He got mooned.

But hey, Matt Hole, a junior at Iowa State, was willing to pay that price to see his Cyclones beat Iowa on Sept. 14, 36-31, on the road in Iowa City. As Hole strolled through the parking lot that Saturday, tailgating Hawkeye fans hurled garbage at him and bared their backsides.

‘Iowa fans,’ Hole said, ‘are a different story. There’s a great state rivalry.’

And, because the two teams have risen this season from the Midwestern abyss to the national scene, the rivalry has intensified. The Cyclones, with quarterback Seneca Wallace in the Heisman Trophy mix, and the Hawkeyes, who two weeks ago won at Penn State, have their respective fan bases raising pitchforks in approval.

With a 2-0 conference record and 5-1 overall mark, Iowa State tops the Big 12’s North Division. Iowa – also at 5-1, 2-0 – is second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State.

On Sept. 28, Iowa State fans stormed the field after the Cyclones knocked off then-No. 20 Nebraska, 36-14. Hole, who watched from the upper deck, made his way downstairs with about five minutes left. As time ticked off the clock, security closed in, hoping to hold back the inevitable tsunami of red – not Husker red – and white.

Then the Braveheart scene broke out. Fans from each side of Jack Trice Stadium charged toward each other, engulfing the field and filling the air with cathartic screams – Iowa State hadn’t beaten a ranked team since 1993.

‘A couple of times, my feet weren’t hitting the ground,’ Hole said, ‘because I was getting pushed forward, and there were other people in front of me. It feels like college football.’

Hole and his classmates can thank Wallace for much of that. The 5-foot-10, 193-pound Heisman candidate has achieved icon status on campus – and for good reason. He’s tossed for 1,653 yards this season and completed 64 percent of passes. He’s also thrown 10 touchdowns to six interceptions.

‘He’s humongous,’ Hole said. ‘He conducts himself so professionally. He’s not letting the whole Heisman thing get to him. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Iowa State football.’

‘Everyone has talked about the Heisman and Seneca,’ Iowa State coach Dan McCarney said. ‘I haven’t even mentioned it at all. All I’m trying to do is win some football games. If we win some games, hopefully there will be some rewards for everyone at the end of the year.’

An hour and a half away, in Iowa City, Hawkeyes’ quarterback Brad Banks brings similar numbers. He’s thrown for 1,231 yards, completed 60 percent of his passes and tossed 12 touchdowns to two interceptions. Still, he’s received far less national hype than Wallace.

That hasn’t curbed fan enthusiasm at Iowa, where last weekend, students celebrated a 31-28 home win against Purdue.

‘Everybody is so pumped,’ said Drew Wolman, a pre-med exercise science major at Iowa. ‘Not many people were out last year. Everyone was like, ‘It’s kind of cold. I’ll just watch the game at home.’ Now that we have a good team, everyone is always waking up 6 a.m., setting their grills and just chillin’ before the games.’

Last season, Iowa went 6-5, finishing its regular season with a loss to Iowa State. But a win over Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl foreshadowed at least the first part of the 2002 campaign.

Iowa has several tough games remaining on this season’s schedule, though, starting with Michigan State on Saturday. The Hawkeyes also have a trip to Michigan scheduled for Oct. 26.

‘This is just temporary parking,’ Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. ‘It’s really premature to get too excited and think about what’s going on with the conference or national race. We’ve still got six conference games to go, and that’s where all of our thoughts are right now.’

Same goes for the Cyclones.

‘There isn’t anybody getting too carried away at Iowa State,’ McCarney said, ‘I guarantee you that. We’ve got a lot of work to do.’

***

Syracuse (-3.5) at Temple

Saturday, Noon, Time Warner

After being exposed in front of 39,000-plus at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Syracuse will try to pull up its pants this weekend. The Orangemen always seem to have trouble with the Owls, though.

Plus, Syracuse ranks last in the Big East in every defensive category. Oh yeah, and quarterback R.J. Anderson – who will likely start despite injuring his throwing shoulder against Pittsburgh – has completed just 41 percent of his passes and thrown six picks to two touchdowns. Call this public lewdness. The Orangemen get pantsed again.

Pick: Temple 14, Syracuse 10

Texas Tech (+6.5) at No. 11 Iowa State

Saturday, 7 p.m., No TV

Figure on a shootout, since both teams have quarterbacks whom at least started the season as Heisman candidates – Iowa State’s Seneca Wallace and Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury.

The Cyclones, though, have an underrated defense that gives up about 17 points per game. Texas Tech, meanwhile, surrenders more than 30. Tech allowed 47 points to Texas A&M last week but still escaped with a one-point win. The Red Raiders can’t expect a similar result Saturday.

Pick: Iowa State 35, Texas Tech 31

Michigan State (+6.5) at No. 17 Iowa

Saturday, Noon, No TV

The Hawkeyes could solidify themselves as Big Ten contenders with a win this weekend. But to do it, they’ll have to beat a Spartan squad that puts up 424 yards of total offense and 32 points each week.

Michigan State depends on the Jeff Smoker-to-Charlie Rogers connection, which has met expectations. Rogers, who has already caught nine passes in a game twice this season, has 32 receptions for 687 yards and seven touchdowns. Still, we’ll give the Hawkeyes the edge based on homefield advantage.

Pick: Iowa 31, Michigan State 20

No. 9 Florida State (+13) at No. 1 Miami

Saturday, Noon, ABC

The Seminoles will give the Hurricanes their toughest game yet. But that’s saying little. Miami will still show how far it has separated itself from the rest of the country.

It should be fun, though, to watch two of the best running games in the nation go head-to-head. Miami’s Willis McGahee averages more than eight yards a carry and has already rushed for 10 touchdowns. The Seminoles’ Greg Jones, meanwhile, has 633 yards on 108 carries and seven touchdowns.

Pick: Miami 31, Florida State 21

No. 10 Tennessee (+3) at No. 6 Georgia

Saturday, 3:30 p.m., No TV

It’s been a tough few weeks for the Volunteers. First came a blowout at the hands of rival Florida. Then, after a win over Rutgers, it took the Vols six overtimes to get past Arkansas, 41-38.

Still, Tennessee’s combination of quarterback Casey Clausen and receiver Kelley Washington is potent. Washington caught six passes for 112 yards Saturday, giving him 100-plus receiving yards in three straight games. Georgia, though, comes in undefeated (5-0) and has taken the last two from the Vols.

Pick: Georgia 24, Tennessee 14

Published on October 8, 2002 at 12:00 pm