In the merry-go-round that is Iowa State’s football depth chart …

* Several injured Cyclones are returning to find other players have seized starting roles that won’t immediately be relinquished;

* Waye Terry has re-emerged as a serious challenger to redshirt freshman Austin Flynn for the quarterback job;

* Six positions list co-starters and

* Seven freshmen are possible starters.

“With every special team, every position on offense and defense, we’ve had more time to evaluate and look and see,” ISU head coach Dan McCarney said after his 2-6 team’s second open week of the season. “There might be some playing time that’s distributed differently come Saturday’s game.”

The Wildcats come into the game 7-3. Since the Cyclones held a 28-7 halftime lead in the 1999 matchup between the two teams, Kansas State has outscored Iowa State 184-20 in three straight blowout victories over three ISU bowl teams.

McCarney said his team had little chance in those games after the ball was snapped.

“Physically, they’ve been better in the trenches,” he said. “Those are things that are very disappointing to me.”

The Cyclones appear to have settled on an offensive line alignment of Casey Shelton and Cale Stubbe at tackles, freshmen Seth Zehr and Aaron Brant at guards and senior captain Bob Montgomery at center.

“It’s not like we have a lot of guys who are injured — a lot of them are back now,” Brant said. “That adds a little more depth and a little more comfort. You’re a little more comfortable when you have some guys back.”

McCarney said Iowa State had some of its best practices of the season during the off week and followed that with a strong practice Monday.

“The attitude is up,” said defensive end Jason Berryman. “We had a great practice last week and we are coming into this week with the same intensity.”

The Cyclone defense performed well in its last game, a 28-0 loss to Nebraska Oct. 25. The Huskers had just one scoring drive of more than 21 yards, as Iowa State gave up two blocked punts and three turnovers. Berryman had an interception and a fumble recovery in the second half.

But the defensive lineup continues to shuffle. Season-long starters Brandon Brown and Joe Woodley are being pushed at linebacker by Chris Whitaker and Matt Robertson, respectively. When sophomore Nik Moser returns, he will challenge Erik Anderson for the third starting spot at linebacker.

“We’ve got to look for the guys that are most consistent,” McCarney said. “We are getting better defensively, and I’d expect that we’ll play better Saturday.”

Flynn has started all but one game this year for Iowa State, alternating briefly with Cris Love. Now junior college transfer Waye Terry is back in the race, listed as an alternate with Love for the backup position.

“That’s how it’s always been, everyone kind of forgets that we battle,” Flynn said. “He’s always competed against me and he’s always brought out the best in me.”

McCarney said one of the biggest reasons for optimism for a team in the midst of a six-game losing streak is the continued recovery of several star players, including seniors Montgomery and Jordan Carstens, both of whom have been playing hurt in recent weeks.

“This is about as healthy as we’ve been probably since the Ohio University game [Sept. 6],” McCarney said.