AMES, Iowa (AP) — Gene Chizik’s message to his Iowa State football team this spring has been clear and simple.

Fellas, it’s time to bear down and get more physical.

“That’s kind of the theme of where we’re going this spring,” Chizik said Monday. “When we’re in pads, we’re going to use the pads.”

Quarterback Austen Arnaud sees that message getting across.

“It’s getting real physical,” Arnaud said. “Not for me so much, just because I’m a quarterback. But I can see those other guys getting after it and working hard. Those pads are definitely popping out there.”

That sound has to be music to Chizik’s ears because he felt the Cyclones got pushed around too often while finishing 3-9 last season, his first as ISU’s coach.

They held up at times, beating Kansas State and Colorado late in the season, hanging with Oklahoma for an entire game and staying with Missouri for three quarters. But they got swamped by Texas and Texas Tech and were outmuscled in early season losses to Kent State and Northern Iowa.

Chizik said the team is stronger overall because of offseason work in the weight room and he hopes that translates into a more dominating presence on the field.

“Right now I’m really pleased,” he said. “They’re doing everything we ask them to do. They are very much trying to be a physical football team.”

Linebacker Jesse Smith likes that approach.

“We’re more concentrated on our individual drills being more physical and using our hands,” said Smith, who was third on the team with 79 tackles last fall. “I think that’s good. We needed to be more physical. I think with this point of view, we’re going to win more games.”

One area getting a lot of attention is the offensive line, even though four of the five starters return. Chizik is looking for more consistency from that group, which played well in some games, not so well in others.

“We felt like there were times when we ran the ball fairly well,” Chizik said. “And there were times when we couldn’t move it an inch. When that happens, there’s generally inconsistencies in there.”

All three of the backs competing for the starting job — Alexander Robinson, Jason Scales and J.J. Bass — had a 100-yard game last fall. Yet the Cyclones were 10th in the Big 12 in rushing at 123.7 yards a game and averaged only 3.1 yards a carry.

So no starter’s job in the line is safe, Chizik said. And that goes for the whole team.