The 48th chapter of the heated intrastate rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State will unfold tomorrow at Kinnick Stadium, and both sides are expecting a hard-fought battle. The Cyclones will be looking to grind out their third consecutive win in the series and add to their growing control of the annual showdown. The last time the Cyclones traveled to Kinnick Stadium, they came away with a 27-9 victory which ended 15 years of Hawkeye victories in the rivalry. The two teams enter Saturday’s game heading in opposite directions. The Cyclones are 2-0 after wins over Ohio University and UNLV, while the Hawkeyes have dropped games to Kansas State and Western Michigan. While it appears that all signs point to a Cyclone victory, ISU Head Coach Dan McCarney knows better. McCarney has gone up against the Hawkeyes five times as coach of the Cyclones and was on the other side for 13 years as a line coach at Iowa. “We know we’re going to get Iowa’s best shot. It doesn’t matter what we see on tape because we know they’re going to play much better. I feel they’ve improved in every phase over last year,” McCarney said. “I feel proud to be part of this rivalry. I’ve been involved in 18 of them in the past. I’m thrilled and excited to be part of it.” The Cyclone offense has been impressive in the two victories. The Cyclones are averaging over 418 yards of total offense including 250.5 from quarterback Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels has thrown for 480 yards and two touchdowns. Last week against UNLV, the Rebels were committed to stopping the Cyclone rushing attack and Rosenfels took advantage by racking up 286 passing yards. “You got to be flexible with your offense. If somebody is going to try to stop your run, you need other areas to step up and come through,” McCarney said. The special teams have also been a big factor in the Cyclones’ strong start. Kicker Mike McKnight is second, nationally, with five field goals while on the other side of the ball, the Cyclones have blocked five kicks. After shocking the Hawkeyes in 1998, the Cyclones showed it wasn’t a fluke by earning a 17-10 victory last season in Ames. McCarney attributes the recent Cyclone success in the rivalry to the fact that they have caught up to the Hawkeyes in size and strength. “I think we got off to a good start in both games and that definitely helped. For 15 years it was a mismatch, but now we physically can match up on both sides of the ball. We’ve closed the gap personnel -wise,” McCarney said. The Hawkeyes have lost 10 games in a row dating back to last season and 16 of their last 17. Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz feels his team has improved but needs to cut down on mistakes that have led to defeat. “We’ve done some things better but we just haven’t done enough to win. We haven’t played consistently enough to win. We need to make the other team earn it, be less charitable,” Ferentz said. The Cyclones feature 24 seniors, most of which have been part of the two victories over the Hawkeyes. Ferentz sees this as one of the Cyclones’ strengths. “We’ve had it tough so far and it doesn’t get easier playing Iowa State. They’re a veteran team, that jumps out at me right away. Dan [McCarney] has said that this is his best team since he’s been in Ames and I think it’s pretty fair to say that his prognostication is strong,” Ferentz said. Defensively, the Hawkeyes have been solid against the run. The Hawkeyes are only giving up 118.5 rushing yards per game. “The last two years have been tough games and it’s going to be again this year. Iowa is a tough, hard-nosed team that doesn’t quit. We got to get ready physically and mentally because they’re going to come out and try to hit us in the mouth and we have to be prepared for that,” said ISU offensive lineman Andy Stensrud. The Cyclones have been led on the ground by junior tailback Ennis Haywood, who’s 12th nationally in rushing with an average of 133.5 yards per game.