This is beginning to sound a little familiar.

“[Fill in the blank with next opponent] is a great team. They have excellent athletes, can really present some problems, and we know we have a tremendous challenge ahead,” Cyclone coach Dan McCarney said at his weekly press conference Tuesday.

This time, we can be sure that McCarney is indeed being truthful in his glowing report of Iowa State’s opposition this Saturday, the Texas Longhorns.

Texas is coming off an upset of third-ranked Nebraska, a 24-20 win at home. So far this season, Texas is 6-2, and McCarney knows they are even better than that.

“This is a tremendous football team. Their quarterback, Major Applewhite, is probably the best one that we will face this year. They have a deep corps of wide receivers and tight ends that can catch the ball and run,” McCarney said.

The Cyclones are coming off a heartbreaking 16-12 loss to the Colorado Buffaloes in which McCarney and his staff came under heavy criticism after the game.

Ever the optimist, the coach doesn’t see that as a bad thing.

“I think that can be seen as a sign of success, sure. It means we were close enough at the end where some decisions we made came under fire,” McCarney said.

A major challenge will be on hand for the ISU defense, which comes into the eighth game of the season ranked 20th nationally.

The Longhorns have averaged 294 yards passing per game, as well as 142 yards on the ground.

Hodges Mitchell leads the Texas ground attack, and McCarney sees him as a major part of the Longhorn offense.

“Mitchell is a very good back. He has the ability to make people miss in the open field, much like Darren Davis,” McCarney said.

Another area McCarney is concerned with is the offensive line of Texas.

“They are absolutely huge up front. I think they average about 330 pounds overall, and that’s a physical line as well,” McCarney said.

One thing the coach is concerned about has been the play of the Cyclones when they reach scoring territory.

“We’ve been moving the ball very well but just have been making too many mistakes. I’m not sure how many turnovers we’ve had in the red zone, but it’s been too many. I mean, one is too many down there,” McCarney said.

The Cyclones (4-3) also have been penalized a lot this year, something that hasn’t happened in McCarney’s regime before.

“That’s really a frustrating thing for me. What’s really upsetting is the pre-snap penalties, because all that is is a lack of discipline. Especially at home, there is no reason for a false start when crowd noise is not a factor, and that’s something that we need to work on,” McCarney said.

With the loss of Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, it would figure that the Longhorns would suffer. According to McCarney, that hasn’t happened.

“I think they are a better team this year. They had a lot of experience coming back on defense. They have two defensive ends who have combined for 26 tackles for loss. They are a very good team,” McCarney said.

Coming off a stretch in which they have faced Kansas State, longtime rival Oklahoma and Nebraska, a letdown would be natural.

Not so fast, says Coach Mac.

“I really don’t see Mack [Texas coach Brown] letting them do that. I know him way too well, and I know they will come here ready to play,” McCarney said.

The game will once again be televised, kicking off at 11:30 a.m. at Jack Trice Stadium.