Advantage: Second-half defense
Iowa State has the best second-half adjustments of any team in college football. Iowa State has given up 46 total points in the second half, averaging 6.5 points per game in the second half.
Senior linebacker Mike Rose has continued to lead the charge and Will McDonald is playing at an All-Big 12 level at defensive end, with eight sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Although the Cyclones don’t force a lot of turnovers, they do not give up much on the ground, giving up 98.7 yards per game.
Baylor looks to learn from Iowa State as the Cyclones are among the best teams in the country at completing their tackles, and rarely let teams break off a big play from them.
Iowa State is currently sitting T-2 in the country in defensive broken + missed tackle rate.
— Wide Right & Natty Lite (@WideRtNattyLt) October 21, 2021
Heacock's defenses have always been full of good tacklers, but this 2021 defense is putting on a show. pic.twitter.com/zbN0I4sDvV
Regardless of the first-half deficit, Iowa State will have, the defense will always keep them in the game, because of the halftime adjustments and ability to tackle consistently.
Weakness: Depth of deep threats at wide receiver
The options Iowa State has out wide are not the question, Iowa State has three quality pass catches in Xavier Hutchinson, Kolar, and Allen. I do question, Purdy’s ability to connect on deep passes, where the receivers can make the play.
Tarique Milton is normally the deep play threat, but only has 12 catches and one touchdown on the season.
Joseph Scates is another tall-bodied receiver at 6-foot-2 but has just six catches on the season.
Iowa State is reliant on the defense, but the offense held the Cyclones back and in a hole against Baylor. Through a valiant effort in the second half, the passing game could not generate enough momentum to leave Baylor with a victory.
Moving forward, I am intrigued to see if there is going to be a deep threat will appear and if Purdy can connect to create points and momentum.