Iowa State coach Dan McCarney knows that the challenge ahead is one that none of his teams have even come close to meeting.

That challenge, beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, will be the biggest test that the 3-1 Cyclones will face in the 1999 campaign. McCarney knows his players will have to play great.

“This is a top five football team. They have an outstanding football team; they are hitting on all cylinders right now. The last two weeks, they have been totally dominant. Lincoln, Neb., is not a place for the weak of heart,” McCarney said.

And he should know. The last two Cyclone squads that came into Memorial Stadium have been outscored 150-28. That’s right. Nebraska has averaged 75 points against the Cyclones the last two times ISU roared into town. Two years ago, ISU was trailing 63-7. At half-time.

McCarney hopes this year will be different.

“We’re hoping this is going to be a 15-round fight, instead of just a one or two-rounder the way it’s been lately. We have not had pleasant experiences there the last couple times we’ve been down there,” McCarney said.

There was good news on the medical front for the Cyclones.

“Zach Butler and Breon Ansley should be ready to go this week. Ben Bruns got his cast off, and we are hoping he would be ready by the Texas game, and Ryan Harklau should be back around then as well,” McCarney said.

As to how the Huskers stack up to past years, like 1997 when they won the National Title, McCarney seems impressed with this year’s version.

“They rank right up there. They’re fast, physical and deep. They bring a lot of people at you, they have great depth. They have a huge offensive line as usual, and two of the best athletes in the league in Eric Crouch and Bobby Newcombe,” McCarney said.

The Huskers have shown a penchant for the pass as of late, something that has McCarney concerned.

“It makes my job a lot tougher. They have such a great running game, and now with another dimension, being able to throw it, it makes is tougher. Crouch is an outstanding football player who can do a lot of great things, and he has good wide receivers and a great tight end in Eric Wistrom,” McCarney said.

According to McCarney, the week off came at a good time.

“I think it was real good. I was real proud of the kids. We didn’t spend as much time with them and gave them a mental break as well as a physical one, and hopefully we will be ready to play Saturday,” he said.

Despite being hammered in his first four seasons as coach, McCarney believes that this year the game could go down to the wire.

“I think we have a lot more confidence. We’ve done a lot of good things so far this year, and we are ranked in a lot of categories nationally. No matter what happens this week, I know we are a better team offensively and defensivley,” McCarney said.

Something that the Cyclones have not faced this season is a difficult atmosphere on the road. McCarney knows he will see his team go straight into the fire on Saturday night.

“There will be 80,000 strong out there on Saturday night, under the lights, on national television and all the rest. I think it’s the best atmosphere in college football. What we try to tell kids is that you’re not playing the 80,000 people in the crowd, you’re playing against the man in front of you. It’s a lot easier said than done,” McCarney said.

He also knows what will happen if his players get caught up in the atmosphere.

“If our kids start looking around at the crowd, and the big screens, and all that, they are going to get hit in the mouth. We can’t afford to get caught up in that, and we need to minimize our mistakes,” McCarney said.

Cyclone offensive lineman Bill Marsau feels that the Cyclones are much better equipped to hang with the Huskers than in years past.

“I think we are a lot bigger and stronger on the lines. We are playing a lot better, and we have more confidence this season,” Marsau said.

He knows a key will be how effective the Cyclones are at running the football.

“I think we will be able to run the ball on anybody. One thing we learned against Kansas State is we can compete against anybody. We just need to sustain it longer,” Marsau said.

The Cyclones will surely have to play all 60 minutes at a high level to move to 4-1 on the season.