Texas Football: 3 bold predictions against Iowa State

In what could be the biggest game in Iowa State history the Cyclones take on Texas football in a de-facto Big 12 Championship elimination game.

Not many people would have believed you if you told them before the season that the Iowa State-Texas showdown in Austin this weekend would play a huge role in determining the Big 12 champion. The Cyclones have the capability of stunning the Longhorns and I had this game penned as a de-facto elimination game for the Big 12 in my game-by-game predictions for the Cyclones. Did I think it could happen? Yes, did I think it would? No way. But it’s happening.

Saturday will feature a battle of Iowa State’s stingy defense and efficient offense, against Texas’ potent offense including Sam Ehlinger and Lil’Jordan Humphrey. The Longhorns, led by former Iowa State offensive coordinator Tom Herman, have been on a comeback trail almost as impressive as Iowa State under Matt Campbell. Without further adieu, let’s get to these bold predictions.

1.  Sam Ehlinger continues on his tear

In a year with quarterbacks such as Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray and Will Grier putting up video game numbers, Sam Ehlinger has been somewhat forgotten. Since his return from injury against Oklahoma State, Ehlinger has thrown for 949 yards, nine touchdowns, no interceptions and has a quarterback rating of 159.3. Last week against Texas Tech, he threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner to Lil’Jordan Humphery, which was reminiscent of the Michael Crabtree touchdown to beat Texas, just a decade ago.

Iowa State has a very good defense, likely the best defense in the Big 12. However, There are so many ways in which Sam Ehlinger can hurt teams as a very effective dual-threat quarterback. He’s not Kyler Murray, but he gets the job done in ways most quarterbacks are unable to do. The Cyclones will have their hands full as Ehlinger will throw for 2+ touchdowns and run for at least one touchdown as well.