Saturday Blitz
Fansided

TCU Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Iowa State in Week 9

By Dana Becker

FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Kenny Hill #7 of the TCU Horned Frogs dives into the end zone to score the game winning touchdown against Dravon Askew-Henry #6 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. The TCU Horned Frogs beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-24. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 07: Kenny Hill #7 of the TCU Horned Frogs dives into the end zone to score the game winning touchdown against Dravon Askew-Henry #6 of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. The TCU Horned Frogs beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 31-24. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Don’t look now, but another contender has emerged in the Big 12 race, but will Iowa State be able to take down TCU football?

Iowa State cracked the Top 25 this week and will look to continue its climb up the polls and standings when they welcome TCU to Jack Trice Stadium.

Led by second-year head coach Matt Campbell, the Cyclones have already upset Oklahoma on the road in Norman and are sitting at 5-2 entering a crucial stretch of the season.

Iowa State has allowed just 13 total points in back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Kansas, proving the 38-31 win earlier this month over the Sooners was no fluke.

The Horned Frogs and Gary Patterson have slowly crept up through the rankings and are 7-0 with wins over West Virginia and Oklahoma State already on the resume this season.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Jack Trice Stadium
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Live Stream: ABC Live Stream or WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Now that Iowa State has reached the public eye, how will the Cyclones react to being in the spotlight? That is the key for Matt Campbell this week as he prepares his team for a huge three-week stretch.

The Cyclones have won three in a row, including that road win vs. Oklahoma. They had no problems with Kansas two weeks ago at home, waiting out a weather delay to win 45-0. They followed that up by going to Lubbock, Texas and handing Texas Tech a 31-13 setback.

Senior Kyle Kempt has started the last three wins, throwing for almost 700 yards with seven touchdowns and just one interception. He threw three touchdowns vs. Oklahoma and matched that last week.

Kempt will need to be on top of his game once again vs. a ferocious Horned Frog defense.

David Montgomery is coming off his first 100-yard rushing game since Week 3, racking up 164 yards vs. the Red Raiders. He also reached the 100-yard mark vs. Iowa and Akron. Montgomery’s big play ability will be the key to keeping TCU from confusing Kempt in the passing game.

Iowa State also has a future NFL player at receiver in Allen Lazard, as he’ll look to rebound from a three-catch, 21-yard performance recently.

TCU pretty much took a week off after touch games vs. Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas State, throttling Kansas last week, 43-0. Senior quarterback Kenny Hill had five touchdowns and 278 yards in the win, giving him over 1,700 yards and 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions on the season.

Hill, though, has just one game where he’s reached 300 yards, a 56-36 win over SMU in which he also tossed four scores. Hill, a 3,000-yard passer last year, has shown an ability to take what the defenses give him this season.

Darius Anderson and Kyle Hicks form a duo in the backfield. Anderson has a pair of 100-yard games and 532 yards on the season, with Hicks returning from injury to have 314 yards.

This game presents an interesting battle as the TCU defense is allowing just under 81 yards rushing per game and Iowa State is averaging 121. On the flip-side, the Horned Frogs are posting almost 200 yards on the ground and the Cyclones are allowing 120.

Whoever can win the battle in the trenches will have a huge advantage in this one.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 8

Prediction

Maybe the Cyclones are still another year away from really competing in the conference. Or maybe this is it for Campbell and company. Iowa State has had several big upsets in the past at home and this would be another. TCU will need to get out early to take the crowd out of it, otherwise we could see another Top-5 team fall in Ames. Look for Montgomery and Lazard to be the main cogs on offense as the Cyclones take down a second national title contender this year.

Final Score: Iowa State 31, TCU 30

Home/Iowa State Cyclones