Jamarcus Powers has battled more than his share of hardships over the last year, and the ISU cornerback feels the experience has helped him on and off the football field. Powers will be making a trip back home Saturday when the Cyclones travel to Baylor. The Texas native isn’t making a big deal out of the game, though – he’s just happy to be back on the field. “Saturday is just another game to me,” Powers said. “Whether we played it here or in Colorado or any other place, it’s not a big deal. I just love being with my teammates and coaching staff.” Last season, Powers tore ankle ligaments early in the season and had to sit out the rest of his senior year. Because the injury happened so early, Powers was granted a medical hardship and another season of eligibility. More trouble came in the spring when Powers struggled with his grades and came close to losing his eligibility. ISU Head Football Coach Dan McCarney made the decision to keep Powers out of spring ball to work on his academics. “We just wanted to make sure that he understood that he’s a student athlete, and that’s the number one reason you’re here,” McCarney said. “That’s really why I made that decision in the spring, I wanted to make sure that his commitment to academics was No. 1.” The time off helped Powers improve in the classroom, and McCarney likes the change his player went through. “He’s improved a lot and really grown up as a man, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” McCarney said. “I think he’s learned some lessons. He’s been phenomenal since he’s come back.” The threat of not being able to play football was a wake up call for Powers who had to sit by and watch for a long period of time. “Being out from football last season, and then again in the spring, it affected me a lot,” Powers said. “I told myself `Hey, I got to be more mature about things, and this is the time.’ With all of the support from the coaching staff and the counselors, without that I couldn’t have done it by myself. They helped me a lot.” The Cyclones are off to a 3-0 start and Powers has totaled 17 tackles, including 15 solo stops. Powers’ best outing was an eight tackle performance against UNLV. With no apparent rust from last season’s injury, Powers is pleased with his play and happy he’s contributing to the team’s success. “I don’t want to hurt my teammates, especially when we’re doing so well. No distractions,” Powers said. “I feel way better than I did last year. I like the way I’m playing, but I’m never satisfied. Each week, each day, I just want to get better because right now I’m not at the level that I want to be at,” he said. In the Cyclones’ last outing, Powers was put to the test by Iowa wide receiver Kevin Kasper. Kasper had a big first half, but Powers stepped up his play in the second half. “The game was in Iowa City, and I got hurt in the Iowa game last year, so I was excited,” Powers said. “Coach Elliott was talking to me on the head set, and he told me that I had to calm down. I tightened up my defense in the second half and got up in his [Kasper’s] face.” Powers is a member of an experienced secondary that includes fellow seniors Dustin Avey, Breon Ansley, Doug Densmore and Ryan Sloth. “We play together, we make calls together, we eyeball each other, and make sure we know the calls,” Powers said. “When we get on the sideline, we don’t holler and scream at each other. One person talks and if someone wants to add something, then they can. “It’s not just on the field. We do things together off the field, too.”