Iowa State football facing must-win situation vs. TCU in Week 6

TCU travels to Jack Trice stadium to take on Iowa State football in Big 12 action. The Cyclones are facing a must-win situation against the Horned Frogs.

We have a full slate of games in the Big 12 this weekend including a noon tilt between the Iowa State Cyclones and the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Horned Frogs visit the Cyclones fresh off of a 52-14 rout of the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence. The Cyclones, however, didn’t fare as well in their road game in Waco falling 23-21 against the Baylor Bears.

TCU got to see both of their top quarterbacks against Kansas. Both Kansas State transfer Alex Delton and true freshman Max Duggan were solid against a porous Jayhawk defense. The Frogs got whatever they wanted against Kansas making up for their loss in the Iron Skillet Battle against the SMU Mustangs the week before.

Iowa State is still feeling the loss of running back David Montgomery who now stars for the Chicago Bears. Brock Purdy willed the Cyclones to three fourth quarter touchdowns, but still came up short.

TCU comes in hoping to continue its winning ways in the conference, and the Cyclones are in a must-win early in the season to keep pace in the ultra-competitive Big 12.

Here’s how to watch:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 5
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Jack Trice Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

For both teams, their keys lie in whether they’ve answered some key questions coming into this game. For TCU, have they settled on a starting quarterback. It’s understandable for ‘Frogs head coach to go with Delton. Although Delton has limitations, he knows the offense, and will take care of the football. However, Max Duggan, a four-star quarterback definitely has the highest ceiling, but he’s a freshman prone to freshman mistakes.

Iowa State needs to find some help for Purdy. He’s been the entire show for the Cyclones. They haven’t found reliable replacements for Hakeem Butler or Montgomery; both of whom are in the NFL. They are going to need someone to step up against a super talented TCU defense.

Betting Odds

Courtesy of Bovada

Line: Iowa State -3.5
Over/Under: 43.5

Prediction

The Horned Frogs and Cyclones have two of the best defenses in the Big 12, so take the under here. Iowa State need to make sure they keep their eyes on do-everything playmaker Jalen Reagor. He is sudden and can score from anywhere on the field with the ball in his hands. If TCU watched film of Iowa State’s game against Baylor, they know that as long as Purdy is playing, the Cyclones are never out of the game, so Gary Patterson is emphasizing finishing the game to his squad this week.

It’s hard to take the road dog, but TCU has its sights on the Big 12 Championship Game, and Iowa State doesn’t have help for Purdy.

Final Score: TCU 21, Iowa State 17