Last season Iowa State defeated Iowa for the first time in 15 years and, in the process, turned their intrastate rivalry into just that.

A rivalry. The one element that was missing from this series has finally returned.

Saturday night, the Cyclones and Hawkeyes square off for the 47th time and for the first time in almost two decades there is no clear favorite. Actually, the Cyclones are a four-point favorite but three of those come with being the home team, so it’s pretty much even.

Throw in the fact that this is the first night game in the long history of the series and the conclusion is simple. This has the makings for something special.

Finally, it looks like we’re going to get a competitive game. Gone are the days of Hawkeye blowout victories every year. Even last year, when the Cyclones finally won, it wasn’t close.

Not often does a football game that features two teams coming off 3-8 seasons generate a whole lot of excitement.

This shouldn’t be a problem Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium, especially since the 6 p.m. kickoff time gives fans more than enough time to tailgate and consume as many alcoholic beverages as possible.

The Cyclones enter the annual grudge match coming off a 33-7 season-opening victory over Indiana State, a Division 1-AA squad. Although it was a serious mismatch, the victory gave the Cyclones some momentum and confidence heading into Saturday.

In the rout of the Sycamores, the most impressive aspect of the Cyclones’ performance was the rushing attack. The Cyclones piled up 434 yards, led by 172 from Ennis Haywood and 112 from Darren Davis.

Davis worked over the Hawkeye defense last year for 244 yards and should have another big game Saturday with help from Haywood. Iowa’s defense isn’t all that bad, but is on the field way too much, due to the fact that the offense is downright awful.

The Hawkeyes started the season by getting mauled by Nebraska last Saturday. In that game, the Hawkeye offense went three-and-out on their first five possessions and had trouble picking up positive yards in the process. Now, I know that the Cornhuskers are a powerhouse, but Iowa made their defensive unit look like it should be in the NFL.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz stated after the Husker game that the plan was to keep the offense simple and not show any looks of their new West-Coast offense. Well, after watching the Hawkeyes struggle with running a simple offense, I think Ferentz needs to go back to the drawing board and scrap any plans of a pro-style offense.

Maybe Ryan Loftin did give the Iowa playbook to the Cornhuskers after all. Yeah, right. Nebraska obviously didn’t need any outside help to beat up on the Hawkeyes and neither do the Cyclones.

The passing game will be the key for the Cyclones to be successful. The Iowa defense will more than likely stack the line to try to shut down Davis, so Cyclone quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Derrick Walker will have to spread the offense out to keep the Hawkeye defense honest.

ISU is going to follow the gameplan of rotating Rosenfels and Walker.

The Cyclone duo is less experienced, but better all-around than Iowa starter Kyle McCann. Iowa backup Randy Reiners returns after serving a one-game suspension and could see action if McCann struggles, which is almost a sure bet.

The Cyclone defense spent a lot of time in the Hawkeye offensive backfield in last year’s game, sacking McCann seven times and giving up only 42 rushing yards. Expect more of the same Saturday night as, once again, the offensive line is the main Hawkeye weakness.

Early in the game, the Hawkeye defense will try to keep Iowa in the game but will run out of gas in the second half.

The combination of the one-two punch of Davis and Haywood along with the struggling Iowa offense keeping them on the field, will be the downfall of the Hawk defense and Iowa’s chances altogether.

During the 1980s and most of the ’90s, the Hawkeyes dished out beatings to the Cyclones year after year. Now, with a new century approaching, the tables have turned and the Cyclones will take a two-game winning streak into the millennium.

Cyclones 20, Hawkeyes 10.

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Jeff Stell is junior in journalism and mass communication from Fort Dodge.