The Iowa State football team heads into yet another game that is characterized as “the biggest game the program has seen in 20 years.”

However, Dave Brcka doesn’t see this as a negative.

“I think every game is a big game anyway. We have to look at it like every game we play is going to be the one that determines the rest of the year,” Brcka said.

The fifth-year senior from West Des Moines has seen his share of rough times in his Cyclone days.

Brcka came to ISU as one of Dan McCarney’s first recruits and red-shirted in 1995, his first year and the beginning year of the McCarney era.

The Cyclones went 3-8 that year, and for the first time in his football career, Brcka had to watch from the sideline.

However, the next year, Brcka stepped off of the bench and into a starting role.

He started every game that year and led the team in tackles with 127. He had games with tackle totals as high as 17 (against Missouri) and 16 (at Colorado) and overall was one of the top defenders on the squad.

The next season, he was elected as the first sophomore captain in 104 years of ISU football. He then missed a couple of games with a knee injury and saw his production drop a substantial amount.

Combine that with a season that saw the Cyclones go 1-10, and the year was not a good one for him.

Last year, Brcka was relatively healthy but again saw his productivity on the field take a hit, as he recorded a career-low 42 tackles.

This season, however, he has been back and in many ways, stronger than ever.

The veteran linebacker already has 40 tackles and has broken up two passes on the 1999 season.

In last weekend’s game against Missouri, Brcka was on the field for the entire game, defensively. His evening was a very efficient one, as he compiled a career-high 18 tackles.

“I didn’t mind playing the whole way. It was a cool night, so that wasn’t a problem. I wish every game was like that,” Brcka said.

The ride home from Columbia was a fun one — something that Brcka has not experienced at ISU.

“This was the first time that we had won a conference road game since I’ve been here, so that was the only fun trip I’ve had back from a game,” Brcka said.

He knows that Colorado will present an interesting challenge this weekend.

“This is by far the best passing game we have seen so far,” he said. “They have some great receivers and [Mike] Moschetti is a really good quarterback. He is mobile and has a really good arm. It’s definitely a challenge.”

Although the Buffalo running game has not yet been solid this year, it is still a threat, Brcka said.

“They have a bunch of big lineman up front, and I’m sure if they wanted to, they could run the ball very well,” he said.

As a member of the first-team Academic All-Big 12 for three years running, the pre-med major is looking to go to medical school next year.

As for the rest of this year, Brcka knows the potential for greatness in the Cyclones is there.

Whether they can realize the potential and make a bid for a winning season will be largely the responsibility of the defense. Brcka thinks they can handle it.

“We have a lot of confidence right now. We’re playing well, and I hope we can keep it up for the rest of the year.”

If they do that, the first winning season since 1989 could very well be in the hands of the 1999 Cyclones.