It’s David vs. Goliath, it’s Dan McCarney vs. Hayden Fry and it’s Cy vs. Herky. There is no mistaking this historic battle, it’s Iowa State vs. Iowa.

It is said that anything can happen in a rivalry. But can ISU really defeat Iowa?

As the huge favorites of this Saturday’s game, Iowa makes its way to Ames where the 13th-ranked Hawkeyes take on the 0-3 Cyclones. THe Hawks have dominated the series for fourteen consecutive years.

ISU’s last victory in the series was in Iowa City on Sept. 18, 1982, a game that ISU Coach McCarney said he remembers well. At that time, he was an assistant coach at Iowa under Fry at the time.

McCarney has been on both sides of the battle lines as a player and a coach, and knows what it means to everyone involved.

“It’s a tremendous intrastate rivalry. It’s very important,” McCarney said.

Despite the fact that the Hawkeyes have seemed untouchable in their first two games, defeating Northern Iowa 66-0 and Tulsa 54-16, McCarney said he and his team are excited about the opportunity to end both losing streaks.

“It’s going to be a great match-up. I don’t anticipate any kid on this team not being ready to play,” he said.

McCarney said, “(Iowa is) really an outstanding football team. We’re really gonna have our hands full, but it’s great to be back in Ames. And we look forward to the matchup with the Hawkeyes this weekend.”

Fry said his team is looking to finish its non-conference schedule before thinking about the Big Ten and the post-season.

“If we can defeat Iowa State for the fifteenth consecutive time, hopefully without injuries, we’ll be prepared for a run at the Big Ten,” he said.

McCarney said, “Iowa’s had tremendous success. They’ve just totally demolished the two teams they’ve played, and we, frankly, have been struggling.”

Fry, with a career mark of 15-3 against ISU, said his Hawkeyes are also prepared for this match.

“We’re looking forward to playing our intrastate rival Iowa State this week,” he said.

As an Iowa native, McCarney also knows what the game means to the fans in the state. He said it also means a great deal in terms of recruiting.

“I have very special place in my heart for Iowa kids, after growing up in this state, I know how important they are and how many have been successful,” he said.

McCarney said, “We’ve made it a priority (to recruit Iowa players.) We’re going after every top kid in the state. We know how important the state of Iowa is. It’s a very tough job because the University of Iowa has had such great success.”

Iowa State currently has 55 team members from Iowa, while the University of Iowa has 48, making this battle even a little more special.

All eyes will be on the weekend game to see whether Iowa remains the Hawkeye state or if the cardinal and gold can stain the black and gold’s Big 10 reputation.