Iowa State football took on its in-state rival Iowa in a heated battle that didn’t see much offense, but what did we learn?
In one of those annual matchups that doesn’t get enough love, Iowa and Iowa State football squared off in Iowa City. For years, Iowa has dominated this matchup, but the Cyclones are trending in the right direction thanks to Matt Campbell.
Saturday’s matchup was expected to be a close battle, but some thought it might have more offense like in the past couple of years — not the case.
There were nothing but field goals on the scoreboard through the first three quarters and that set up an exciting fourth quarter for the Cy-Hawk Trophy.
Take a look at the three takeaways from Iowa State tough loss to Iowa on the road.
3. Defense not too shabby
Though Iowa State allowed the first touchdown of the game, it didn’t happen until the final five minutes of the contest. The Cyclones’ defense looked to improve yet again after looking better in 2017 and if it continues this trend, they could be one of the Big 12’s best units — the offense is another story.
Little did people think that the defense would carry the Cyclones against Iowa, but with Kyle Kempt leaving the game with an ankle injury and him not playing well in the first place, the offense lacked firepower.
Iowa State didn’t allow a single passing touchdown to Nathan Stanley or the Iowa offense and held the Hawkeyes’ usually-potent run game in check.
Losing on the road to the Hawkeyes yet again hurts, but the Cyclones are finally becoming relevant in this in-state rivalry.
2. This Iowa State offense has a long way to go
In Iowa State’s first complete game of the season, after watching the opener cancelled due to inclement weather, the Cyclones proved one thing: the offense has a long way to go.
That didn’t seem like it’d be the case heading into the week as David Montgomery was dubbed a Heisman Trophy dark-horse contender and Kyle Kempt returned with plenty of experience. Allen Lazard was gone, but that shouldn’t have made a huge difference in the offense though he did superstar abilities.
However, the offense looked anything but impressive against the Hawkeyes.
Let’s not take anything away from Iowa. The Hawkeyes consistently have one of the better offenses in the Big Ten, but last year, they allowed over 40 points in a thriller against Iowa State and the Cyclones returned essentially the same team.
Iowa State finished with __ total yards — __ through the air and __ on the ground. Montgomery didn’t have his best game, looking like a pedestrian running back, but there also weren’t many lanes to run through.
Moreover, if Kempt’s ankle injury is serious, this team could be in trouble.
1. The state still belongs to Iowa
When Matt Campbell took the head coaching job at Iowa State, Cyclone fans felt the tide changing in the state of Iowa.
Would he be the head coach to finally help the Cyclones take over the state, in terms of football? He’s a bright football mind and in his first year, he helped the Cyclones inch toward relevancy and they made a bowl game in 2017, beating College Football Playoff invitee Oklahoma in the process.
Still, Iowa has dominated the series over the years, winning four straight games from 2015-18 and doubling up in the all-time series, 44-22.
After Saturday’s win, the Hawkeyes have proven they still own the state despite all the hype coming out of Ames.
Sorry, Campbell, your time is going to have to wait as Kirk Ferentz still runs the state of Iowa and that may not change any time soon.
Iowa State will have to wait until next year to prove that it’s not the little brother anymore and it can rise up and beat the mighty Hawkeyes.