McFarland Upbeat About Offensive Line

AMES, Iowa ? Iowa State offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Robert McFarland likes the chemistry developing among his men in the trenches in the first week of Cyclone football practice. Iowa State welcomed back only one starter from last season, junior Tom Schmeling, although sophomore Reggie Stephens had several starts in 2006. The man asserting himself early is redshirt freshman Ben Lamaak at right tackle.

“The way Ben has picked it up the last three practices, I'm very comfortable early in camp with Ben and (sophomore Doug) Dedrick at tackle,” McFarland said. "I think (redshirt freshman) Matt Hulbert has shown he is going to help us but he must keep improving.”

The question marks are at the guard positions.

“It's really four men going for those two spots,” McFarland said. “We have Schmeling and (senior Lee) Tibbs in there but we have (junior Joe) Blaes and Stephens battling them. Two of those guys need to rise up and claim a starting position. We could do some rotating or movement over to center with this group.”

There could be playing time for all four.

“Obviously, you want to have your starting five up front, but we also have to work out a group of eight that will see the most playing time," McFarland said. "You probably could use a couple of swing guys so people can get a quick rest during games.”

Players Mentioned

Matt Hulbert

Matt Hulbert

Ben Lamaak

Ben Lamaak

Tom Schmeling

Tom Schmeling

Reggie Stephens

Reggie Stephens

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