ISU football Head Coach Dan McCarney has been itching to get his team out on the field. He gets his chance Saturday as the Cyclones kick off the 2000 season hosting Ohio University. The Cyclones have gone through a summer full of practices and scrimmages, and McCarney said his team is ready for real action. “I’m excited for this football team and I’m anxious to get them on the field. We’ve had 28 practices, it’s time to go play,” he said. “We’re frankly tired of practicing against each other, we want to go play a game against new faces and a new staff and see how we measure up.” The Bobcats present a challenge right out of the gate for the Cyclones. The Bobcats finished 5-6 last year, which included a 5-3 mark in the Mid-American Conference. “It’s a huge game for us. Ohio University has had, frankly, more success than we’ve had over the last couple of years. They’ve got a real talented football team coming back and they’re not intimidated at all by playing bigger schools,” McCarney said. Offensively, the Cyclones return seven starters. One position where starting experience isn’t maintained is tailback, as the Cyclones lost standout Darren Davis to graduation. Junior Ennis Haywood is slotted in the starting spot with Michael Wagner, Hiawatha Rutland and Ja’Maine Billups battling for playing time. “We’ve got four running backs we feel real good about. Ennis is the leader and he’s the starter without any question. You’re going to see at least two of them Saturday and, depending on how the game goes, you may see more than that,” McCarney said. McCarney said the Cyclone defense will have its work cut out for them as the Bobcats run a triple option offense, and have three backs that rushed for over 500 yards last season. Leading the Bobcat offense is quarterback Dontrell Jackson, who rushed for 528 yards and three touchdowns last season and threw for six scores. “Jackson is outstanding. Ohio has been sixth and seventh in the nation in rush offense the last two years so we have our hands full. Our defense better be ready to go because they’re going to get a real test,” McCarney said. The weather is expected to be hot and humid Saturday, but McCarney isn’t worried about the conditioning of his team. The Cyclones practiced in those kinds of situations all summer. “I’m really proud of these kids. We’ve worked through tremendous heat, it’s 91 out there today and it’s supposed to be about that Saturday. The kids have been fun to coach and have a tremendous attitude,” McCarney said.