The Iowa State football team lived up to its pre-season billing by routing Indiana State 33-7 last Thursday night. The Cyclones were powered by the running game and rolled up 434 yards on the ground.

The quarterback and running back positions seem to be ISU’s deepest after the first game, which should provide a good foundation for the rest of the season. The Cyclones will be able to throw a variety of different looks and playing styles at opposing defenses.

The main reason for ISU’s improved ground game is the emergence of Ennis Haywood. Haywood showed signs of brilliance at the end of last season and then shined in the annual spring game.

This should give the Cyclones plenty of depth at the running back position with Darren Davis maintaining his form from the past three seasons. Davis and Haywood both surpassed the century mark and reached pay dirt once apiece.

Their performance was the first time two ISU backs had rushed for over 100 yards in the same game since Troy Davis and Graston Norris accomplished the feat in 1995.

Haywood showed his straight-ahead running style by breaking three tackles for a 12-yard touchdown last week. Davis also flashed his patented spin move a couple of times for a 12-yard score of his own.

An unlikely contributor to the running game was starting quarterback Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels ran a bootleg on the game’s second play for a 52-yard touchdown. He also displayed his mobility by hitting J.J. Moses for a touchdown strike on a roll-out.

Backup quarterback Derrick Walker also showed what he is capable of against the Sycamores. Walker completed both of his passes on the night and showed a great deal of poise by feeling the pressure and rolling away from it. Walker also held onto the ball until the opportune time to throw it.

The Cyclone defense showed signs of improvement over last season by holding Indiana State to 213 yards rushing. The Sycamore’s triple option offense was all but shut down by Iowa State’s starting defense. The only score for Indiana State came with 8:18 left in the game, which was after the contest was already decided.

Iowa State also held the Sycamores to only 18 yards passing for the game on three completions. Jeff Waters and Doug Densmore each had interceptions, and the Cyclone defense broke up four passes as well. The secondary seems primed for another season after playing together all last season. Their cohesiveness should help against the Hawkeye receiving corps.

Eric Weiford made the most of his starting role at inside linebacker by recording a team-high seven tackles. Jesse Beckom also returned to his form from a year ago to record six tackles.

The defensive line will be tested against a much bigger Iowa squad, but it seems ready for the challenge. The Cyclones controlled the trenches against Indiana State and were spearheaded by James Reed.

Reed should be a terror in the Big 12 this season and will definitely be a thorn in Iowa’s side. Reed has shown that he is adept at both harassing the quarterback and stuffing the run.

One of the biggest question marks for ISU will be the kicking game. Both kickers struggled in the opener and missed some extra points, which may be crucial in a close game.

Iowa State also had two kick-offs sail out of bounds to give the Sycamores excellent field position. This type of performance from the kicking team needs to be corrected in a hurry if the Cyclones hope to win the tight games.

Overall, Iowa State looked pretty impressive in its first outing of the year. Indiana State was probably not the best test, but it does give the players a little confidence heading into the Iowa game.