The academic suspension of six Oklahoma State football players will not change Iowa State’s game plan going into the season opener, ISU Coach Dan McCarney said on Monday.

The game is scheduled for Aug. 30.

Two of the players suspended for the season by Oklahoma State are returning starters and All-Big 12 performers. But McCarney said this news will not affect the way his team will prepare for Saturday’s game.

“We will change absolutely nothing about how we go about preparing for the game due to the missing Oklahoma State players,” McCarney said.

“We will go into the [game]exactly the same. We can’t control what happens at Oklahoma State.”

OSU tailback Andre Richardson and linebacker Raymond Cato, both starters on last season’s team, were ruled academically ineligible for the 1997 season. Also declared ineligible were reserves Justin Matthews, Kerry Linnear, Cameron White and Eric Stevenson.

Richardson was named second-team All-Big 12 Conference last season, and Cato was named honorable mention all-conference.

“I’m obviously disappointed, but I’ve got to focus on getting this team ready to play [this] week. I feel we’ve got quality players who have been working very hard and are ready to help this football team continue to build,” OSU coach Bob Simmons said.

Richardson and Cato will leave holes in the lineup after having successful 1996 seasons.

Cato started every game last season and led the team with 119 tackles, including a team high 13 tackles for a loss.

“Raymond stepped up for us last year and had some really nice plays,” Simmons said.

Richardson rushed for 447 yards on 89 carries for three touchdowns last season. He also caught 11 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, returned five punts for 71 yards and one touchdown and returned 10 kickoffs for 266 yards.

Richardson also rushed for 705 yards on 115 carries and four touchdowns in 1995.

“Andre has shown himself to be a proven commodity in the past two seasons,” Simmons said. “He will definitely be missed.”

Simmons said his son Nathan will replace Richardson in the starting lineup. Nathan Simmons played in all 11 games last season, rushing for 57 yards on 17 carries. He also caught one pass for eight yards and returned three kicks for 34 yards.

“Nathan has been practicing with the first-string during the spring and two-a-day [practices],” Bob Simmons said. “Having Nathan in there will not change our offensive system at all.”

Bob Simmons did not name a replacement for Cato.

“If there is one area of the team that we were deep at going into the season, it was at linebacker,” Bob Simmons said.

“Don’t get me wrong, we will definitely miss Raymond’s presence on defense, but we have players that we feel can step up and fill in for him,” he said.

At football media day in early August, McCarney said presently no ISU football players are academically ineligible going into this season.

One change McCarney did announce was that junior college signee Terrance Gullette did not clear admission requirements and is not enrolled at ISU for the fall semester.

McCarney said he is proud of the academic progress of his players.

“Anytime a NCAA Division I team can go an entire academic year without anyone being ineligible, I think that is an amazing accomplishment,” he said.