Coming off an eighth consecutive losing season, there would seem to be a sense of urgency to win within the Iowa State Cyclones football team.

Head Coach Dan McCarney knows the pressure of trying to put a winning team out on the field each week. Despite the team’s recent futility, McCarney maintains a positive outlook and confidence in his squad.

“There has never been a timeline for building this program,” McCarney said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, so we just try to improve day by day.”

Thirty-seven newcomers join this year’s squad, comprised of incoming freshmen, junior college transfers and walk-ons. Also, three new additions to the coaching staff hope to improve the team’s fortunes.

And of the team’s 18 junior college players, 15 are still with the team. McCarney believes that this recruiting class is one of the strongest Iowa State has had.

“We made some really good decisions in recruiting this year,” McCarney said. “We needed to get playmakers and speed, and we’ve done that.”

With a total of 17 starters returning on offense, defense and special teams, the Cyclones will look to their experience to help the newcomers adjust to the competition. Like the Cyclones, though, the other teams in the Big 12 will also look to improve their play in the upcoming season.

“The Big 12 is loaded this year; Nebraska and Kansas State are definitely the class of the Big 12 and two of the top 10 teams nationally, and teams like Colorado and Kansas will be much improved,” McCarney said.

The team’s schedule will also play a part in how well the team performs this season. With such talented teams as Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas State on the schedule, the team will have to play hard for four quarters in hopes of improving in the win-loss category. Nevertheless, McCarney is optimistic.

“I love having six home games this year and the fact that four of the first six games are at home is great,” McCarney said. “Our fans are so unbelievable.”

The support of the fans is evident in the fact that over 90 percent of last season’s season ticket holders have renewed their tickets for the upcoming season. Support has also come from other places as well, McCarney said.

“[ISU Athletic Director] Gene Smith and Dr. Jischke have been very supportive of our staff and the foundation we’ve put in place at Iowa State,” McCarney said.

McCarney indicated that he has a lot of goals for the upcoming season and beyond. One of the areas of importance to McCarney is in-state recruiting.

“We’ve done a very solid job of in-state recruiting, and we’ve had tremendous support from high school coaches in that regard,” McCarney said.

On the field, McCarney wants maximum effort from his players, in particular during the fourth quarter.

“Our conditioning in the fourth quarter is crucial,” McCarney said. “We now have more quality Division 1 players we can rotate, so we must play longer, harder defense in the fourth quarter.”

In the end, many factors will determine the outcome of this season’s Cyclone football team. McCarney is eager to see what lies in the future for the Cyclones.

“The pressure’s on every year, but I enjoy pressure. I love it,” McCarney said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I have a special feeling about this team and this staff.”

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1998 Iowa State Cyclone Football Schedule

 
Sept. 5 TCU
Sept. 12 @ Iowa
Sept. 19 BALL STATE
Sept. 26 TEXAS TECH
Oct. 3 @ Texas
Oct. 10 MISSOURI
Oct. 24 @ Kansas St.
Oct. 31 @ Oklahoma
Nov. 7 NEBRASKA
Nov. 14 @ Colorado
Nov. 21 KANSAS