Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) passes the ball around Iowa Hawkeyes’s defensive back Jay Higgins (34) during the second quarter in the Cy-Hawk series at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Triobune / USA TODAY NETWORK
Bring on Arkansas State.
It’s Matt Campbell, so when it comes to actually learning about injuries, we might not learn much in Saturday’s non-conference finale. But my eyes will be on offensive linemen Jalen Travis and Deylin Hasert as well as linebackers Will McLaughlin and Cael Brezina.
All four of them have battled early season injuries and Iowa State is hoping to get them back for its Big 12 opener. If any of them play substantial minutes Saturday, it’s a good sign.
Arkansas State went to the big house and intercepted Michigan quarterback Davis Warren three times, but ultimately couldn’t move the ball until garbage time.
On 25 attempts, the Red Wolves rushed for a total of 58 yards – keep an eye on that defensive line on Saturday.
The goal for Iowa State this week will be winning comfortably and staying healthy.
Around the Big 12
The path to the end of this season may have gotten a lot clearer this week.
I told y’all about Cam Skattebo last week and was again graced with the workhorse running back clinching a win for Arizona State. Skattebo had two touchdowns, three receptions and 62 rushing yards against a tough Texas State team that was probably playing it’s biggest game in program history. The Sun Devils are 3-0 and don’t look like the easy out they were during back-to-back 3-9 seasons.
On Friday, Arizona got its welcome to the Big 12 moment in a 31-7 loss in Manhattan. After taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, the Wildcats didn’t score again. That’s a tough pill to swallow for Arizona, especially when wideout Tetairoa McMillan gives you 138 yards. They’ll have a bye week to swallow this loss and then line up against Utah – it might be the least enviable spot of of anyone in the league — but, hey, at least last Saturday’s loss doesn’t count in the Big 12 standings.
UNLV out-dogged Kansas on Friday in that picturesque soccer stadium in Kansas City. The Jayhawks watched the Rebels roll down the field on an 18-play, 75-yard drive with the exclamation point touchdown at the two-minute mark. Jalon Daniels looked great when he wasn’t throwing the football. He’s got three passing touchdowns and six interceptions to go with it so far this year. The daunting part of KU’s schedule doesn’t come for a few weeks, but if they don’t adapt here, it might turn into a long season in Lawrence.
It’s still hard to say who the toughest team remaining on Iowa State’s schedule is, but one thing is for sure – it isn’t Utah when Cam Rising is on the bench. The Utes trailed Utah State 14-3 before finding the end zone for the first time in the second quarter. They will need Rising on Saturday against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
With 3:16 to go, West Virginia led Pittsburgh 34-24 on the road in the backyard brawl. The Panthers forced a 3-and-out and marched down the field en route to a game-winning touchdown in another comeback win. It’s a tough 1-2 start for West Virginia.
For what it’s worth, the schedule is shaping up quite nicely for Iowa State. Three of the top four teams I ranked as the hardest opponents for the Cyclones showed a lot of weaknesses this week. Even though things can change, it’s hard not to be optimistic going forward for these guys in Ames.
A bonus I want to throw in here is how strong Bridget Carleton has been for the Minnesota Lynx this season. She had a team-high 19 points in the team’s win over the 31-7 New York Liberty Sunday. With two games remaining, Minnesota has wrapped up the Western Conference regular season championship. The playoffs begin Sunday, September 22.
