The Iowa State Cyclones will get some time to heal up and shore-up before the Big-12 race begins. The Cyclones are idle this weekend before traveling to Oklahoma State for the league opener. ISU closed out nonconference play 2-1 after a victory over Northern Illinois. Cyclone coach Dan McCarney says the week off will be a good time to work on bolstering their running game. He says they need the extra time to get ready for Oklahoma State. ISU will have another open date later, as they’ve move the Missouri game after Thanksgiving to get it on TV.Todd Blythe has developed into a go-to receiver and McCarney has been happy with the play of the defense overall despite some struggles last week. He says Northern Illinois got a lot of big plays and he says that is a concern. He says they need to force more turnovers too on defense. While he says Blythe has gotten off to a good start, he says they need to do a better job of running the football.