Two Big 12 teams looking to rebound from losses head to Ames this Saturday, as Iowa State football takes on Oklahoma State.
Last Saturday, the Cowboys suffered a loss to rival Oklahoma in the latest edition of Bedlam, with the Cyclones going on the road and dropping a contest with West Virginia.
Despite the recent loss to the Mountaineers, Iowa State and second-year head coach Matt Campbell still control their own destiny from here on out. Finish the year with wins over the Cowboys, Baylor and Kansas State, and the Cyclones are headed to the conference title game for the first-time in school history.
Iowa State (6-3, 4-2 Big 12) made waves in October when they knocked off Oklahoma and TCU sandwiched around wins vs. Kansas and Texas Tech. The defense allowed just 20 points in three of those games, with the Sooners also being held to just seven points in the second half.
West Virginia was balanced in pulling the upset at home, as Will Grier threw for 316 yards and Justin Crawford ran for 102 of 208 by the team.
Oklahoma State will present an equally balanced challenge for the Cyclones. Mason Rudolph racked up 448 yards and five touchdowns vs. Oklahoma, with Justice Hill running for 228. Turnovers, though, in the second half doomed the Cowboys.
Here’s how to watch Saturday’s showdown between Oklahoma State and Iowa State:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 11
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Jack Trice Stadium
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
For as good as Kyle Kempt has been since replacing Jacob Park at quarterback for Iowa State, the Cyclones do not want to get in a shootout with Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys just have too many weapons in Rudolph, Hill and James Washington, though the status of Washington remains unknown after he left Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma with an injury.
Oklahoma State averages 45 points and almost 580 yards of total offense per game, with the Cyclones surrendering just 19 and 367. Only the Sooners have scored more than 20 points vs. this ISU defense in the last five games, and as previously mentioned, only seven of those 31 game in the second half.
In the last five for the Cowboys, they have scored over 41 four times, hitting the 50-point mark three times.
If Iowa State can force turnovers and avoid making them, two things they have been great at this year, they’ll give themselves a good chance to pull another upset on a team from the state of Oklahoma.
Prediction
It’ll be interesting to see how Oklahoma State comes out, as losing Bedlam can be very difficult to overcome, especially considering how the game played out.
Iowa State, meanwhile, must realize the loss to West Virginia hurts, but it doesn’t keep them from achieving the ultimate goal and competing for the league title.
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Campbell is definitely ahead of even his expectations for this program, and a win over the Cowboys would give them a great shot at running the table to conclude the season and possibly facing off against Oklahoma for a second time.
If the defense can get a handful of stops, and the offense can remain effective as they have in previous games with the Sooners and Horned Frogs, more “Ames Magic” could be on the way.
Prediction: Iowa State 37, Oklahoma State 31