Iowa State Football: Cyclones survive scare from Akron in Week 4

Iowa State Football: Cyclones survive scare from Akron

AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 22: During a pre-game moment of silence the Iowa State Cyclones and the Akron Zips wear CBA helmet decals to honor Celia Barquin Arozamena, (pictured on the jumbotron), at Jack Trice Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. Celia Barquin Arozamena, Iowa States 2018 Big 12 Women's Golf Champion, was murdered Monday September 17th while playing golf on a course near the college. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

2. Iowa State has a defense that can win games in the Big 12

The Big 12 catches plenty of grief for their subpar defenses. To some extent, the poor play of Big 12 secondaries goes hand and hand with the high-powered spread offense which most of the conference’s 10 teams have adopted. In a landscape that doesn’t expect much from the defensive, Iowa State has proven they can hold their own.

All phases of the Cyclones’ defense played well on Saturday, and they needed to as the offense took a while to get going. The secondary registered an interception and held Zips’ quarterback Kato Nelson to 12-for-28 passing and 153 yards, one touchdown and the interception. That’s impressive considering Nelson tossed five touchdowns and 509 yards in back-to-back wins over Morgan State and Northwestern.

Iowa State was equally impressive up front. The defense registered two sacks, seven tackles for a loss and three quarterback hits. Nelson wasn’t ever able to get into a rhythm in this one. Neither was the Akron ground game. Lead back Van Edwards picked up 16 yards on the ground on 11 carries, a meager 1.5 yards per rush.

Akron has a strong offense. Silencing them is an encouraging sign for Iowa State.

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