Things won’t be any easier this Saturday for the Cyclones as they travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face 7-2 Kansas State.

Fresh off of a 26-10 loss to Texas A&M last weekend, coach Bill Snyder and his No. 19 ranked Wildcats can be counted on to give Iowa State a real test of just how far it has come from last season, as it is among the nation’s leaders in offense and defense.

Trailing by three touchdowns last season in Ames, K-State rallied in the second half behind the efforts of its standout quarterback (among others), senior Jonathan Beasley.

Beasley is currently second in the nation in the NCAA’s “Points Responsible For” stat, averaging 18.9 points accounted for per game. He is also ranks eighth in the nation in individual scoring (10.2 ppg), 18th in pass efficiency (141.8 rating) and will lead the nation’s sixth best scoring team (41.9 points per game) onto the field.

“Beasley can hurt ‘ya a thousand different ways,” ISU Head Football Coach Dan McCarney said, “He’s very involved in their offense — running the football-quarterback draws, counters, options, scrambling —and he can really hurt you throwing. He’s an outstanding player.”

Beasley’s main targets, and Iowa State’s biggest defensive concerns, is K-State’s trio of outstanding wide receivers. Seniors Quincy Morgan and Martez Wesley and junior Aaron Lockett are what McCarney calls “NFL guys.” This group averages 17.8 catches per game, and Morgan all ready has 10 scores on the season. Shad Meier, also a senior, will start at tight end.

Punt and kick returner senior David Allen will lineup in the Wildcat backfield along with junior running back Josh Scobey and junior fullback Roc Cartwright. Scobey leads the team in rushing, averaging 49.1 yards per game, along with nine touchdowns. Adding Beasley into the rushing equation, adds up to an average of 197.4 yards per game rushing for the Wildcats.

K-State’s offensive line was also referred to as “NFL guys” by McCarney, as seniors Milford Stephenson and Randall Cummins, juniors Andy Eby and John Robertson and Thomas Barnett will do their best in protecting Beasley against Iowa State’s front four.

The nation’s fifth ranked defense (268.8 yards per game) will also be on display this Saturday, as the Wildcat defense is ranked in the top 20 in all four major team categories, including rushing defense (10th), pass efficiency (15th) and scoring (17th).

Junior free safety Jon McGraw leads the Wildcats in tackles and is second in interceptions, with 72 and three respectively. Junior cornerback Jerametrius Butler leads K-State with four interceptions, and seniors Jarrod Cooper and Dyshod Carter round the secondary.

Senior defensive ends Monty Beisel and Chris Johnson are second and third on the team in tackles, and first and third on the team in sacks. Beisel has 66 tackles and nine sacks, with Johnson collecting 60 tackles and seven sacks. Senior defensive tackle Mario Fatafehi has eight sacks, and junior nosetackle DeVane Robinson has six quarterback hurries.

K-State will go with a rotation of five linebackers to complete its 4-3 scheme. Seniors Warren Lott, Jason Kazar and Turelle Williams will be joined by freshmen Terry Pierce and sophomore Andy Klocke.

As a punt returner, Allen needs just 78 yards to tie the NCAA career punt return yardage record. Unfortunately for the ISU special teams, Allen is not all it has to worry about, as Lockett will also be featured on punt returns and is currently second in the nation with an average of 21.1 yards per return.

Preseason All-American kicker, senior Jamie Rheem, has been nearly perfect all season. He is 11 of 12 in field goal tries and 34 of 35 in PAT tries. The Wildcats will feature three different punters in sophomore Travis Brown, junior Mike Ronsick and freshman Jared Brite.

Head Coach Bill Snyder is in his 12th season at Kansas State and has compiled a record of 95-42-1 over that span. He is credited with one of the most impressive college football program turnarounds in history, as it took the K-State program 34 years to reach 90 wins on its own. Snyder is 9-2 against Iowa State, and 5-0 against McCarney.