Junior college QB to lead ISU attack

The Cyclones have intriguing options at wide receiver and running back, and three starters are back in the trenches.

But their starting quarterback, Steele Jantz, has never played in a Division I game.

Jantz, a junior college transfer, earned the starting position Aug. 20 after the team's final scrimmage of the fall camp.

The Cyclones figured there would be close competition among Jantz, junior Jerome Tiller and redshirt freshman Jared Barnett to replace three-year starter Austen Arnaud.

But after Jantz was named the starter, Tiller was declared academically ineligible.

Even though Jantz hasn't taken a snap in a Big 12 game, coach Paul Rhoads said he was confident in his quarterback choice.

"Steele emerged from a group of three quarterbacks, as you know, by displaying the three qualities that we were looking for most consistently,'' said Rhoads, who is beginning his third season as the Cyclones' head coach.

"Those attributes were decision-making, throwing accuracy and getting things done with his feet."

Jantz said he's ready for the challenge.

"I understand that there are going to be expectations from the fans," Jantz said. "I try to not pay attention to that. I stay focused on what I need to do in getting better."

Iowa State finished 5-7 (3-5 Big 12) in 2010, missing postseason eligibility after a 14-0 home loss to Missouri in its finale. The Cyclones are picked to finish ninth in the new-look, 10-team Big 12 but are hoping to earn their second bowl bid in three seasons.

"College football is about getting yourself to the postseason and enjoying that experience. But we don't want to just get there and eat steaks and go to amusement parks. We want to win those games," Rhoads said.

They will need to do it without Arnaud, who ranks second in program history in career completions, passing yards and TD throws with 42. Those stats are a bit misleading because the Cyclones often struggled to move the ball during his tenure. And Iowa State was held scoreless against the Tigers after Arnaud suffered a season-ending knee injury.

The starter in that loss was Tiller. He had his moments for Iowa State, starting the 9-7 win at Nebraska in 2009.

Jantz, a 6-foot-3, 224-pound junior, threw for more than 3,000 yards and ran for 600 more at City College in San Francisco.

Barnett moved up from third to second string, and he has shown flashes of potential. In the first depth chart of the season, there was no third QB listed.

In recent years, Iowa State's schedule has been accurately described as brutal.

The move to a 10-team, round-robin league format won't change that this year. Besides playing the rest of the Big 12, the Cyclones have a road game at defending Big East champion Connecticut. They also host rival Iowa, which has won the past two meetings by a combined 70-10, and opening-day opponent Northern Iowa is considered a national title contender in the FCS.

"If you go by what the prognosticators would lead you to believe, we probably would be favored in maybe two football games," Rhoads said. "Everybody understands the realism of what our schedule is in 2011."

But there are indications that Rhoads is slowly building the program's talent level, which he said is the best it has been in his three seasons in Ames.

The defensive line, long a weak spot once conference play began, looks as if it could hold its own in 2011.

Junior linebacker Jake Knott is one of the best in the Big 12, and fellow junior A.J. Klein isn't far behind him. Cornerback Leonard Johnson leads a veteran secondary, and the offensive line brings back three starters — including tackle Kelechi Osemele, whom many are tabbing as a potential first-round pick.

The Cyclones have experienced receivers in Darius Darks and Josh Lenz, and they're hopeful that senior Darius Reynolds develops into a downfield threat.

Iowa State lost do-everything back Alexander Robinson. But the coaching staff has high hopes that youngsters such as Shontrelle Johnson can provide some speed to pair with bruising sophomore Jeff Woody.

"I think you're going to see the whole stable being utilized," Rhoads said. "As a defensive coordinator, I always hated preparing for two different styles of running backs."

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