AMES - Paul Rhoads, a hard-hitting safety during his playing days, now demands physical play from Iowa State defenders.

And, of late, his demands have been met.

David Sims and James Smith have repeatedly separated foes from the football. Jesse Smith has pursued opponents from sideline-to-sideline. Fred Garrin has loomed large on short-yardage situations.

As a result, the Cyclones' defense has held three league opponents to 10 points or less this year - the first season in which that has happened since 1965. The unit also ranks third nationally in red-zone defense, and no Big 12 rival has more takeaways (29).

Those are key reasons why Iowa State (6-5) is one win away from guaranteeing itself a bowl bid as it heads to Missouri (6-4) on Saturday.

"They keep maturing, improving and listening to coaching," Rhoads, who once roamed the secondary at Missouri Western, said of his Cyclone defenders.

"We had our first padded practice back in the spring and our tackling was so bad - and the desire to tackle and play physical was so far off - it left us scared. But they've come a long way."

Truthfully, Iowa State still has some deficiencies defensively. A lack of overall speed, for example, was apparent in one-sided losses to Iowa, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. But Rhoads has been encouraged by his club's absorbtion of new schemes, and its willingness to tackle with better technique.

"We practice how we play -- physically," said Jesse Smith, a senior linebacker.

The Cyclones will need to punch Missouri in the mouth early and often. The Tigers possess an improving sophomore quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, and one of the most dangerous receivers in the league in senior Danario Alexander. All told, Missouri averages 278 passing yards per contest.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Alexander leads the Big 12 in receiving yards per game (123.8).

Alexander "should be up for all-American honors, just based on his performance week-in and week-out," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said on this week's Big 12 teleconference. "His confidence-level just keeps growing."

"He's got great height, which, against a smallish (Iowa State) secondary, scares you," Rhoads noted of Alexander, projected to be a first-day NFL Draft selection next April.

"He's a very, very talented football player. He catches everything thrown his way."

The Cyclones, as a group, hope to get their hands on a bowl bid soon. Their outlook, however, is uncertain.