Game preview vs Texas
By Michael O’Deay (@MODeay70) Game 9 vs Texas Kickoff: 6:30 PM TV: FS1 Radio: Cyclone Radio Network
West Virginia Recap: There are a couple ways to look at the West Virginia game. 1) The Cyclones got hosed by officiating. 2) The Cyclones couldn’t come up with a crucial stop. I have praised the defense all season. In clutch moments they have come up with the stop after stop and set the offense up to succeed. The Mountaineers had a great game plan. They called out routes all day. ISU couldn’t come up with a stop. There was a lot of separation between the corners and West Virginia’s receivers. Jarret Doege had a serviceable day 30-46 with 3 TDs and 2 picks. Leddie Brown went over the century mark with 109 yards and 2 TDs. ISU had the big plays Breece Hall extended his consecutive rushing TD streak with a 70 yard TD. Tarik Milton had a 68 yard TD. Jake Hummel had a 24 yard pick 6. ISU fell short. That’s not an indictment of how ISU played. Nor is it of the coaching staff. The Mountaineers did what they needed to do to win. After West Virginia took a 38-31 lead, ISU had 2 drives that put them within reach of tying the game. The Breece Hall “fumble” is what I have the biggest issue with. The side judge called a TD, the back judge called a fumble. After what seemed like an hour long conference, the head ref said it was a fumble. Then there was a review. I knew there wouldn’t have been enough evidence to overturn it, (thanks for having the game on ESPN +). The call wouldn’t have been overturned had the ruling on the field would’ve been a TD. It was to say the least a painful loss. It’s tough to win conference road games. ISU gave up 38 points, which is the most since a 42-41 loss to OU in 2019. Let’s move on to Texas.
Know your opponent: Texas is 4-4 and 2-3 in Big 12 play. The Longhorns are currently on a 3 game losing streak. They’ve had dominating wins against Texas Tech, Louisiana, and Rice. They blew a huge lead against OU, and lost 2 tough games to Oklahoma State and Baylor. The Longhorns are more than likely making their last trip to Ames, because after basketball season I’m sure the SEC will pony up the dough for OU and Texas to exit the Big 12.
The Series: Texas leads the overall series 14-4. Iowa State has won the last 2 games. Last season Iowa State won 23-20.
The Game: Texas is a struggling football team. Since blowing a 35-17 lead against OU, the Longhorns have been outscored 101-61. Texas also lost a double digit lead to Oklahoma State the following week. Texas has Bijan Robinson, the 2nd best running back in the Big 12. Robinson is averaging 5.93 yards per carry with 11 rushing TDs. He is a very powerful runner that gets a lot of YAC. QB Casey Thompson has Completed 64% of his passes with 17 TDs and 6 picks. He is a pocket passer that can thread the needle. Brock Purdy was efficient in Brocktober throwing for 945 yards with 8 TDs and no interceptions. This senior class is 16-1 at JTS against Big 12 opponents. Breece Hall is 15 yards away from eclipsing the 1,000 yard rushing for the season. The WR matchup is going to be a battle of the Xavier’s. It’s Worthy for Texas and Hutch for ISU. Worthy is a big play receiver averaging 19.9 yards per catch while Hutch is more of a possession receiver averaging 11.3 yards per catch. This is going to be the loudest and most wild game at Jack Trice Stadium. Everyone in Cyclone Nation has had this date on their calendar since Texas and OU decided to jump ship. I know I am ready.
Key to the Game: 1) Just win baby
As always 3rd downs, turnovers, and the line of scrimmage are huge. ISU needs to find a way to win because believe it or not, there still is a way to get to Dallas. I’ll talk about that with a win in next week’s recap.
My prediction: Texas is averaging 39.4 points per game and 447.4 yards of total offense. The Cyclones are giving up 19.6 ppg and 291.5 ypg. After last week’s game, I think the Cyclones are going to get back on track with a 34-24 win. I hope it’s more lopsided.
Go Cyclones!