Two ISU football players — both projected starters — were arrested this summer for drunken driving and suspended for the Cyclones’ first game, an Aug. 30 contest against Northern Iowa.

Junior Cris Love, who had a tenuous hold on the starting quarterback job after spring drills, was arrested by a state trooper on U.S. Highway 71 near Storm Lake July 3 and charged with drunken driving, having an open container and speeding.

Redshirt freshman Austin Flynn or junior Waye Terry will start the Northern Iowa contest. Neither has played for Iowa State, but ISU head coach Dan McCarney said Love will have a hard time reclaiming his job.

“He’s got a lot of catching up to do,” McCarney said at a Big 12 Conference media event. “It’s not impossible, but it’s going to be hard, given the ability of those other two quarterbacks, to beat them out.”

Senior running back Hiawatha Rutland was arrested on charges of drunken driving Aug. 2.

Capt. Gene Deisinger of the ISU Police said this incident was Rutland’s first offense. Rutland was driving down Welch Avenue, crossing the center line and was stopped by ISU Police near McDonald’s, 217 Welch Ave.

Rutland failed a field sobriety test and was taken into custody.

Rutland was also listed as a starter after spring practice, ahead of senior Michael Wagner and redshirt freshman Stevie Hicks.

Love was the top backup to Seneca Wallace at quarterback in the 2001 and 2002 seasons after redshirting the 2000 season. Last season, he was 5—10 passing for 62 yards and one touchdown.

When Wallace was injured early in Iowa State’s Humanitarian Bowl loss to Boise State, Love stepped in and played most of the first half, finishing 2—4 passing for 23 yards and rushing three times for six yards.

Rutland led Iowa State in rushing in 2002 with 614 yards, scoring six touchdowns.

ISU head football coach Dan McCarney said neither Love nor Rutland will practice with the first string through the season opening game against Northern Iowa, Aug. 30.

Rutland had been one of the Cyclones’ captains.

“He is no longer co-captain of our football team,” McCarney said.

“Your position as a captain is a privilege, not a right.”

At Iowa State’s media day Aug. 6, McCarney pointed out the two summer offenses involving Love and Rutland were the first legal problems the Cyclone football program had dealt with since the beginning of the 2002 season.