Breaking down Saturday’s season opener between Iowa State and Northern Iowa at Jack Trice Stadium.

ISU rush offense vs. UNI rush defense

Iowa State returns its top two rushers from last season, David Montgomery and Mike Warren, who both went for more than 500 yards. It was a slow start though. The Cyclones had just 51 rushing yards in the season opener vs. Northern Iowa last season with Karter Schult exploding off the line — he had three tackles for loss and two sacks.

Seniors Adam Reth (6-3, 270) and Preston Woods (6-0, 287) have taken on Schult’s mantle in the preseason, and the Panthers return their top two tacklers from the last year’s game — Jared Farley and Hezekiah Applegate. I

owa State gets Jake Campos back at left tackle and will have 11-game starter Julian Good-Jones at center, giving the Cyclones a better-equipped line this time around.

Advantage: Iowa State

ISU pass offense vs. UNI pass defense

This matchup has the potential to tip the scales in Iowa State’s favor. The Cyclones have an abundance of size and skill at wide receiver.

Quarterback Jacob Park, the primary signal caller the last five games of 2016, has five outside receivers on the two-deep taller than 6-foot-1, including Hakeem Butler (6-6) and Allen Lazard (6-5).

Jacob Park: 'It's going to be night and day'

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UNI senior Malcolm Washington is the tallest cornerback at 6-foot. Height isn’t the only factor in determining wide receiver and secondary matchups, but given the number of guys with size — plus Deshaunte Jones and Trever Ryen in the slot — and Park’s accuracy (60.5 percent the last five games), Iowa State has a chance to air it out heavily if the offensive line can stand its ground.

Advantage: Iowa State

UNI rush offense vs. ISU rush defense

UNI Coach Mark Farley didn’t name a starting running back this week. Senior J’Veyon Browning, junior Marcus Weymiller and sophomore Trevor Allen are all in contention. But the offensive line is where the Panthers could help their rushing game cause.

Sophomore Jackson Scott-Brown, senior Lee Carhart and junior Jacob Appleman are slotted to start on the interior with junior Cal Twait and senior Bryce Sweeney at left and right tackle, respectively. How they’ll stack up against Iowa State’s new-look defensive front is the biggest unknown.

The Cyclones have veterans J.D. Waggoner and Vernell Trent back on the line, and added Matt Leo, Ray Lima and brought Joel Lanning over from offense to start at middle linebacker. JaQuan Bailey and Jamahl Johnson are true sophomores while Enyi Uwazurike, Josh Bailey and Carson Lensing are redshirt freshmen. How that group performs in a game setting is only speculation at this point.

Advantage: Push

UNI pass offense vs. ISU pass defense

Northern Iowa will start junior Eli Dunne at quarterback. He started four games in 2016. The 6-foot-5 and 238 pounder threw for 1,175 yards and had seven touchdowns to eight interceptions. A full offseason under his belt, similar to Iowa State’s Park, should have him more comfortable as the full-time guy this season.

Senior Daurice Fountain and sophomore Jalen Rima, 6-2 and 6-0 respectively, will headline the wide receiver corps with Briley Moore (6-3, 242) and Elias Nissen (6-4, 243) providing big targets at tight end.

The strength of Iowa State’s defense is in its secondary and experience is everywhere. Cornerbacks Brian Peavy and D’Andre Payne are in natural positions on the outside while 27-game starter Kamari Cotton-Moya backs them up at free safety. Evrett Edwards and Reggie Wilkerson are graduate transfer safeties who provide Division I experience in the back end, too.

Advantage: Iowa State

Special teams

Iowa State and Northern Iowa will be utilizing a different kicker than last year. Oregon State graduate transfer Garrett Owens will kick for the Cyclones — Chris Francis will handle kickoffs — and former Cedar Rapids Prairie prep Sam Drysdale, who saw more action to end last season, won the job for the Panthers.

The Cyclones and Panthers both return their punters, seniors Colin Downing and Sam Kuhter, but the return game is where some unknown lies, at least for Iowa State.

Rima and Fountain will handle kickoff returns for Northern Iowa while Iowa State’s position will be filled by committee in the wake of Kene Nwangwu’s rehabilitation from an Achilles injury. Look for true freshman Johnnie Lang or senior Trever Ryen to be the guy.

Advantage: Push

Intangibles

1. The series — Iowa State has a 21-6-3 record against Northern Iowa, but the Panthers have won three of the last four matchups in Jack Trice Stadium — including last year’s opener, 25-20.

2. The family connection — Iowa State redshirt freshman tight end Chase Allen is the son of Terry Allen, who was the head football coach at Northern Iowa from 1989-96. Terry was the starting quarterback for the Panthers from 1976-78 and an assistant from 1978-89. Chase’s cousin, D.J. Vokolek, is the UNI assistant head coach and linebackers coach.

3. Making history — With last season’s win against Iowa State, Farley became the program’s all-time wins leader (130), passing Stan Sheriff. Farley now has 134 career wins heading into 2017.

3 and out

1. Assistant shake-ups — Northern Iowa has seven new assistant coaches heading into the season. That’s a lot of newness. The biggest relief is Farley is heading into his 17th season and the culture he’s instilled remains intact. How the new assistants impact the outcome of the game is unknown, but it’s worth watching.

2. Magic number 20 — Iowa State wants this game to be fast with no doubts late in the fourth quarter. Northern Iowa, on the other hand, wants to make it rough in the trenches in a low-scoring affair. The Cyclones have lost to the Panthers three times in the last 10 years, scoring 20 points or fewer in each. In its three wins in that span, Iowa State has outscored Northern Iowa 78-26.

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3. Run the ball — In last year’s loss, Iowa State rushed for 51 net yards and had as many rushing first downs as first downs by penalty (3). The Cyclones were without Jake Campos (broken leg) and Julian Good-Jones (suspension) in that game, and have both ready for Saturday. David Montgomery and Mike Warren provide a one-two punch against a traditionally stout UNI front seven.

ISU WILL WIN IF ... It can exploit its mismatch at wide receiver, limit penalties and play with minimal turnovers.

UNI WILL WIN IF ... It can limit the ISU ground attack, force quarterback Jacob Park into some turnovers and own the line of scrimmage.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 31, Northern Iowa 14