An injury to All-Big 12 offensive guard Bob Montgomery shouldn’t hurt the Cyclones in Saturday’s game against Northern Iowa, ISU head coach Dan McCarney said.

“Our offensive line, still with [Montgomery] out of the lineup, I think has a chance to be better than last year,” McCarney said.

Iowa State struggled running the ball last season. From 1999 to 2001, the Cyclones averaged 200.6 yards per game rushing.

Last year, that figure dropped to 145 yards per game.

The Cyclones have shuffled several positions to make up for the loss of Montgomery to a broken foot.

Senior Matt Bockes will step in at center, which means junior Luke Vander Sanden will move over to left guard.

Vander Sanden, one of the Cyclones’ top offensive linemen who was injured most of last season, had been listed as the starter at center.

Another change on the line is the addition of junior Tim TeBrink to the offensive depth chart.

TeBrink, formerly a defensive lineman who had 49 tackles and two forced fumbles in 2002, is now listed as the backup to Aaron Brant at right guard.

“TeBrink has really looked good in the short time he’s been there,” McCarney said.

While TeBrink’s move will help Iowa State’s depth on the offensive line, McCarney said it was made possible by the emergence of three true freshmen on defense.

All of the reserves listed on Iowa State’s defensive line depth chart are freshmen, and end Jason Berryman and tackles Brent Curvey and Matt Scherbring all arrived in Ames just this month.

“Berryman is the one that has had just a tremendous camp, one of the best defensive players we’ve recruited since we’ve been here,” McCarney said.

Senior starting left tackle Casey Shelton faces Berryman in practice.

“He’s going to be a tremendous player here,” Shelton said.

McCarney said Berryman’s work ethic served him well in securing a spot backing up senior defensive end Tyson Smith.

“I’ve never been around any freshman that [plays] that hard every snap,” he said.

Plenty of freshmen will crack the lineup Saturday on the offensive side of the ball as well, McCarney said.

“Ten freshmen or redshirt freshmen will play,” he said. “It’s a combination of excitement for them and yet not really knowing what to expect because we don’t know in game conditions how they will react and respond.”

That includes Brant on the offensive line and the all-redshirt freshmen backfield of quarterback Austin Flynn, tailback Stevie Hicks and fullback Ryan Kock.

McCarney said fans should look forward to seeing Hicks play.

“We’re anxious to see him, because he’s a guy who can bring a lot of people to the stadium,” he said.

“But he’s only as good as the offensive line, fullback, tight ends and receivers in front of him.”

For the team to be successful, the freshmen need to play well, McCarney said.

“That’s a situation where we have to put them on the fast track on game day, just like we’ve put them on the fast track in practice,” he said.

The 2003 season opens Saturday against Division I-AA Northern Iowa, and the squad is taking preparations seriously, McCarney said.

“Coach Mark Farley is going to bring in a very good Northern Iowa team. We know that,” he said. “A lot of the players that we’ve watched tape on from last year are back. There are some new faces but there’s some real good playmakers.”

Iowa State last played Northern Iowa to open the 2001 season. The teams were almost evenly matched in total yardage, but the Cyclones took advantage of seven Panther turnovers to win by a 45-0 margin.

Northern Iowa is coming off a 5-6 season, but they have caused trouble for Iowa State in the past. They beat the Cyclones in convincing fashion in both 1992 and 1994, starting the team’s slide into a 0-10-1 season in 1994 with a 28-14 victory in Ames.

“I think it makes for a great match-up and I think an exciting first game for both programs,” McCarney said.

“I’m looking forward to it, I really am. It’s a great game for these two programs to play and we’ll continue to try to work it out in the future where these two teams can get together once in a while.”