to build on that,” McCarney said.

Last year’s game illustrated the importance of special teams as the Cyclones dominated the Hawkeyes in several offensive categories but still lost 40-21.

“We clearly lost that part of the game,” McCarney said. “We had more yards, more first downs and more time of possession, but all that goes for naught when you get your tail kicked in special teams.”

Special teams is just one of McCarney’s concerns about the Hawkeyes. The next one — his young offense against a brutal Iowa defense.

“They have four senior [defensive lineman] up front, and they have one of the most dominating physical front sevens in the country,” McCarney said.

Leading the Hawkeye defensive line is 6-foot-4, 270-pound senior Matt Roth, considered by many to be one of the best lineman in the country.

“Roth is clearly one of the best players in college football; he’s so physical and violent with his hands it’s hard to maintain a block with him,” McCarney said. “There are no drag-downs or pull-downs with him — whether you’re a quarterback, running back or tight end, he blows you up.”

Freshman Cyclone quarterback Bret Meyer hopes he never gets a taste of Roth’s fury.

“I’ve seen him on film; he’s very aggressive and nasty when he plays. That’s what you want in a football player,” Meyer said. “I’m not saying I’m going to change what I do because of him, but I’ll know where he is on the field.”

A key to penetrating the Hawkeye defense will be the success of Stevie Hicks and the Cyclone running game.

“We’ve got to continue to finish blocks,” McCarney said. “Right now, [Hicks] looks like he could be the type of blocker that [former Cyclones] Troy Davis and Ennis Haywood were. They were a couple of the better blockers I’ve ever been around in college football.”

Though Hicks broke off a 39-yard run against Northern Iowa, McCarney said he needs more big plays from his offense against Iowa.

“We had the one big play with Stevie, but one big play over 25 yards — run or pass — is not acceptable,” McCarney said.

One of the few question marks for the Hawkeyes will be sophomore quarterback Drew Tate who, like Meyer, started his first Division I game last weekend.

“Accuracy is the first thing you notice; when he’s throwing the ball, there’s not a lot of misfires,” McCarney said. “He’s athletic, competitive and tough.”

One thing the Cyclones will take with them to Kinnick Stadium this weekend is the fact that they haven’t lost there since 1997.

“It gives you confidence, but it’s a new team. We’ve got a lot of young kids and you don’t know how they’ll hold up with the crowd,” said junior defensive lineman Nick Leaders.

McCarney said he hopes to see elements of his past Cy-Hawk trophy winners in his 2004 team.

“From Monday through Saturday, those kids believed they could go over there and win; when bad things happened, they didn’t drop their heads, those kids just kept sawing wood, hanging in there,” McCarney said.

“I can’t tell you about this team yet. It’s going to be hard but we’ve got to find a way. There are no white flags here.”