Iowa State will enter its annual showdown against Iowa Saturday to face a Hawkeye team looking to turn around a sluggish performance against sixth-ranked Nebraska last Saturday.

Iowa managed only 169 yards of total offense in their 42-7 setback against the Cornhuskers in Iowa City, and the offense is looking for improvement against the Cyclones.

Sophomore Hawkeye quarterback Kyle McCann is hoping he can erase a dismal 11-for-27 passing performance against Nebraska with a strong outing against ISU. McCann completed 54 percent of his passes for 1,179 yards and two touchdowns as a part-time starter for Iowa in 1998.

In last season’s ISU-Iowa meeting, McCann started his first game for Iowa and was one of the only bright spots for the Hawks during a 27-9 loss, as he completed 19 of 30 passes for 229 yards.

Backing up McCann will be senior Randy Reiners, who is coming off a one-game suspension for public intoxication. Reiners started four games for Iowa in 1998 despite being hampered by a knee injury throughout the season. He completed 37 of 86 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns with six interceptions.

In 1997, Reiners had an outstanding season for Iowa, backing up Matt Sherman. After Sherman was injured, Reiners started four of the last five games and finished the year completing 54 of 100 passes for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Hawkeye head coach Kirk Ferentz said the game situation will determine whether Reiners will play against the Cyclones.

The Hawkeye ground game is in decent shape with the return of sophomore running back Ladell Betts. Betts rushed for 679 yards and five touchdowns for Iowa last season as a freshman. Against Nebraska, Betts gained a respectable 73 yards on 15 carries.

Rob Thein, who rushed for 163 yards in ’98, will join Betts in the backfield at fullback.

The Hawkeye receiving core can be dangerous, though they will sorely miss suspended sophomore Kahlil Hill. Hill was the top receiver for Iowa last season, catching 35 passes for 432 yards and two touchdowns.

With Hill’s absence, split end Bashir Yamini is the top returning receiver for Iowa from a year ago, hauling in 31 receptions for 317 yards. The Hawkeye quarterbacks will also look to junior Kevin Kasper as a main target against the Cyclones.

Kasper caught four passes for 55 yards against the Cornhuskers and has shown the ability to break open the big play. Sophomore Ryan Barton provides the Hawkeyes with some depth after catching 16 passes for 310 yards in ’98, while tight end Zeron Flemister will give Iowa a go-to guy in short yardage situations.

The key to the black and gold offense, however, will be in the improvement of the offensive line. The Hawks allowed two sacks against Nebraska, and McCann was constantly pressured by the Husker defense.

According to Ferentz, the Hawkeye line must work extremely hard this week to make up for a lack of size, especially with the absence of injured center Chad Deal.

Defensively, Iowa has a long way to go after their performance against Nebraska. The Husker option attack totaled 543 yards against the Hawks, including 347 on the ground.

In order to contain ISU’s Darren Davis and Ennis Haywood, who combined to rush for 284 yards in a 33-7 victory over Indiana State on Sept. 2, Iowa must toughen up physically in the trenches and be able to penetrate the massive Cyclone offensive line.

Defensive ends Anthony Herron and Ed Saidat will key an inexperienced Hawkeye defensive line. Herron and Saidat will be responsible for putting the pressure on Cyclone quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Derrick Walker, while tackles Corey Brown and Jerry Montgomery will struggle to replace All-American Jared DeVries.

Sophomore Aaron Kampman and junior Derrick Davison will lead an energetic Hawkeye linebacker unit. Kampman is the top returning linebacker from a year ago for Iowa, recording 49 tackles and six sacks for the Hawkeyes. Davison arrived at Iowa last spring after playing two years at North Dakota College of Science and recorded seven tackles against Nebraska.

The defensive backfield is the backbone of the Hawkeye defense this year. Seniors Matt Bowen and Tarig Holman will anchor the Hawkeye secondary.

Bowen led the squad in tackles last season with 92 and came up with two interceptions, while Holman finished ’98 with 60 tackles and three interceptions. They will play a major role in containing Cyclone receiving standouts Damien Groce and Chris Anthony.

Special teams are a mixed bag for the Hawkeyes. The loss of Hill greatly diminishes Iowa’s kick return game, but the kicking game looks solid with the return of place kicker Tim Douglas and punter Jason Baker.

Douglas was the Hawkeye’s long distance kicker last season, connecting on 6 of 11 field goal attempts. He drilled three filed goals from 50-plus yards at Illinois, setting an NCAA record for the most field goals of that distance in one game. His performance against the Illini included a successful 58-yard attempt to set a school record.

Baker has been the Hawkeye punter in each of his two varsity seasons. He has put together a career punting average of 40.6 yards, including a long of 79 yards.