Boone Myers was heaped with the greatest praise that an offensive lineman can receive on Saturday as he pushed, pulled, shoved, slapped and whatever else he could do to gain an advantage in the trenches at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames.

What was that praise? Silence.

When you think about it, that’s exactly what the Webster City native and starting left tackle for Iowa wants every time he steps onto the field. Offensive linemen are a lot like referees – the masses only notice them when they screw up.

Not me though. I spent the majority of the game watching the 6-foot-5, 300-pound behemoth, so much so that I – and I’m serious here – missed the beauty of a touchdown pass that quarterback C.J. Beathard rifled into the waiting arms of Riley McCarron that put Iowa in front to stay with 2:14 remaining in its 31-17 victory over Iowa State in the always entertaining Cy-Hawk series.

That pass will be replayed over and over again, particularly in the eastern part of the state (Cyclone fans, don’t let the black and gold supporters fool you, this game means plenty to them, too). But watch it again and keep your eyes on Myers. As Beathard rolls out on the bootleg and lets it fly, you’ll see Myers pancaking a Cyclone defensive lineman in the background – a play that told me quite a bit about how the redshirt sophomore is adapting to Division I football.

He’s doing just fine. No, check that. He’s doing great.

Go back just one month ago when Myers was the favorite whipping boy for all of those anonymous internet message board experts. They went on and on and on about how a former walk-on could never and should never be counted on to play the most coveted position on the line for a Big Ten program. I mean, really, he didn’t even have stars next to his name coming out of high school! (This columnist says dripping with as much sarcasm as possible.)

I guess those so-called diehard fans have never heard of Bruce Nelson or Dallas Clark. But I digress

To his credit, Myers kept a low profile and simply went back to work. He didn’t look good against Iowa defensive end Drew Ott in that Kid’s Day scrimmage last month, there’s no denying that, but as we have discovered, that had as much to do with Ott as it did Myers.

The first-year starter now has two games under his belt and, really, what is there to complain about? Myers has been solid, even dominant at times, and as consistent as anyone up front.

Like I said, I kept my eyes on him at all times on Saturday, and unless my memory is lousy, he was only handled twice. He got beat to the outside when Iowa was pinned at its 3-yard line in the first half, a play where Beathard saved his hide by avoiding a safety. In the second half, Myers was unable to seal off a defender when the Hawkeyes ran a jet sweep to Jonathan Parker that resulted in a loss of 12 yards.

In a game in which Iowa ran 70 plays and piled up 475 yards of offense, I’d say only two miscues deserves a passing grade.

The best part of the Myers story? He’s only going to get better.

And that’s going to be fun to watch, folks.

Other takeaways from the Cy-Hawk rivalry

While all of Cyclone Nation was disappointed with Saturday’s outcome, I hope every member woke up on Sunday with optimism for the rest of the season.

Make no mistake, this is a much improved Iowa State team from last season.

The Cyclones have a batch of talented receivers that will make it tough on every secondary in the Big 12. Quenton Bundrage is the glue guy and Allen Lazard is going to get paid to play this game soon enough. He’s that talented.

ISU quarterback Sam Richardson looked solid when he had time to throw. But he needs some help from the running game and quickly.

Iowa’s defense was impressive, particularly in the second half. When Ott – arguably the most talented player on the team – went down with an arm injury early in the game, it looked like it may be curtains for the Hawkeyes. But to credit of the defense, it harassed Richardson relentlessly in the second half and really put the clamps on the Cyclones.

And lastly … hey, Iowa fans, think you’ve found your quarterback? Yeah, I think so, too.