According to Iowa State football coach Dan McCarney, there is no way the Cyclones will look past next opponent UNLV, despite the team’s 0-11 finish of a year ago.

Coming off a big win against interstate rival Iowa, and with the televised Big 12 opener against Kansas State on the horizon, the game against the Rebels might get lost in the shuffle.

McCarney, however, says that won’t be the case.

“We had a great win on Saturday, a tremendous win for our program, and we want our kids to be proud of it, to cherish it, but put it behind them and get ready for UNLV,” McCarney said in his Tuesday press conference.

And, he says, he’s not worried about the team relishing the win at all.

“From what I saw, they have already put it out of their mind, and are very focused,” McCarney said.

And that’s a good thing, because the coach said that UNLV, 2-0 after a big upset at Baylor, presents a number of problems for opposition.

“They are much, much improved from a year ago. They got a number of players from the junior college level that are helping them a great deal, and the new coaching staff is obviously helping, as well. They don’t look like the same team we watched from last year,” McCarney said.

The Rebels appear to be solid at the skill positions, something that gives McCarney a cause for concern.

“Their quarterback [junior Jason Vaughn] has completed over 70 percent of his passe, and hasn’t thrown an interception yet. He really throws a good ball,” he said.

“The running back [Jeremi Rudolph] is doing an excellent job right now. He’s a real fine athlete. He’s tough, he’s strong, and he’s physical,” McCarney said.

On the injury front, it appears defensive lineman Ryan Harklau will be the only one to miss the game against UNLV. Harklau has surgery Monday, which McCarney said went “really, really well.” Harklau will be out six to eight weeks.

Running back Ennis Haywood and cornerback Jamarcus Powers both are “day to day,” according to McCarney, but both are expected to see action.

Due to Harklau’s injury, there were changes on the defensive line’s depth chart.

Nigel Tharpe will be installed as the starting tackle in Harklau’s absence, while Robert Brannon will move to defensive end, supplanting Kevin DeRonde as the starter.

“That move [Brannon for DeRonde] was strictly based on performance. Robert is one of the three most improved players on this football team, and we feel real comfortable with him in there,” McCarney said.

Also moving will be Casey Shelton, who McCarney says will practice at all positions on the line.

As for the sights and sounds of Las Vegas, the players will not have too much time to hit the slots.

“We’re going to give them a little time on Friday to look around, but we’re not going there to gamble, we’re going there to win a football game. We scheduled this trip for the players to see a little more of the country, but this is not a vacation trip,” McCarney said.

As a native of San Bernadino, Calif., wide reciever Damien Groce has experienced the flavor of Las Vegas.

When asked if he had ever been to Las Vegas, Groce responded “Oh, yeah,” with a knowing laugh.

Asked whether he could be a tour guide for Vegas virgins, Groce said that he didn’t know if one was needed.

“Pretty much all of the places there are bad to go in, so I don’t know how much help I could be. I’m not concerned with this being too much of a distraction. I’m sure Coach Mac will take care of all that,” Groce said.

Another concern of McCarney’s will be the heat that the team could face, even with the game having a 7:00 p.m. PDT start.

“We heard it was going to be 96 degrees on Friday, and it’s a definite concern. It never got too hot during two-a-days, and even though the first game was a little hot, we haven’t gone through that too much. So, we’ll rely on our depth. We’re going to play a lot of players,” McCarney said.

The game on Saturday will kick off at 9:00 p.m. Iowa time and will not be televised.