Northern Iowa @ Iowa State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2015 ) Northern Iowa 7, Iowa State 31

Iowa State boasts one winning season in the last 10 years and none since 2009, but hopes the hiring of 36-year-old coach Matt Campbell turns its fortunes around beginning with Saturday's season opener against visiting Northern Iowa. Campbell arrives from Toledo, where he was 35-15 in four-plus seasons while leading the Rockets to a pair of bowl victories and two Mid-American Conference West Division titles, and promises to create a different culture in Ames.

“I think our team and our football players within the program have really started to buy into the change,” Campbell, the youngest coach among Power Five conference teams, told reporters. “Our concentration points didn’t have much to do with scheme, I’ll be honest with you. A lot of it had to do with some core values that I believe in and attitude and effort, really understanding the ability to perfect your craft.” The Cyclones, who are 8-28 in the last three seasons, feature two of the best players in the Big 12 in sophomore running back Mike Warren and junior wide receiver Allen Lazard. Warren led FBS freshmen with 1,339 rushing yards and averaged a Big 12-best 134.7 yards per conference game last season while Lazard recorded team highs with 56 catches for 808 yards and six touchdowns. The Panthers, who lost to eventual national champion North Dakota State 23-13 in the 2015 FCS quarterfinals, were picked to finish second behind the Bison in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV. LINE: None

ABOUT NORTHERN IOWA (2015: 9-5): The Panthers are led by senior quarterback Aaron Bailey, an all-MVFC preseason selection and FCS National Performer Year of the Award candidate who set an MVFC record for rushing yards by a quarterback (1,334) and school record for rushing touchdowns by a QB (19). Bailey is expected to receive support from senior running back Tyvis Smith, an all-MVFC preseason honorable mention selection who rushed for 1,079 yards and seven TDs last season. Senior defensive lineman Karter Schult is an all-MVFC preseason selection who led the MVFC with 14 sacks in 2015.

ABOUT IOWA STATE (2015: 3-9): Junior quarterback Joel Lanning (55.4 completion rate, 10 touchdowns, four interceptions) took over as the starter for the final five games last season and holds the keys to an offense that averaged 408.3 yards last season - only the sixth time in school history the Cyclones exceeded 400 yards. Lanning (6 feet 2, 225 pounds) is an effective runner who totaled 261 yards rushing in the final five games last season, including 130 versus Oklahoma State. The defense is led by senior nose guard Demond Tucker, who validated his Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year honor prior to last season by earning all-Big 12 second-team honors while recording six sacks.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Iowa State was picked to finish ninth in Big 12 preseason poll - ahead of only Kansas.

2. Lazard has a reception in all 23 career contests at Iowa State and with a catch Saturday sets the school record for consecutive games with a reception also held by Otto Stowe (1968-70).

3. The Cyclones lead the series 21-5-3 after a 31-7 victory last season in which Lazard caught four passes, including a touchdown.

PREDICTION: Northern Iowa 22, Iowa State 21