Iowa State Football: Will Cyclones end Iowa’s Cy-Hawk Trophy streak?

Iowa and Iowa State football will meet for the 67th time on Saturday. Can the Cyclones break the Hawkeyes’ streak and take home the Cy-Hawk Trophy?

This rivalry has gone almost every direction a game can go in recent years. The 2017 game was a 42-3 blowout. In 2018, the teams played to a 44-41 result in overtime. Last year, this matchup resulted in a 13-3 defensive battle.

The common thread? Iowa has taken home the victory in every game. They’ve now won the last four in this rivalry, and they look to make it five in a row on Saturday in Ames.

Matt Campbell’s Cyclones can’t afford a loss here. Yes, it’s early, and yes, they’re 1-0 in this young season. However, their Week 1 performance didn’t inspire confidence. It took three overtimes for Iowa State to beat Northern Iowa. If they follow that up with a rivalry loss, the confidence would certainly be low entering the Big 12 part of the schedule.

Here’s how you can watch the early-season rivalry game:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Jack Trice Stadium
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Brock Purdy has become the leader of this Cyclone offense. In the Week 1 scare against Northern Iowa, Purdy saved the game on several key occasions, including a moment in which he sacrificed his body to recover a fumble and keep the game alive. As Purdy goes, so go the Cyclones.

For the Hawkeyes, it really comes down to getting the mental edge early. They’ve owned this rivalry, and if they come swinging and connecting to open the game, they can certainly instill a “here we go again” train of thought for the Cyclones.

The Hawkeyes average over 200 rushing yards per game. Iowa will need to make this a physical, hard-hitting game, and if they can run the ball effectively and control the flow of this game, they’ll have a great chance to win this game.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Iowa -3
Over/Under: 44.5

Prediction

Campbell’s team will make sure they don’t come out flat, especially after the week one wake-up call. Purdy and the offense will continue to produce, and this won’t be the blowout or offensive disappointment of several previous Cy-Hawk matchups.

However, Kirk Ferentz and Iowa are on such a good run. They’ve opened the year with two dominant wins, and they’ve won five in a row stretching back to last year. The Hawkeyes will continue to run the ball well, and Nate Stanley will make the key plays and conversions to stretch the Iowa streak in the rivalry to five.

Final Score: Iowa 24, Iowa State 23