The Associated Press

AMES, Iowa – Ennis Haywood rushed for 159 yards in his first start, including a 73-yard third-quarter touchdown run that helped Iowa State pull away in a 25-15 victory over Ohio University on Saturday.

Saturday, September 02, 2000

AMES, Iowa – Ennis Haywood rushed for 159 yards in his first start, including a 73-yard third-quarter touchdown run that helped Iowa State pull away in a 25-15 victory over Ohio University on Saturday.

Haywood is being closely watched as the successor to brothers Troy and Darren Davis, who combined for 8,145 yards over the last five years, and the junior responded in a big way in a steamy opener.

He carried 22 times and set up a touchdown with a 32-yard pass reception. His touchdown run, which came when Iowa State was leading only 16-9, matched the 11th longest in Iowa State history. It was the longest since Graston Norris went 91 yards against UNLV on Sept. 23, 1995.

Sage Rosenfels and Michael Wagner also ran for touchdowns and Mike McKnight kicked two field goals on a day the temperature rose to a muggy 91 degrees by the fourth quarter.

Ohio confused Iowa State early with its triple-option offense and scored on the opening series. Iowa State got a handle on it after that and kept the Bobcats out of the end zone until Dontrell Jackson’s 28-yard touchdown pass to Raynald Ray with 7:55 left.

The Bobcats hurt themselves with four fourth-quarter turnovers but got a strong performance from punter Dave Zastudil, who often pinned the Cyclones deep in their own territory. Despite a 24-yarder on his first kick, Zastudil averaged 47 yards on seven punts.

Iowa State again had kicking problems, which haunted the Cyclones last season. McKnight and Tony Yelk each missed an extra-point kick and McKnight was well short and wide right on a 50-yard field-goal attempt with the wind at his back.

McKnight did hit field goals of 27 and 22 yards, the second giving Iowa State a 25-9 lead with 10:02 left.

Iowa State has its deepest, most experienced team in coach Dan McCarney’s six seasons, fueling hopes the Cyclones can achieve their first winning season since 1989. But Ohio had Iowa State back on its heels early and the Cyclones did not get the convincing victory they wanted to get the season off to a roaring start.

After spending extra time on special teams, the Cyclones surrendered a 47-yard return by Chad Brinker on the opening kickoff. Ohio, helped by a 15-yard facemasking penalty, then ran its triple-option attack perfectly while zipping 53 yards in six plays to go up 6-0 on Brinker’s 5-yard run.

Iowa State’s defense settled in after that and twice forced Ohio to go three-and-out before the Cyclones’ offense went four-and-in. Rosenfels hit Chris Anthony on a 29-yard pass to the 13 and Wagner burst into the end zone on a 10-yard draw play.

Ohio had to settle for Kevin Kerr’s 33-yard field goal to go up 9-7 early in the second quarter after a holding penalty erased Jackson’s 6-yard touchdown run. McKnight’s 27-yard field goal put Iowa State ahead 10-9, and Rosenfels added to the lead with a 1-yard sneak 5 1/2 minutes later.

Haywood set up the score by turning a swing pass from Rosenfels into a 32-yard gain down the left sideline on third-and-15 from the 38.