Iowa State football: 3 reasons the Cyclones will upset Iowa in Week 2

It’s been a tough season for Iowa State football. Losing a number of players to illegal betting (namely Hunter Dekkers) was a tough blow to Matt Campbell and the Cyclones.

But beating Iowa in the annual rivalry game would take the sting out a little bit.

Iowa comes to town just one week after being bounced from the AP Top 25 rankings thanks to a lackluster showing against Utah State. Will Iowa State pull off the upset?

I think yes. And here’s why.

3. Iowa State will take away the tight ends

There’s one thing to know about an Iowa offense under Brian Ferentz: There’s not much to it outside of extensive tight end usage.

Iowa went out and added Erick All from Michigan this offseason to pair with Luke Lachey who figures to be the next great Hawkeye tight end. There’s a reason many tab Iowa as ‘Tight End U’ and it’s because that’s the focal point of the offense.
Sure, running the ball has always been important for Iowa, but utilizing the tight ends is almost priority No. 1. Just look at all the Iowa tight ends in the NFL.

I think Iowa State is going to neutralize the tight ends and make Cade McNamara utilize his receivers more which is going to lead to some forced throws and ineffective drives.

If Iowa State takes away the tight ends, it’ll shut that offense down.