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ISU looking to turn UNLV into a one-hit wonder
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2008-09-15
Gene Chizik doesn’t expect UNLV to be the next Billy Ray Cyrus.
After the Iowa State football coach watched film of the Rebels, who knocked off No. 15 Arizona State 23-20 in overtime Saturday, he thinks they’ll have more staying power than Cyrus did after his lone 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heartâ€.
“They are a good football team,†Chizik said. “That was not a fluke.â€
The Cyclones (2-1) will find out for sure when they travel to UNLV at 8 p.m. Saturday.
But if the Rebels 2-1 start is any indication, Chizik expects ISU to be in for a tough night.
They matched the Sun Devils play for play on the road. They made plays when they had to as wide receiver Phillip Payne made a leaping one-handed catch with 18 seconds left to force overtime.
And then they made the biggest play of the game as defensive lineman Malo Taumua blocked a 35-yard ASU field goal in overtime.
For Chizik, the difference between this year’s UNLV team and last year’s 2-10 squad is the players’ grasp of fourth-year UNLV coach Mike Sanford’s playbook.
“They are settling into this new system … they have recruited people to fit what they are trying to do and they do it well,†Chizik said.
Sanford, who was the Utah offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, runs the same running-based option attack he did with former No. 1 NFL pick Alex Smith at the helm.
“They spread you out, very similar to what Missouri can do and schematically it just gives you problems,†Chizik said.
For UNLV everything starts with quarterback Omar Clayton.
Last year as a freshman Clayton went from walk on to starter by week eight. He impressed the UNLV coaches for three games, throwing for 618 yards and four touchdowns before a fractured hand ended his season.
This year he picked up where he left off, amassing 547 yards of total offense while throwing for six touchdown passes and no interceptions.
“He is a unique guy,†Chizik said. “He is a lot like (ISU quarterbacks) Phillip (Bates) and Austen (Arnaud). He is very athletic and you can put him on the perimeter.â€
And when Clayton tries to break for the corner, the Cyclones will likely have cornerback Devin McDowell there to stop him.
McDowell has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and Chizik said Monday that McDowell and several other banged up Cyclones — most notably cornerback Leonard Johnson and defensive tackle Bailey Johnson — could be healthy enough to play Saturday.
Johnson was shaken up during a helmet-to-helmet collision with Iowa tight end Toy Moeaki Saturday. Johnson sat out the rest of the game, but Chizik said the freshman from Florida didn’t suffer a concussion.
“We gave him one of those tests that the trainers give him to see how he is doing and he was actually smarter afterwards,†Chizik said.
Improved IQ or not, safety Brandon Hunley is just glad to have Johnson and McDowell back in the mix this week because the Cyclones will need everyone healthy if they’re to make UNLV a one-hit wonder.
“It will help a great deal to have them,†Hunley said. “We have everyone back this week. We want to make sure those guys continue to get better.â€
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 232-2161, Ext. 358, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2008-09-15
Gene Chizik doesn’t expect UNLV to be the next Billy Ray Cyrus.
After the Iowa State football coach watched film of the Rebels, who knocked off No. 15 Arizona State 23-20 in overtime Saturday, he thinks they’ll have more staying power than Cyrus did after his lone 1992 hit “Achy Breaky Heartâ€.
“They are a good football team,†Chizik said. “That was not a fluke.â€
The Cyclones (2-1) will find out for sure when they travel to UNLV at 8 p.m. Saturday.
But if the Rebels 2-1 start is any indication, Chizik expects ISU to be in for a tough night.
They matched the Sun Devils play for play on the road. They made plays when they had to as wide receiver Phillip Payne made a leaping one-handed catch with 18 seconds left to force overtime.
And then they made the biggest play of the game as defensive lineman Malo Taumua blocked a 35-yard ASU field goal in overtime.
For Chizik, the difference between this year’s UNLV team and last year’s 2-10 squad is the players’ grasp of fourth-year UNLV coach Mike Sanford’s playbook.
“They are settling into this new system … they have recruited people to fit what they are trying to do and they do it well,†Chizik said.
Sanford, who was the Utah offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, runs the same running-based option attack he did with former No. 1 NFL pick Alex Smith at the helm.
“They spread you out, very similar to what Missouri can do and schematically it just gives you problems,†Chizik said.
For UNLV everything starts with quarterback Omar Clayton.
Last year as a freshman Clayton went from walk on to starter by week eight. He impressed the UNLV coaches for three games, throwing for 618 yards and four touchdowns before a fractured hand ended his season.
This year he picked up where he left off, amassing 547 yards of total offense while throwing for six touchdown passes and no interceptions.
“He is a unique guy,†Chizik said. “He is a lot like (ISU quarterbacks) Phillip (Bates) and Austen (Arnaud). He is very athletic and you can put him on the perimeter.â€
And when Clayton tries to break for the corner, the Cyclones will likely have cornerback Devin McDowell there to stop him.
McDowell has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury and Chizik said Monday that McDowell and several other banged up Cyclones — most notably cornerback Leonard Johnson and defensive tackle Bailey Johnson — could be healthy enough to play Saturday.
Johnson was shaken up during a helmet-to-helmet collision with Iowa tight end Toy Moeaki Saturday. Johnson sat out the rest of the game, but Chizik said the freshman from Florida didn’t suffer a concussion.
“We gave him one of those tests that the trainers give him to see how he is doing and he was actually smarter afterwards,†Chizik said.
Improved IQ or not, safety Brandon Hunley is just glad to have Johnson and McDowell back in the mix this week because the Cyclones will need everyone healthy if they’re to make UNLV a one-hit wonder.
“It will help a great deal to have them,†Hunley said. “We have everyone back this week. We want to make sure those guys continue to get better.â€
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 232-2161, Ext. 358, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
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