Senior defensive back Ellis Hobbs said there has been one theme for this year’s Cyclone defense: get that ball back.

Last year, he said, “we were sitting back making excuses for ourselves, and we don’t want to do that this year,” Hobbs said. “We can score just as well as [the other team] can; the only thing stopping us is that they have the ball so when we go out there, we’re stripping the ball all the time.”

Defensive coordinator John Skladany said the emphasis on forcing turnovers began in the spring.

“We’ve really worked hard on it all throughout the spring,” Skladany said. “We had a chart in the spring each day as to who was getting the turnovers, whether it be an interception or knocking the ball out.”

“When we go out there, we’re head-hunting,” Hobbs said.

One head that won’t be hunting for the Cyclones is sophomore defensive end and 2003 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year Jason Berryman, who is still in jail awaiting trial on charges of theft and robbery. Skladany said he has treated Berryman’s absence just as he would if a player was injured.

“We can’t worry about it, and we haven’t mentioned it,” Skladany said. “We talked about it early and moved on; you have that happen in sports all the time.”

Hobbs said, “We just go out there and put the blinders on; we’re about what we have right now.”

Another emphasis this offseason was conditioning, Hobbs said.

“We’ve amped up the work capacity; we’re doing a lot more in a little amount of time,” he said. “You see teams like Oklahoma and Miami, a lot of those guys are athletes. It’s about being able to move and move fast; if you can’t move around and get to the ball, you’re basically worthless.”

Skladany said his team’s physical fitness is one of its strongest points.

“Right now it looks like we’ve got some decent speed and athleticism,” Skladany said. “I think that will come through for us this year.”

Hobbs said his team’s motivation will help it forget about the dismal 2003 campaign.

“We realized the way we were practicing last year wasn’t going to cut it,” Hobbs said. “We got what we deserved; we reaped what we sowed. When we were 6-1 and No. 9 in the country in 2002, we’re getting back to that mentality.”

One of the main concerns for Skladany is his young team’s depth.

“I’m hoping with some of these younger kids and the junior college kids, that we can build some depth,” Skladany said. “That has been a problem; we’ve run into situations where guys have gotten worn out, and I feel a little better right now, but we’re going to have to stay healthy.”

Instrumental in the team’s success will be Hobbs’ leadership. He was recently named a team captain.