As a Cyclone fan, I’m absolutely unmatched when it comes to convincing myself that the impossible is possible.

Year-in and year-out, I find reasons why Iowa State really has a shot at the likes of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Iowa Hawkeyes. While this may make for a lot more optimism going into the games, it usually just makes the 63-point shellacking that much more painful.

This year, though, I think I’m onto something.

For starters, major Hawkeye streaks have been crumbling in recent years.

Before facing Northwestern in 1994, Iowa had wreaked havoc upon the Wildcats for 21 consecutive seasons. Since that 1994 game, the Hawkeyes are 0-3.

Another shining example is the Hawkeye streak over the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin had lost 18 straight to the black and gold before picking up an exciting 13-10 victory last season.

There is only one major Hawkeye streak that still needs to come down.

It’s also important to note that Iowa is missing the big guns that buried the Cyclones last year.

Tim Dwight and Tavian Banks and their combined 314 yards and seven touchdowns are history. In addition, their replacements lack experience.

Ladell Betts is the new Hawkeye back that all the kids are talking about.

Looking at last week’s numbers, Ladell seems to be an adequate replacement. He had a pair of touchdown carries totaling 63 yards.

His other seven carries, though, only added up to one yard.

No one knows who will be calling the signals against the Cyclones on Saturday.

Senior Randy Reiners couldn’t hack it against the pesky Chippewas, completing only 5-of-14 passes, with one interception.

Freshman Kyle McCann was more impressive, putting up decent numbers in the second half, but he’s never started a collegiate contest before.

The butterflies and inexperience could be enough to give the Cyclones a window of opportunity that the defensive backs, who performed impressively against TCU, could exploit.

Part of the reason for the struggles of the entire Iowa backfield in their first game is the offensive line. They couldn’t open holes for the backs and failed to protect their quarterback, surrendering seven sacks for 67 yards to a very mediocre Central Michigan defense.

The Cyclones, on the other hand, are not as bad as their recent record suggests.

Bandhauer looked like a pro for the first three and a half quarters against TCU, delivering very crisp, accurate passes to a number of receivers. Even in the end, when he appeared to struggle, Bandy was not getting any protection from his line.

Darren Davis also looked very good on Saturday, right up to the point where the Horned Frogs committed their entire defense to stopping him and the Cyclone offensive line began to show some problems.

Even the unproven Cyclone receivers showed flashes of brilliance.

If the guys up front can suck it up and keep the Hawkeye defensive line at bay, a defensive line they outweigh by an average of over 30 pounds, they can give Coach Dan McCarney a shot at victory.

This, of course, can only come without ridiculous (but typical) Cyclone mistakes.

If they give up a blocked field goal return for a touchdown, they won’t win.

If they blow coverage downfield and give up a long strike, they won’t win.

If Davis goes down on first contact and doesn’t fight for every inch, they won’t win.

In fact, if their receivers drop more than a couple of catchable balls, they won’t win.

There will be mistakes made, but they have to be to Iowa State’s benefit and not at their expense. If the turnover ratio is not at least +2 in the Cyclones’ favor, they won’t win.

But if everybody pulls it together and plays four sound, fundamental, hard-fought quarters, the Cyclones can end the streak this weekend.

Perhaps the biggest reason Iowa State can pull off this miracle is also the simplest reason: They have to.

Coach McCarney knows that his job is in jeopardy and one or two meaningless wins aren’t going to dig him out. Simply beating Ball State won’t make this season a successful one.

McCarney is losing the support of many Cyclone fans and the team is even beginning to suffer from the disinterest of students and alumni.

The Cyclones, at this point, are not unlike a cornered animal. They have to do something big and drastic and they need to do it now.

McCarney hasn’t been a whole lot more successful in overall record than Jim Walden was before him.

However, unlike McCarney, one of Walden’s two wins every year was a big one. In 1990, he beat the 16th ranked Sooners. In 1993, the 18th ranked Kansas State Wildcats fell victim to Walden’s Cyclones. Most memorably, in 1992, Iowa State defeated 7th ranked Nebraska.

Of course, Jim Walden never beat the Hawkeyes.

That’s up to Dan McCarney.

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Ron DeMarse is a junior from Muscatine, Iowa majoring in Liberal Studies