The ISU football team was hit hard by graduation, but Head Coach Dan McCarney is confident a solid football team can be put together with everyone that is returning.

Including the special teams tandem of Carl Gomez and Mike McKnight, the Cyclones lost 14 starters, seven on defense and five on offense.

The following is a breakdown of positions for the 2001 Cyclone football team, highlighting returnees:

Quarterback

The Cyclones will have to replace two-year starter Sage Rosenfels, who led the Cyclones to a 9-3 record in his senior season. Rosenfels passed for 2,298 yards and rushed for 10 touchdowns helping the Cyclones rank 21st nationally in total offense.

Seneca Wallace, a junior college All-American from Sacramento Community College, is the leading candidate to replace Rosenfels. Wallace won the No. 1 job heading into fall practice and will most likely start the season opener against Northern Iowa Sept. 8.

“We have to replace a guy who was a coach on the field in Sage Rosenfels,” McCarney said. “Sage knew the game inside and out. I’m real impressed with Seneca’s ability to do those same things, but he’s not where Sage is yet.”

Other competitors in the quarterback race are Gerrin Scott, Cris Love and junior college transfer Dustin Ochs.

“We hope to have all four be solid Big 12 quarterbacks by the time we start the season,” McCarney said.

Running Backs

The Cyclones are loaded at the tailback position, returning four solid backs.

Senior Ennis Haywood, the 2000 Big 12 Conference’s leading rusher, will be the focal point again after rushing for 1,237 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago.

“Ennis is our starter, and he’s capable. We all know what he can do,” McCarney said. “We need some balance in the offense like last year, so teams can’t load up to stop Ennis.”

Michael Wagner returns after a breakout freshman season. Wagner stepped into the lineup when Haywood went down, and rushed for 170 yards in the Cyclones 33-26 victory over Oklahoma State.

JaMaine Billups clinched the Insight.com Bowl victory with a scintillating 72-yard punt return for a touchdown and will look to get more backfield action this season.

Sophomore Hiawatha Rutland also returns. Rutland showed promise in the spring game with 72 yards.

Wide Receivers

This position is a concern as the Cyclones lost their top two receivers, J.J. Moses and Chris Anthony.

Moses finished with 775 receiving yards and was one of the conference’s most dangerous punt and kick returners.

Seneca Wallace will have a corps of receivers to throw to, including Lane Danielsen, Jamaul Montgomery and Craig Campbell. Also returning is tight end Mike Banks who hauled in 27 passes for 273 yards last season.

“I think we can have more playmakers than last year, but will they step up and make big plays?” McCarney said. “We need to find some wide receivers who will consistently make big plays for us.”

“Mike Banks is back, and he’s benching over 400 pounds. I wouldn’t trade him for any other tight end in the country.”

Offensive Line

McCarney has coached a 1,000-yard rusher every season in his six-year tenure, and the Cyclone offensive line is determined to make it seven in a row.

The Cyclones lost three starters from the line, including All-American Ben Bruns. Returning starters that will anchor the line are seniors Marcel Howard and Lorenzo White.

Howard will fill the left tackle slot again while White will start at right guard.

“Those two (Howard and White) are tremendous leaders, and we’re going to lean on them,” McCarney said.

A sizable group are battling for playing time, including several seniors that have never started.

“We need to find more depth in the offensive line,” McCarney said. “I have three seniors that are backups right now and they need to step up and play like seniors.”

Defensive Line

The area hit hardest by graduation was the defensive line as four contributor’s from last season’s line were seniors. Departing defensive linemen Reggie Hayward, Ryan Harklau, Nigel Tharpe and James Reed all moved on to the professional level.

The lone starter back to lead an inexperienced front line is senior defensive end Kevin DeRonde. DeRonde tallied 60 tackles last season, including seven for a loss.

Sophomore Jordan Carstens and senior Willie Judd will start in the middle with Tyson Smith at the other defensive end.

“The loss of four starters on the defensive line will make it difficult, and we hope to find some guys to fill those holes by the time the UNI game rolls around,” McCarney said. “We have four guys that played some D-line last year, and five redshirt freshman and three jucos also. They need to step up and help this football team.”

Linebackers

There are plenty of options at linebacker as McCarney needs to replace two starters. Junior Matt Word returns to start at middle linebacker after finishing fourth on the squad with 63 tackles last season, including a team-high 10 in the bowl game.

Feisty senior Justin Eilers made 21 stops in the final four games of last season, and gets the starting nod at one linebacker spot while junior Jeremy Loyd completes the starting trio.

Andrew Moser, Brent Nash, Chris Whitaker and Royce Hooks provide depth at the position.

Secondary

The Cyclones have both experience and youthful talent to lead the secondary.

Sophomore free safety Marc Timmons exploded on the scene last season while senior strong safety Adam Runk is a three-year letterwinner who has appeared in 27 games over the last three seasons.

Timmons filled in for the injured Dustin Avey last season and recorded three interceptions including a 78-yard return for a touchdown in a victory over Missouri.

The Cyclones have Atif Austin returning at cornerback after the junior defensive back started 10 games last season but had off-season shoulder surgery. Austin is expected to be back at full strength.

Special Teams

The Cyclones lost special teams star Carl Gomez who occupied the punting chores and the placekicking duties. Gomez came on in the middle of the season to nail 7-of-8 field goals.

Redshirt freshman Tony Yelk will try and follow Gomez’s success at kicker while freshman Tony Blankenship will compete with Mitch Curtis and Casey Baldwin to start at punter.

“Tony Yelk is clearly our starting kicker,” McCarney said. “We don’t know who our punter will be. That is a huge question mark.”

JaMaine Billups, Michael Wagner and Hiawatha Rutland will return kicks.

Newcomers

The Cyclones recruiting class combines a mix of freshman and junior college players. The top recruit that will make an immediate impact is junior college transfer quarterback Seneca Wallace.

Another junior college transfer slotted to start is Jeremy Loyd at linebacker. Freshmen Tony Blankenship and Nik Moser could be possibilities to skip redshirt seasons and play right away.

Moser broke Dustin Avey’s six-year record in the shuttle run – five 60-yard sprints.

Avey’s time was 42.85 and Moser eclipsed that with a time of 42.53.

Schedule

The Cyclones start the season with non-conference home dates against intrastate rivals University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa, and a road trip to Ohio University.

The Cyclones have defeated the Hawkeyes three years in a row and claimed a 25-15 win over Ohio University last season.

“Each of the non-conference teams we play will have played one more game than us when we play them,” McCarney said. “So those teams will know more about their football team than we will, so that is a concern.”

In the conference, the Cyclones host Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, Baylor University and University of Colorado. The Cyclones defeated all of those teams except for the Wildcats last season.

On the road in the Big 12, the Cyclones found success finishing 3-1. This season, the Cyclones have tough road trips to Nebraska and Texas A&M while also traveling to Missouri and Kansas, both teams they defeated last season.

The Cyclones take on two teams currently ranked in the top 25. Nebraska is fourth while Kansas State is 11th in the preseason poll.

“The Big 12 is loaded,” McCarney said. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again this year, the Big 12 is the best conference in America. Half the conference is ranked and five are in the top 11.”

The ISU football team was hit hard by graduation, but Head Coach Dan McCarney is confident a solid football team can be put together with everyone that is returning.

Including the special teams tandem of Carl Gomez and Mike McKnight, the Cyclones lost 14 starters, seven on defense and five on offense.

The following is a breakdown of positions for the 2001 Cyclone football team, highlighting returnees:

Quarterback

The Cyclones will have to replace two-year starter Sage Rosenfels, who led the Cyclones to a 9-3 record in his senior season. Rosenfels passed for 2,298 yards and rushed for 10 touchdowns helping the Cyclones rank 21st nationally in total offense.

Seneca Wallace, a junior college All-American from Sacramento Community College, is the leading candidate to replace Rosenfels. Wallace won the No. 1 job heading into fall practice and will most likely start the season opener against Northern Iowa Sept. 8.

“We have to replace a guy who was a coach on the field in Sage Rosenfels,” McCarney said. “Sage knew the game inside and out. I’m real impressed with Seneca’s ability to do those same things, but he’s not where Sage is yet.”

Other competitors in the quarterback race are Gerrin Scott, Cris Love and junior college transfer Dustin Ochs.

“We hope to have all four be solid Big 12 quarterbacks by the time we start the season,” McCarney said.

Running Backs

The Cyclones are loaded at the tailback position, returning four solid backs.

Senior Ennis Haywood, the 2000 Big 12 Conference’s leading rusher, will be the focal point again after rushing for 1,237 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago.

“Ennis is our starter, and he’s capable. We all know what he can do,” McCarney said. “We need some balance in the offense like last year, so teams can’t load up to stop Ennis.”

Michael Wagner returns after a breakout freshman season. Wagner stepped into the lineup when Haywood went down, and rushed for 170 yards in the Cyclones 33-26 victory over Oklahoma State.

JaMaine Billups clinched the Insight.com Bowl victory with a scintillating 72-yard punt return for a touchdown and will look to get more backfield action this season.

Sophomore Hiawatha Rutland also returns. Rutland showed promise in the spring game with 72 yards.

Wide Receivers

This position is a concern as the Cyclones lost their top two receivers, J.J. Moses and Chris Anthony.

Moses finished with 775 receiving yards and was one of the conference’s most dangerous punt and kick returners.

Seneca Wallace will have a corps of receivers to throw to, including Lane Danielsen, Jamaul Montgomery and Craig Campbell. Also returning is tight end Mike Banks who hauled in 27 passes for 273 yards last season.

“I think we can have more playmakers than last year, but will they step up and make big plays?” McCarney said. “We need to find some wide receivers who will consistently make big plays for us.”

“Mike Banks is back, and he’s benching over 400 pounds. I wouldn’t trade him for any other tight end in the country.”

Offensive Line

McCarney has coached a 1,000-yard rusher every season in his six-year tenure, and the Cyclone offensive line is determined to make it seven in a row.

The Cyclones lost three starters from the line, including All-American Ben Bruns. Returning starters that will anchor the line are seniors Marcel Howard and Lorenzo White.

Howard will fill the left tackle slot again while White will start at right guard.

“Those two (Howard and White) are tremendous leaders, and we’re going to lean on them,” McCarney said.

A sizable group are battling for playing time, including several seniors that have never started.

“We need to find more depth in the offensive line,” McCarney said. “I have three seniors that are backups right now and they need to step up and play like seniors.”

Defensive Line

The area hit hardest by graduation was the defensive line as four contributor’s from last season’s line were seniors. Departing defensive linemen Reggie Hayward, Ryan Harklau, Nigel Tharpe and James Reed all moved on to the professional level.

The lone starter back to lead an inexperienced front line is senior defensive end Kevin DeRonde. DeRonde tallied 60 tackles last season, including seven for a loss.

Sophomore Jordan Carstens and senior Willie Judd will start in the middle with Tyson Smith at the other defensive end.

“The loss of four starters on the defensive line will make it difficult, and we hope to find some guys to fill those holes by the time the UNI game rolls around,” McCarney said. “We have four guys that played some D-line last year, and five redshirt freshman and three jucos also. They need to step up and help this football team.”

Linebackers

There are plenty of options at linebacker as McCarney needs to replace two starters. Junior Matt Word returns to start at middle linebacker after finishing fourth on the squad with 63 tackles last season, including a team-high 10 in the bowl game.

Feisty senior Justin Eilers made 21 stops in the final four games of last season, and gets the starting nod at one linebacker spot while junior Jeremy Loyd completes the starting trio.

Andrew Moser, Brent Nash, Chris Whitaker and Royce Hooks provide depth at the position.

Secondary

The Cyclones have both experience and youthful talent to lead the secondary.

Sophomore free safety Marc Timmons exploded on the scene last season while senior strong safety Adam Runk is a three-year letterwinner who has appeared in 27 games over the last three seasons.

Timmons filled in for the injured Dustin Avey last season and recorded three interceptions including a 78-yard return for a touchdown in a victory over Missouri.

The Cyclones have Atif Austin returning at cornerback after the junior defensive back started 10 games last season but had off-season shoulder surgery. Austin is expected to be back at full strength.

Special Teams

The Cyclones lost special teams star Carl Gomez who occupied the punting chores and the placekicking duties. Gomez came on in the middle of the season to nail 7-of-8 field goals.

Redshirt freshman Tony Yelk will try and follow Gomez’s success at kicker while freshman Tony Blankenship will compete with Mitch Curtis and Casey Baldwin to start at punter.

“Tony Yelk is clearly our starting kicker,” McCarney said. “We don’t know who our punter will be. That is a huge question mark.”

JaMaine Billups, Michael Wagner and Hiawatha Rutland will return kicks.

Newcomers

The Cyclones recruiting class combines a mix of freshman and junior college players. The top recruit that will make an immediate impact is junior college transfer quarterback Seneca Wallace.

Another junior college transfer slotted to start is Jeremy Loyd at linebacker. Freshmen Tony Blankenship and Nik Moser could be possibilities to skip redshirt seasons and play right away.

Moser broke Dustin Avey’s six-year record in the shuttle run – five 60-yard sprints.

Avey’s time was 42.85 and Moser eclipsed that with a time of 42.53.

Schedule

The Cyclones start the season with non-conference home dates against intrastate rivals University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa, and a road trip to Ohio University.

The Cyclones have defeated the Hawkeyes three years in a row and claimed a 25-15 win over Ohio University last season.

“Each of the non-conference teams we play will have played one more game than us when we play them,” McCarney said. “So those teams will know more about their football team than we will, so that is a concern.”

In the conference, the Cyclones host Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, Baylor University and University of Colorado. The Cyclones defeated all of those teams except for the Wildcats last season.

On the road in the Big 12, the Cyclones found success finishing 3-1. This season, the Cyclones have tough road trips to Nebraska and Texas A&M while also traveling to Missouri and Kansas, both teams they defeated last season.

The Cyclones take on two teams currently ranked in the top 25. Nebraska is fourth while Kansas State is 11th in the preseason poll.

“The Big 12 is loaded,” McCarney said. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again this year, the Big 12 is the best conference in America. Half the conference is ranked and five are in the top 11.”