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AMES – Josh Lenz hasn’t been thrown into the fire as a freshman.

Actually, he was heaved into the blast furnace that is Big 12 football before he ever even took a college class.

Lenz, a recent Dubuque Hempstead star, was told in August that he would be Iowa State’s top punt-return man. And, now, he’s seeing a steady stream of passes fired his way.

But, so far, he’s simply enjoying the ride.

“It was neat, the very first time we drove up (to Jack Trice Stadium) in the bus, and you see all the fans around here giving you the thumbs up,” Lenz noted.

“And then you go down to Kansas and you’ve got the opposite – you’ve got fans booing you.”

Here’s one lesson the 19-year-old will soon learn: opposing fans usually only boo those they view as threats. And Lenz was a threat that day in Lawrence, Kan., when he reeled in an early, 15-yard reception. He was a threat against Army in late September, when his 44-yard punt return awoke Iowa State’s offense. And, the Dubuque native put Baylor on alert early in last week’s win, when he got four passes in a row fired his way, midway through the first quarter.

“It was really fun, being able to catch the ball and hear the fans cheer,” Lenz noted of his Baylor outburst. “I was just out there playing, and had the confidence that I could play with all these guys.

“By the end I was getting a little winded – I hadn’t seen that much playing time all year,” he added, laughing.

Lenz had better get used to it. The 4-3 Cyclones are very much in the bowl hunt, and he is very much apart of it.

“He has an ability to make people miss, and turn five-yard plays into 15-yard plays,” explained first-year Cyclone coach Paul Rhoads. “We’ve gotta get that kind of production on the field more.”

Lenz had a career-high seven receptions in ISU’s decisive win over Baylor. The 5-foot-11, 184-pound speedster, who has been clocked at 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has become a key outlet for quarterback Austen Arnaud in the Cyclones’ spread offense.

“He has a quick twitch to him,” Arnaud said of Lenz. “With the ball in his hands he’s pretty dangerous.”

So far, Lenz has exceeded even his own expectations. Though he racked up a school-record 1,378 rushing yards last fall at Dubuque Hempstead, Lenz was tabbed as a two-star prospect by several recruiting services.

“In high school we ran the Wing-T,” Lenz noted, “so I did ‘run left, run right, go block.’”

Some pundits even wondered if Lenz, who averaged 16.6 points per game last winter on the hardwood, wouldn’t be better served playing basketball in college.

But, barely seven weeks into his college career, there’s no doubt about it: Lenz appears to be an asset for the Iowa State gridders.

“It was a little tough at first. … My head was spinning quite a bit,” said Lenz. “But (now) I’ve got it all down.

“I feel really fortunate to be in this position, and playing. I’m just trying to make the best of it.”