Iowa State Football: 3 takeaways from crucial win over TCU in Week 4

2. Iowa State got plenty of pressure on TCU’s quarterbacks

Whether it was Matthew Downing or Max Duggan, Iowa State’s front four was able to provide enough pressure to make like hard for the quarterbacks. Downing was sacked four times in the first half and Duggan cut it down to two in the second half.

JaQuan Bailey had a monster day as he made life miserable for Downing. Bailey recorded four sacks (all in the first half) while also forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble. His second sack of the game resulted in Bailey breaking a school record for sacks in a career.

TCU’s young and inexperienced offensive line struggled to contain Iowa State’s defensive line. Multiple times did Iowa State just send three defensive linemen and was still able to get a sack. Downing indecisive decision making also played a role in those sacks.

The Cyclones took advantage of the TCU offensive line and the inexperienced Downing. Bailey has proven to be an early candidate for Big 12 defensive player of the year after his four sacks. That pressure helped keep Iowa State in front of TCU for most of the game.