AMES - Gene Chizik speaks softly and carries a big measuring stick when he evaluates Northern Iowa's football team.

The new coach at Iowa State watched the Panthers live during his days as a assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. He knows the level of talent among the best in the Football Championship Subdivision is high.

So Chizik knows that his Cyclones will see talent - and plenty of it - tonight when UNI plays ISU at Jack Trice Stadium. There will be no need to raise the specter of Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32.

"I haven't seen Northern Iowa in person for the last five years," said Chizik. "But my guess is they'll come out and look exactly like us. My guess is they'll be very talented."

Chizik's veterans didn't need to guess. They remember well that UNI came within a missed Brian Wingert field goal of beating Iowa State a year ago. Indeed, the Cyclones had to charge from 14 points down to edge the Panthers, 28-27.

They realize that UNI measures up against Iowa State.

"We know what they can do," said quarterback Bret Meyer. "I know based on how they played us last year. I know how good UNI is and how good they can be."

On the other hand, the Panther players and coaches may not be completely clear on what Iowa State can do.

Yes, UNI recognizes Meyer, wide receiver Todd Blythe and so on. The potential of new running back J.J. Bass was obvious from one glance at tape. But Chizik is still trying to establish his program. No one has seen the entire package on the field - yet.

Thus, Iowa State in game two of the new regime is still a bit of a mystery.

"That's probably the biggest thing in this game," said UNI head coach Mark Farley. "There is a difference with their staff. There's a difference in their style of play and a different philosophy. We can't go off what worked in the past. We have to plan in that way."

A week ago, UNI's plan worked rather well. The Panthers bolted to a quick 17-point lead, weathered a Minnesota State-Mankato rally and then put the game away with 21 fourth-quarter points en route to the 41-14 triumph at the UNI-Dome.

A mix of old and new sparked the Panthers. Quarterback Eric Sanders threw for 295 yards, and redshirt freshman tight end Schuylar Oordt snared five balls for 63 yards. Senior wideout Victor Williams caught seven passes and veteran Corey Lewis' 79 yards topped the ground game.

Defensively, junior cornerback Adam Roberts tied for the team high in tackles with six and made his first interception in a UNI jersey.

The Panther veterans have one more thing going for them - memory. They recall that had Wingert's 51-yard field goal sailed through the uprights on the final play, they would have walked out of Jack Trice Stadium as winners in 2006.

"We were all pretty disappointed," said Sanders, "We had played so well. At the end, it kind of hurt. But, at the same time, it's a good experience to be gained."

To Chizik, Iowa State's experience last week was not good enough. The rookie head coach saw a few good efforts here and there, but consistency was missing in the 23-14 loss to Kent State.

Chizik said he will insist upon improvement over the next few weeks. The turnovers, the penalties, the missed tackles and blown assignments must decline, or there will be changes, he said.

Still, the season is far from lost, Chizik said.

"We're not discouraged, and the football team is not discouraged," he said. "We know where we're at, and we know where we have to get to. The process will continue to grow, but everything we saw in that (Kent State) football game is very fixable. We just have to get it fixed."

Contact Jim Sullivan at (319) 291-1434 or jim.sullivan@wcfcourier.com

Northern Iowa at Iowa State

- Who: No. 7 Northern Iowa (1-0) at Iowa State (0-1)

- When: Today, 6 p.m.

- Where: Jack Trice Stadium, Ames (55,000)

- Television: None

- Radio: Iowa State Radio Network (KCNZ, 1650-AM); UNI Sports Network (KXEL, 1540-AM)

- Series history: Iowa State leads 18-3-3.

- Last meeting: The Cyclones rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat the Panthers, 28-27, on Sept, 30, 2006. Jon Davis caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Bret Meyer with 1 minute, 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter for the go-ahead score. UNI's Brian Wingert then missed a 51-yard field goal on the final play of the game.

- Key matchup: Eric Sanders vs. Bret Meyer. OK, it's obvious. Yet Sanders played very well against Iowa State a year ago and went 24-of-31 for 295 yards in the 2007 opener against the Mavericks. Meyer threw two critical interceptions and struggled late in ISU's loss to Kent State. This game could boil down to which quarterback enjoys the best night.

- Can UNI win? The Panthers nearly did it a year ago against Dan McCarney. This time, they're facing Iowa State after it lost for the first time under Gene Chizik. UNI's personnel, most notably people like Sanders and senior cornerback Chris Parsons, own plenty of big-game experience. So the emotional edge may actually belong to UNI. Moreover, the Panthers' attack, with an excellent balance between run and pass, may be tough for a very unproven Iowa State defense to stop.

- Can Iowa State win? The Cyclones said there is no way they will take the Panthers lightly, given recent history. The more important question may be, where do they stand emotionally after losing a game to Kent State that could have been won? It's hard to believe the Cyclones won't be hungry. On the field, ISU needs a better night from Meyer, a consistent effort to get Todd Blythe the football, another productive game from J.J. Bass and pressure on UNI's Sanders from the front seven.