AMES - Paul Rhoads knows his Cyclones are always eager to approach the starting blocks.

Unfortunately, the first-year head coach also knows the 2009 Cyclones aren't about to blow anyone away.

Rhoads received a humbling dose of reality last Saturday in College Station, Texas, as he watched a middle-of-the-pack Texas A&M team sprint past his squad in a 35-10 defeat. The Aggies' athletic quarterback, Jerrod Johnson, completed 82.1 percent of his passes and threw for three scores. Rhoads' squad surrendered 6.5 yards per play on the day, as A&M used an array of short passes.

By all accounts, Iowa State seemed a step slow while chasing A&M's collection of blue-chip recruits.

"We were exposed," Rhoads recalled this week. "We talked about having to make plays in the open field against a very athletic football team, and we did not do that.

"We've got to shrink the field down, so to speak, by getting more players to the ball."

The Cardinal and Gold will also attempt to make up for their speed deficiencies by using better pursuit angles when chasing opposing ball-carriers, starting this Saturday, against No. 18 Oklahoma State. The Cowboys (6-2) will feature no less than two agile athletes the Cyclones have circled on their scouting report, in the Big 12's No. 3 rusher, Keith Toston (84.5 yards per game) and quarterback Zac Robinson - who passed for 395 yards in a rout of Iowa State last season.

Dual-threat quarterbacks like Robinson have especially given the Cyclones (5-4) fits of late.

"When a guy can run and throw, that puts pressure on you," noted safety Michael O'Connell. Robinson "is a very talented quarterback. He lit us up last year.

"To defend the spread offenses," O'Connell added, "it comes back to fundamentals, and becoming better tacklers."

Yes, fundamentals are a prerequisite for success in college football. But so is speed, especially in the Big 12.

Rhoads, who made coaching stops at locales like Auburn and Pittsburgh earlier in his career, is steadfast in his belief that he can lure elite athletes to Ames - the northernmost outpost in the Big 12.

"There's two things involved in it," the coach explained. "If you can recruit a guy that's 10.3 (seconds in the 100-yard dash) you've got a fast guy. But then it's the athletes that you recruit and how much you develop them that also plays a huge part.

"So yeah, I think we can recruit the guys necessary to compete with the schools in this league. More importantly, I know we have the people in place to develop the players we get."

Iowa State sent seven of its coaches to the state of Texas last Thursday night, to canvas the Lone Star state in recruiting. And, with coaches like offensive coordinator Tom Herman (formerly of Rice) having Texas ties, the Cyclones plan to continue to search for speedy recruits in the talent-laden regions down South.

"In today's college football environment, there is no substitute for speed," Herman said recently. "We're gonna try our best here at Iowa State to compensate for some of our speed deficiencies. But let me reiterate: there is no substitute for speed.

"In order to get speed," Herman added, "you've got to recruit speed."