Ames, Iowa ? Iowa State is looking for a few good blockers. It would help if they were big, strong, smart and coachable.

The Cyclones are loaded at the skill positions with Bret Meyer, Stevie Hicks, Todd Blythe and Jon Davis, all key figures in ISU’s run to a share of the Big 12 Conference North title last year.

The defense looks solid, and that unit even has standout end Jason Berryman back after he missed last year while serving a jail sentence.

Then there’s the line. Coach Dan McCarney has three reliable veterans in tackle Aaron Brant, guard Kory Pence and center Seth Zehr. The two other spots concern him because 60 percent of a line doesn’t cut it in the Big 12.

“I know three guys I can walk down a dark alley with right now,” McCarney said. “I’ve got a number of those other guys that look good in a uniform, that look good in the weight room. But they need to show that we can go down a dark alley with them, that we can play Illinois State, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and everybody else and have a chance to win on game day.

“That’s clearly one of the most important areas of development in the next few weeks.”

Few look better in a uniform than the Fisher twins, Scott and Paul, transfers from Dixie State College in Utah. Scott is 6-feet-7 and 320 pounds. Paul goes 6-7, 330.

For now, Paul is competing for the backup spot behind Brant. Scott is listed No. 2 at the other tackle spot, behind Johannes Egbers.

“When you walk out there on the field and see the Fishers, you go, ‘Oh my gosh, look at those guys,'” McCarney said. “They’re big and strong. They’re good-looking guys, but that doesn’t get you any touchdowns on game day.

“You have to learn how to play with great relentlessness and great effort and great toughness.”

If the line positions get settled, this could be a potent football team.

Meyer became the starting quarterback as a red-shirt freshman last year after alternating with Austin Flynn early in the season. He finished with 2,257 yards running and passing, with 10 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.

Now, with the starting job secure, Meyer can concentrate on improving.

“It’s a little less pressure,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about looking over your shoulder every day. At the same time, you want to put that kind of pressure on yourself so you can go out and perform. So it’s kind of a different role. I feel I can step up into a little bigger leadership role.”

Hicks rushed for 1,062 yards as a sophomore last season, including 159 in an Independence Bowl victory over Miami of Ohio. Blythe caught a school-record nine touchdown passes as a red-shirt freshman, while Davis led the team with 48 receptions. Flynn moved to wide receiver and made the transition so well he already is a first-teamer.

Blythe tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February, but recovered quickly and joined the team for the start of practice, insisting he’s faster than ever.

“I was never going to let this injury keep me out of any playing time,” he said. “I knew I was going to have to sit out the spring, but I was determined to get back and be healthy before we got to fall camp.”

One player will be scrutinized even more than Blythe, however.

Berryman, the Big 12’s defensive newcomer of the year as a freshman in 2003, spent 258 days in jail for taking $4 from an Iowa State student he assaulted and stealing a cell phone from another student.

McCarney said he felt Berryman has shown remorse for his actions and has proven he’s serious about staying out of trouble. Berryman is back on scholarship but has to work his way up from the scout team.

“The time I spent in jail has changed me,” Berryman said. “Before I went to jail, I took a lot of things for granted. My talent, my education. I didn’t really fully appreciate the things I had.”

The defense looks sound even without Berryman. Eight starters return, including end Shawn Moorehead, nose guard Nick Leaders, tackle Brent Curvey, middle linebacker Tim Dobbins and safety Nik Moser.

All of which puts the Cyclones in a far different situation than a year ago, when they were coming off a 2-10 season and would have been happy with modest improvement. Instead, they made the second-biggest jump in Division I, finishing 7-5 and coming within a missed field goal of playing the Big 12 championship game.

“I’ve seen five different teams picked to win the Big 12 North, which means they think we’re all mediocre,” McCarney said. “People just aren’t sure. But should we be a better football team? There’s no doubt in my mind we should be.”