By Michael O'Deay (@MODeay70)
Game 5 vs Kansas
Kickoff: 6:10 PM
​TV: FS1
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network

Baylor Recap:
The Bears raced to a 21-10 lead last Saturday in Waco, beating ISU 31-29. The Bears started with 3 terrific TD. After the start the Cyclone defense turned them away time after time. 
Brock Purdy was 22-33 for 263 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.  Breece Hall was spectacular. He recorded 190 rushing yards and scored 3 total TDs, 2 rushing and 1 receiving. Chase Allen had a game high 7 receptions for 98 yards. On defense Greg Eisworth lI led the way with 10 tackles, 7 solo, and .5 tackle for loss.

Know your opponent:
Kansas is 1-3 overall 0-1 in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks won their 1st game against South Dakota 17-14. Since their first game Kansas has been outscored 146-62 with losses to Costal Carolina, Baylor, and Duke.

The Series:
Kansas leads the overall series 50-44. The Cyclones have won the 6 straight and 10 out of the last 11 games. Last season ISU won 52-22 in Lawrence.

The Game:
Kansas has a multi talented QB in Jason Bean. He leads the team in both passing yards and rushing. He is 56-98 for 732 yards with 5 TDs and 2 picks. He also has 272 rushing yards with 2 TDs.
Iowa State counters with Breece Hall. Hall looks to keep the ball moving after his dominate 190 rushing yard performance at Baylor. Hall has scored a rushing TD in all 16 games since the start of the 2020 season. Which is a new Big 12 record. The Jayhawks are giving up 40 points and 476.5 yards per game. The senior led Cyclone team is going to have a big day.

Keys to the Game:
1) Get pressure on QB Jason Bean
2) Score early and often
3) Convert 3rd downs

Kansas is a struggling football team. If the defense can get pressure on Bean and continue to dominate in the run D category, ISU's run defense is 4th best in FBS allowing only 2.12 yards per carry. The offense should be able to sync early and put the pressure and points on the Jayhawk defense. The offense improved last week in 3rd down efficiency. It would be a great to see a 50-60% 3rd down conversion rate. 

My prediction:
Kansas is overmatched, ISU wins their 7th straight game in the series, 51-7.

Go Cyclones!

By Michael O'Deay (@MOD70)
Baylor's high powered offense was on full display in the first half of the Bears 31-29 win. Baylor scored TDs on their first 3 drives. During those 3 drives Baylor dominated the Cyclone defensive line. Gerry Bohannon started the game 10-11 for 140 yards with 2 TDs in the air and he rushed for a TD. In the Bears last 8 drives he finished 4-8 for 19 yards. When the Cyclones started bringing the pressure, Baylor had no answer. Unfortunately, the hot start was too much for ISU to overcome.
The two biggest plays of the day went Bears way.
1) Kickoff return for TD
ISU kicked a FG to cut the deficit to 21-16, then there was the kickoff return for a TD, that increased the lead to  28-16.   
2) Purdy picked off in the red zone
This isn't a knock on Purdy. This was a huge play made by Baylor's 6-4 350 nose tackle Siaki Ika. Purdy had a clean pocket and a streaking Charlie Kolar, Ika stuck his big paw up, while being double teamed,  deflected the pass that had TD Charlie Kolar written all over it, and it was intercepted. It was a key play in the game because at the time Baylor was up 28-23, if Kolar is able to reel in the TD to make it 30-28, Baylor wouldn't have been able to recover. That's my biased Cyclone loving opinion. The fact is after the Baylor took a 21-10 lead, their drive log was:
3 plays and a punt
1 play leading to the end of the first half
9 plays and a lost fumble
5 plays then a punt
3 plays then a punt
4 plays then a punt
4 plays and a FG
1 play and the end of the game
Special teams gave up a TD, a long punt return, and missed a FG. Those plays hurt, however, ISU was the better team. If the Big 12 Championship is Baylor vs Iowa State, the Baylor students won't be chanting over rated in the first quarter. That was absolutely obnoxious. They chanted it 9 more times. Yes I counted. 
With the loss the playoff dream is dead. One ESPN analyst has the Cyclones in the Alamo Bowl while the other idiot has ISU in the Liberty Bowl.
My summary: The loss sucked. ISU should've won. The stretch to the OU game on November 20th is tough but winnable because ISU is still a great team. We can't look past anyone, however, I believe ISU a great chance to be 6-1 in Big 12 play and 8-2 overall, with a solid chance to control their own destiny to get back to and WIN the Big 12 Championship game in Dallas.  
I heard complaints during the game that ISU should've sped up to have more of an opportunity in case the 2 point conversion didn't work. Stop it. That was a perfect drive where ISU had the better team and the senior led offense that made plays when needed. Purdy's pass that landed in Breece Hall's hands to get it to a 4th and 1 looked like a throw away. Instead it was Purdy and Hall making plays. Purdy was calm, cool, and collected leading the offense down the field to get the TD. The two point conversion that was picked off wasn't the best play, however, Baylor's D was gassed. Had the 2 point conversion play worked, the Bears wouldn't have been able to stop ISU in OT.
The calls I'm hearing that the coaching staff called a terrible game. Stop it. I'll agree it was a rough start. The coaches made adjustments and turned what could've been a Baylor blowout, (reference ISU football in the 90s) to a respectable game. We won every column on the stat sheet.
I even heard people say it's time to give up on Brock Purdy. Stop it. Purdy has 27 school records. While he has thrown some costly interceptions, his overall body of work as a 4 YEAR STARTER with a WINNING record at ISU proves he is a winner. I feel sorry for Kansas.
Be a smart fan. Look at the whole body of work and know Cyclone Nation is just fine. These coaches and Seniors have built such a solid foundation. Cyclone Football is legit rising.  
Next up: Kansas limps to Ames Saturday. Kickoff is 6pm. ISU is close to their 3rd consecutive sellout, which would be a record. If you don't have tickets, buy some and Pack the Jack. Get loud, be proud, and show the AP pollsters who voted us out of the Top 25 after a tough loss to a quality team why they were wrong. Dead Wrong.

Go Cyclones!

By Michael O'Deay (@MODeay70)
​Game 4 @ Baylor
Kickoff: 2:30 PM 
TV Coverage: Fox
Radio Coverage: Cyclone Radio Network

UNLV Recap:
Iowa State handed UNLV a lopsided 48-3 loss at UNLV last Saturday. The Cyclones dominated all aspects of the game. Brock Purdy was 21-24 for 288 yards and 3 TDs. Breece Hall Rushed for 100 yards with 2 scores. In the final tune-up before Big 12 play ISU let the underclassmen play in the 4th quarter. 

Know your opponent:
Baylor is 3-0 with dominating performance 45-7 win vs Kansas. Baylor has also recorded wins against Texas Southern and Texas State.

The Series:
Baylor leads the all time series 10-9. Iowa State won last years game in Ames 38-31. Baylor was leading 24-10 in the 3rd quarter when Brock Purdy recovered from a 3 pick 1st half, to lead ISU to 4 straight TD drives to take control of the game.

The Game:
Iowa State looks to continue its momentum after last week's big win. Baylor is looking for their first 4-0 start since the 2019 season. Baylor has a run heavy offense. The Bears have rushed the ball 133 times in 2021 for 970 yards, averaging 7.3 yards per rush. The running attack has scored 11 TDs. Baylor has a two headed rushing attack with Abram Smith (366 yards) and Trestan Ebner (327 yards). The QB Gerry Bohannon has completed 72.9% of his passes for 664 yards and 5 TDs with no picks. 
Iowa State has the number one overall defense allowing only 198 yards per game and has allowed the just 3.42 yards per play. The Cyclones run defense has allowed an average of 50.7 yards per game and a paltry 1.58 yards per carry. 
On offense Xavier Hutchinson is the leading receiver with 20 receptions for 243 yards and 2 TDs. 

Keys to the game:
1) Stop the run
2) Convert 3rd Downs
3) Force Baylor Turnovers

Baylor has the 5th best running attack averaging 321.3 yards per game. Iowa State has struggled on 3rd down conversions, converting only 12 of 35 attempts. Baylor has yet to throw an interception this season, however, they have lost fumbles. ISU has thrown 3 picks and lost two fumbles.  
Baylor is much improved from 2020.

Prediction:
Iowa State 31 Baylor 21

Pettiness:
In 2019 ISU didn't apply in time to have a tent on their sideline. I still don't know why the application is important. ESPN showed a graphic during the game the air temperature was 94, Baylor's sideline was 95, Iowa State's sideline was 122. I'm not throwing a tenter tantrum but that was ridiculous.

Go Cyclones!

Game 3 wrap ISU 48 UNLV 3
By Michael O'Deay (@MODeay70)
9/22/2021

Iowa State entered Saturday's game with a sense of purpose. After the offense struggled to get going vs UNI and Iowa, the Cyclones lit up UNLV in The City that Never Sleeps 48-3. 

Offensive Stars of the Game:
Brock Purdy 21-24 for 288 yards and 3 TDs
Breece Hall 100 yards and 2 TDs (should've been 3)
Xavier Hutchinson 10 Receptions 133 Yards and 2 TDs

Defensive Stars of the Game:
Gerry Vaughn 7 Tackles 1 Sack 2.5 Tackles for Loss
Mike Rose 7 Tackles 1 Sack 2 Tackles for Loss
Jake Hummel 7 Tackles
Eyioma Uwazurike 4 Tackles 1 Sack
Isheem Young 1 interception
The whole defense dominated. UNLV was held to 1.2 yards per rush

The Game:
The Iowa State Cyclones dominated. This game was everything that was needed. As it was called, "A get right game". Iowa State outgained UNLV 493 to 130, accumulated 27 first downs compared to UNLV's 7. The Cyclone Defense held UNLV to 2-13 or 15% on third downs. 

Brock Purdy had a tune-up to Brocktober. He had a fantastic pass to a wide open Charlie Kolar for a 33 yard TD in the third. One of his TD passes to Xavier Hutchinson was a perfectly thrown rocket to the side line of end zone where Hutch made a spectacular catch. Breece Hall averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He opened the scoring with a 1 yard TD run with 8:04 to play in the first. He tacked on his second score To open the second quarter making it 14-0. At that point there was little doubt the Cyclones would win big. Andrew Mevis hit a 54 yard FG. I can't remember the last time ISU made a 50 yarder.

The only knock on the game was the fumble. That was a good hit on Purdy's arm and the ball that caused the fumble. It was a great defensive play by UNLV. 

I thought the way UNLV handled the QB situation was a bit awkward. They were without starter Doug Brumfield. Cameron Friel played a majority of the reps completing 8-13 passes for 67 yards. He threw one interception to Isheem Young. The Rebels threw in former Buckeye, Hurricane, and QB1: Beyond the Lights Star Tate Martell who was 2-6 for 27 yards. He also had 4 rushes for 2 yards. He did have a nice 9 yard run.

In the end the Cyclones defense had UNLV bottled up the whole game as UNLV averaged only 2.4 yards per play. The Cyclone offense played to near perfection. ISU won all 3 phases of the game.

Random Notes:
Had any bowl representatives watched this game, they would have thought the game was in Ames. I bring that up because ISU traveled very well. 
Former Cyclone QB Re-al Mitchell was also on QB1: Beyond the Lights
My 45-3 prediction, (blown by a 54 yard FG that I'm perfectly fine with) will probably be the closest I get all year. I will take the moral victory.

Up next:
ISU opens up Big 12 play with a trip to Waco to play the Baylor Bears.
ISU was timely in their tent application. In an addendum, they issued Baylor a Cyclone Warning for Saturday starting at 2:30.

Go Cyclones!

By Michael O'Deay (@MODeay70)

Game 3: @ UNLV
Kickoff: 9:30 PM Central
TV Coverage: CBS Sports Network
Radio Coverage: Cyclone Radio Network

Cy/Hawk Recap:
In the first Top 10 game in Jack Trice history, Iowa State lost to Iowa 27-17. ISU couldn't recover from three turnovers in the 3rd quarter. Prior to halftime ISU was trailing 14-3 when the Cyclones put together a nice 5 play 75 yard TD drive that was capped off with Breece Hall punching in a rushing TD for the 14th straight game. The Cyclone defense deserves a ton of credit. They held the Hawks under 200 yards of total offense. 
Iowa converted 4 Cyclone turnovers to 20 points. After Hall's fumble was returned for a TD, Brock Purdy threw two interceptions, however the Cyclone D held Iowa to field goals.
In the loss the Cyclones had more first downs and more total yards than the Hawks. 
As Bill Belichick would say, we're on to UNLV.

Know your opponent:
UNLV is 0-2. In their most recent game they lost to Arizona State 37-10. UNLV had a 10-7 2nd quarter lead, however, Arizona State scored the last 30 points. UNLV's other loss was a 35-33 double OT loss to FCS powerhouse Eastern Washington. (I can joke because we beat UNI)

The Game:
Iowa State heads out west to face UNLV for the first time since 2008. It will be the first game for ISU in the new Allegiant Stadium, which opened in 2020. The stadium is home to UNLV and the Las Vegas Raiders. Brock Purdy hasn't thrown a touchdown pass this season. Expect that to change. Breece Hall hasn't rushed for 100 yards in either game. Expect that to change. UNLV is giving up 36 points per game and 468 yards per game. The ISU defense on the other hand is only allowing 1.7 yards per rush. In two games ISU has only given up 112 rushing yards. That last stat should worry UNLV because they are a run heavy team. Their top RB is Charles Williams who has 212 yards on 41 carries and 2 TDs. UNLV's second leading rusher is Sophomore QB Doug Brumfield. He has carried the ball 15 times for 70 yards with 2 TDs. Brumfield is listed as questionable for the game. If Brumfield can't go the Rebels will be led by Junior QB Justin Rodgers. Rodgers has completed 8 of 16 passes for 30 yards. He's rushed 9 times for negative 33 yards. I'm no mathematician, but that means Rodgers has contributed negative 3 yards to the Rebels season.

Keys to the game:
1) Less turnovers and more TDs.
2) Continue to dominate the line of scrimmage. 
3) Put the foot on the gas and don't let up.

I'm a very humble and optimistic Cyclone fan, however, I'm goping to be blunt in my assessment. Iowa State should dominate this game in every aspect. ISU faced two good defenses in the first two weeks. The offense is going to get going in a big way. I wouldn't be surprised to once again see the key players on the bench in the 4th quarter. This week will be a lot more joyful. As for Purdy getting benched, I'm sure Coach Campbell did that for a motivational reason. With that said, watch out for Brock Purdy to put up huge numbers. 

Prediction:
Iowa State 45
UNLV 3

Series History:
ISU leads the all time series vs UNLV 4-1.
The teams last met in Las Vegas in 2008 with the Rebels winning 34-31. 
If you're in Vegas and should hit a roulette table may I suggest 15, 23, 28 and always bet on cardinal. The casino will continue to mistake the color as a plain red.

​Go Cyclones!

By Michael O' Deay (@MODeay70)

Iowa State will take on Oregon in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on January 2nd at 4/3 CT. The Cyclones off of a heart breaking Big 12 Championship loss to Oklahoma will look to bounce back. They had way too many mistakes in that game and will look to clean it up against 4-2 Oregon. Oregon is fresh off a Pac 12 Championship win over USC. However, they have had a shaky season, especially falling to lowly Oregon State. This is Iowa State's first ever appearance in a New Years 6 Bowl Game.

#6 Iowa State will face #10 Oklahoma In Arlington, Texas for the Big 12 Championship. Iowa State brought in 3 huge Big 12 Awards this week with Breece Hall, Mike Rose and Matt Campbell receiving top honors. In their first matchup, they started so but were able to attack Oklahoma's small secondary and pound the run with Breece like they have continued to do all season. Here is a recap of the game: 

Iowa State needs to play a turnover free game and stick to the principles they have all season to come away with a win Saturday. The Cyclones could make the college football playoff with a win and some help from Notre Dame and potentially others.

Offensive Lineman Tyler Maro has committed to the Cyclones. The 6-7 Iowa native had offers from 36 schools while playing at Assumption High School in Davenport, Iowa. The class of 2021 prospect has a 3 star grade. He is ranked 671 nationally and 13th in the state of Iowa. He has major offers from schools that include Arizona State, California, Louisvile and many other power 5 schools. 

On Senior Night, Iowa State took care of Business and blew out West Virginia, winning the regular season Big 12 Title and securing the #1 seed in the Title Game in Dallas.  It was also senior night, and we saw touchdowns from program changers Landon Akers and Kene, which is always fun to see. Breece also notched over 150 total yards along with 2 TDs to continue to add to his Heisman season. Brock also passed for nearly 250 yards and 3 touchdowns, along with running for another. All aspects of the defense continued to remain strong as the Cyclones look ahead to Dallas for their Big 12 Championship meeting with Oklahoma on December 19th. Here a quick recap of the Game: