Iowa State is already a dumpster-fire, but are we really surprised? After an absolutely stellar week one performance that required the Cyclones to go into three overtimes against Northern Iowa, they have already found themselves out of the rankings. As a friendly reminder, Iowa annihilated UNI 38-14 at Kinnick Stadium last season. It gets better. After their week one cupcake matchup that almost put them on their deathbed before they were even out of the womb, they felt the need to have a bye week before heading into hate week. Why? To put it simply, we are clearly such a handful that they need two weeks to prepare for their 5th consecutive loss to us. So if you hear Iowa State fans talk about GameDay coming to Ames, be sure to say you’re welcome.
Enough about State, how ’bout them Hawkeyes?? Iowa comes into Ames ranked 19th in the country with a 2-0 record and a whole lot of confidence after cruising to a 30-0 win against Rutgers. Nate Stanley is playing fantastic through two games. He has a total of 488 passing yards, 6 touchdowns and zero interceptions. To state the obvious, Iowa State has had no answers for Nate Stanley (or quite honestly any player on the Hawkeyes), which is why he is just one day away from ending his college career 4-0 against them. Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Mekhi Sargent have been playing phenomenal along side Stanley, and they will surely be big x-factors in the game this weekend.
Key’s to the Game: Iowa
The obvious answer would be Nate Stanley or really just the offense in general. I am taking a different approach and saying it’s all about the defense. Iowa State has a high paced, and therefore high scoring offense. It could be because you could drive a truck through the gaps of a typical Big 12 defense, but either way I am looking forward to watching AJ Epenesa. The senior is a projected top 10 pick and will likely be extremely motivated in his final game against the Cyclones. If Epenesa can put constant pressure on Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, it will have a domino effect on the rest of the defense. To put things simply, Epenesa will create less time for a quarterback to throw the ball. This means that there will be less time that the Iowa defensive backs have to cover receivers and overall less pressure for everyone on defense.
Key’s to the Game: Little Brothers
Iowa State is doomed from the start. Alright, let me be real for a second and give their keys to the game. Quite simply, it comes down to quarterback Brock Purdy. The sophomore has a bright future and it will be interesting to see how he handles the moment. In his first matchup against the Hawkeyes, he kept the game close, but largely due to the Iowa State defense holding Iowa to just 13 points. Purdy will be looking to target Deshaunte Jones, who popped off with 14 receptions for 126 yards week one. Look for a big day out of these two as Iowa State looks to pull off the win.
For the Love of God, Play Oliver Martin
Michigan transfer Oliver Martin is a guy that has had a ton of hype surrounding him. With that came the expectation for him to be an instant impact player. Instead, I have found myself asking “WHERE THE HELL IS OLIVER MARTIN!?” It is something that really hasn’t been talked about enough, but it feels like he’s missed about 80% of the snaps. We finally saw him in the 3rd quarter against Miami Ohio and he immediately caught a touchdown. You don’t say?? I love me some Kirk Ferentz, but if Iowa finds themselves in a close game down the stretch and there is no sign of Oliver Martin, Iowa fans are rightfully going to be upset.
GameDay Spends More Time in Ames than the CyHawk Trophy
Ames isn’t used to seeing GameDay, but it is equally amiss for them to see the CyHawk trophy. Over the years, the Hawkeyes and Cyclones have played a total of sixty six times. Iowa has dominated this rivalry with a 44-22 record over that time. Maybe we will get lucky and see that Iowa State made good use of their two week vacation and is able to give us a good game, but I expect the Hawkeyes to walk out of Ames with the CyHawk trophy for the 5th consecutive year. If you don’t plan on attending the game, you can catch it on Fox Sports 1 at 3pm local. See you all in Ames. G’awks!