The physical aspect of football will be at its peak Saturday when the Missouri Tigers come north to battle the Cyclones, ISU Head Coach Dan McCarney said at his weekly press conference Tuesday.

“We’re going to have to be physical. If we don’t outhit Missouri, we’re not going to win this football game,” McCarney said. “The Missouri players take pride in taking over the line of scrimmage, which is what they did against Clemson’s 280- and 290-pound linemen last weekend.”

Although neither team involved in this weekend’s game in Ames is a highly-ranked team, McCarney finds the matchup very intriguing. “Sometimes those [matchups] end up being some of the best games,” he said. “There’s no marquee teams, it’s not a top 10 or top 20 matchup, but we have two teams trying to earn respect and get national attention.”

McCarney is excited to be playing the game in front of an atmosphere that is becoming increasingly enthusiastic. “We’re starting to get tradition built here,” McCarney said. “We’ve played nine games here, and although we’ve only won four of those games, based on what we’ve seen and the response of the kids to the fans, we are playing some good football.

“That’s what you have to do to turn programs around, and it’s important for the fans to get into it.”

The enthusiasm of the fans is carrying over to the players and coaches. “There’s more confidence in our program,” McCarney said. “We are sitting at 1-2, and we’re extremely disappointed that we’re not 2-1 like we should be.”

McCarney said that both coaches are looking at the game in the same way. “Both teams think this game is very win-able,” he said.

“They’re going to look at us and feel like we’re a team they can definitely beat, and we feel like Missouri is a team we can definitely beat.”

Missouri will be bringing in the aspect of an option offense. The Tiger offense showcases two quarterbacks in Corby Jones and Kent Skornia.

“Jones is faster, quicker, a better option threat-type quarterback,” McCarney said. “He and Skornia are both good throwers, but they don’t rely on that 30 times a game to move the football.”

Preparation for the option offense is somewhat difficult. “We try to simulate as much as we can in practice,” McCarney said. “Jones is effective around the corner like [Todd] Doxzon is. We don’t have a great option quarterback on this campus other than Doxzon, and we won’t use him on the practice squad.”

Although the Tigers shuffle the signal callers in and out, McCarney said respect was equal. “The pattern of calls doesn’t change much with either one,” he said.

One aspect not concentrated on is the fact that Missouri was the team that ISU running back Troy Davis topped the 2,000 yard mark against. “Our players and coaches want to win the football game and not look at it from a yardage standpoint,” McCarney said.

Center Pat Augufa, who left last Saturday’s game with leg cramps, will be ready to go against the Tigers. “He’s ready to play,” McCarney said. “We put Pat on a bicycle during conditioning to avoid shin splints or cramps. He’s a fine player and we want to make sure he’s ready to go.”

In other news, wide receiver Tyrone Watley might be lining up for the Cyclones again next year, if the NCAA grants him a hardship year for an ailment he suffered from.

“Watley had a heart ailment while at Pacific, and was withheld from competition,” McCarney said.

“At the end of the season, we will petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility. It was not a knee, not an ankle, it was his heart.

“Ty definitely wants to come back and play another year, so it’s in the NCAA’s court whether he’ll be able to play.”