Iowa State linebacker Michael Cooper said he is not expecting a complicated offensive game plan from Nebraska on Saturday.

Not that the Cornhuskers need to make things exotic to trick their opponents. Nebraska has the top-ranked scoring and rushing offense in the nation. Iowa State (1-8) travels to Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday for a Big 12 Conference game with Nebraska (9-0).

“The offense they run is pretty basic,” said Cooper, ISU’s leading tackler this season, with 97. “They’re all about slamming the ball right at you.”

Cooper couldn’t help but be somewhat of a Nebraska fan while he was growing up in Omaha, Neb. He was an all-state football player at Westside High School in Omaha and was named Omaha’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“I rooted for Nebraska, but I wasn’t a huge Nebraska fan,” Cooper said. “Everyone in Nebraska roots for Nebraska, but I don’t ever regret not going there.”

Cooper, a senior in industrial technology, came to ISU on an academic scholarship.

He was given an athletic scholarship when Dan McCarney took over as head coach of the Cyclones after the 1994 season. McCarney said the decision to give Cooper an athletic scholarship was not a difficult one.

“He’s a phenomenal example of being persistent and hanging in there,” McCarney said. “He’s a great story for everyone on the football team.”

Cooper, who is fourth on the Cyclone list in career tackles, said he is looking forward to Saturday’s game.

“I like playing at Nebraska because I know a lot of people that go there and I know a lot of the players,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun game for me to play.”

Nebraska ranks number one in all Big 12 offensive categories except for passing, a conference category that ISU tops.

In addition to its high-powered offense, Nebraska also features the fourth-ranked defense in total yards in Division I.

The Cornhusker defense is led by linemen Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter, both All-American candidates.

“Wistrom and Peter are just two outstanding defenders. It’s fun watching them play on tape,” McCarney said. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to play against those two on Saturday.”

Nebraska is coming off a 45-38 overtime victory over Big 12 foe Missouri on Saturday.

Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost tossed an improbable touchdown to Matt Davison, who caught the pass after it bounced off another Nebraska player’s legs as time expired, sending the game into overtime.

The narrow victory dropped Nebraska from the No. 1 spot to third in the Associated Press poll.

“The Nebraska-Missouri game was not a fluke. Missouri played a very physical game,” McCarney said. “But great teams always find a way to win, and Nebraska is a great team.”

ISU quarterback Todd Bandhauer said he draws inspiration from Missouri quarterback Corby Jones’ performance against Nebraska.

“Corby Jones did an excellent job of leading his team against Nebraska,” Bandhauer said. “I need to play like Corby Jones on Saturday, maybe not with the way he runs with the ball or the style of offense he runs, but with the way he leads his team.”

Bandhauer broke a school record for touchdown completions in last Saturday’s 43-38 loss to Colorado.

The Cornhuskers’ offense utilizes an option attack led by Frost and I-back Ahman Green. Green has already rushed for 1,287 yards. Frost is second on the team with 852 yards.

Facing an option offense allows few mistakes by an opposing team’s defense.

“If we want to stop them, we need to be consistent on both sides of the ball,” said Cyclone defensive lineman Nigel Tharpe, who will be making his first collegiate start Saturday. “We need to go out and stop them early and set the tempo on defense, if we want to be successful.”

Frost is widely credited by Cornhusker fans for Nebraska’s offensive success this season, a far cry from last season, when Frost took a lot criticism from Nebraska fans in his first season of succeeding All-American quarterback Tommy Frazier.

“Scott started the season with a lot of confidence,” McCarney said. “The playing experience he had last year is carrying over to this year and he’s having a great year.”