Big 12 Media Days: Iowa State
BY GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
7/27/11 at 3:53 AM
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Coach: Paul Rhoads (third season, 12-11)
2010 record: 5-7 overall, 3-5 Big 12
2011 media poll: ninth
Cyclone quotes
WR Darius Darks: "We haven't won a Big 12 championship, so that's a goal. If I let my goals be less than that, I'm cheating myself."
LB Jake Knott, on playing all of the former South Division teams for the first time: "It's going to be good for us. It's going to show us what kind of team we really have."
Notebook
Strength of schedule: Iowa State once had Utah on its 2011 schedule. Then the Big 12 changed formats, and the Cyclones canceled that game so they could play nine in the conference.
The problem is Iowa State still has Iowa and Connecticut, along with Northern Iowa, on its nonconference schedule. Then the Cyclones dive into a Big 12 slate that includes games against all six former South Division teams for the first time.
Tuesday at Big 12 media days, coach Paul Rhoads called it "one of, if not the, toughest schedules in college football."
Change of quarterbacks: Making the Cyclones' task tougher is that Austen Arnaud, their starting quarterback the past three years, has graduated.
It doesn't sound like Rhoads knows who he'll turn to just yet.
"We've got three guys that are vying for that position," he said. "After a number of practices and three major scrimmages, I'm confident that one will surface to lead us."
Junior Jerome Tiller has been Arnaud's backup the past two years, and led Iowa State to its upset of Nebraska in 2009.
2011 schedule
Sept. 3: Northern Iowa
Sept. 10: Iowa
Sept. 16: at Connecticut
Oct. 1: Texas
Oct. 8: at Baylor
Oct. 15: at Missouri
Oct. 22: Texas A&M
Oct. 29: Texas Tech
Nov. 5: Kansas
Nov. 18: Oklahoma State
Nov. 26: at Oklahoma
Dec. 3: at Kansas State
