The ISU football team hopes to continue its recent trend of night game success this weekend as it hosts the Missouri Tigers at 6 p.m. Saturday.

In the history of Jack Trice Stadium, there has been a total of nine night games. During those games, Iowa State has gone 6-3 with their last loss coming in 1997 against Oklahoma State.

In the last seven night games that IowaState has played, the Cyclones are 6-1 with their lone defeat coming at the hands of perennial power Nebraska.

For J.J. Moses, playing night games has both good and bad qualities.

“During a night game it seems like the game takes forever,” Moses said. “You’ve got to be patient, focused, and just be relaxed.”

A high school standout at Waterloo East, Moses played under the lights every Friday night during his prep career.

“For the most part, I like the night games,” Moses said. “It really brings back some of the old high school memories.”

One of the most difficult adjustments Moses will have to make on Saturday will be seeing the ball. As the team’s kick-off and punt returner and its leading wide receiver, Moses knows that, with the proper preparation, the lights won’t be as big as factor as they could be.

“Playing under the lights really doesn’t bother me at all,” Moses said. “As long as I prepare myself and stay focused, the returns and receptions will take care of themselves.”

Special teams and secondary coach Bob Elliot also has mixed feelings in regards to preparing for a night game. He knows that the extra time on Saturday can have both positive and negative effects on the team.

“The bad thing is that you spend the whole day watching other teams play,” Elliot said.

“The wait is just incredible and the pressure continues to build the entire day.”

However, Elliot also knows that with the correct preparation and focus, the extra time on Saturday can be a big positive for the team.

“If you focus properly and use the time wisely, it can be a big plus,” Elliot said.

Coming off a demoralizing loss last weekend to Texas A&M, Elliot sees this game as a key opportunity to get the team back on track.

“We are excited about playing Missouri, not just playing underneath the lights,” Elliot said. “We have played under the lights twice this year and will practice with the lights on Friday, so we should be ready.”

Other than the players, there is another group of people that are getting ready for the game this weekend.

Assistant Athletic Director Frank Randall is one of the people who ensures that the actual lights are ready for any night game Iowa State plays. The responsibility for contracting the lights depends on whether or not the game is televised.

“If the game is not televised it is our responsibility to contract the lights.” Randall said.

“If the game is televised, the Big 12 is the organization that is responsible getting the lights ready for the game.”

Musco, a lighting company out of Oskaloosa, IA, is the group who will be doing the lighting for this weekend’s game. A nationally recognized company, Musco does lighting for many football games around the Midwest and just recently lit up the golf course that hosted the Tiger Woods vs. Sergio Garcia head-to-head match.

“Musco brings boom trucks and generators in on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,” Randall said.

“If a team wants to practice with the lights, Musco is very cooperative about testing the lights out during the times we practice.”