AMES — Xavier Townsend flips through a stack of homemade flash cards, quizzing himself and drilling their contents into his mental vault.

The Iowa State football wide receiver isn't studying facts for an academic exam, but doing whatever he can to ensure that he knows the Cyclones' playbook inside and out.

Every play call, yardage for each route and on-the-fly adjustments to make against specific defenses.

"I'm a big flash card guy," Townsend said. "When I first got here, I had the whole playbook, or most of the playbook, (on flash cards). Wrote down every play, the nuances in it ... flipping through each one. I think for me, that's the easiest way for me to learn."

Townsend, who transferred to the Cyclones this offseason after three years at UCF, said that one of the biggest changes

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