Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell watches warmups ahead of the Cy-Hawk game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. © Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Game Day Info
No. 20 Iowa State (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Arkansas State (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN+ (Richard Cross, Taylor McHargue, Tori Petry)
Radio: Varsity Network (John Walters, Eric Heft, Ryan Harklau)
Line: Iowa State – 21.5 (As of 9/19)
Over/Under: 51.5
Series Results
This is the first ever meeting between Arkansas State and Iowa State.
Players to watch
Jaylon Jackson (RB, Iowa State)
Iowa State will look to exploit an already weak Arkansas State rushing defense in this game. Two weeks ago, in the Cy-Hawk win, Jackson showed prowess in his ability to make the most out of the five handoffs he got, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Expect him to collect a few more carries this Saturday.
The offensive line
There’s not truly one position to watch here – with both Jalen Travis and Deylin Hasert returning from injury, there’s no telling what Iowa State might send out as it tries to find its ideal lineup. There will be some rotations that are tried, especially if the score ends up lopsided, but the diehards will want to check out this group early.
Corey Rucker (WR, Arkansas State)
The junior wide receiver is averaging 15.6 yards per reception and leads Arkansas State with 265 yards so far this year. If that’s not enough to jump off the page, he averaged 19.6 yards per catch last season and is emerging into a star for the Red Wolves. If Arkansas State finds the end zone Saturday, it may be by way of Rucker.
Trevian Thomas (S, Arkansas State)
Thomas leads the Red Wolves with two interceptions this season – and that’s a defense that forced Michigan into throwing three picks in its game at the Big House last week. Thomas is fourth on the team in tackles and will be tasked with trying to stop Rocco Becht and the Cyclone receivers this week.
Keys to the game
Run the Iowa State way
This is a slogan that women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly has often echoed during his tenure at Iowa State – ‘playing the Iowa State way.’ For this game to be a success and not just a win over a lesser team for the Cyclones, it must execute at its strengths well. Arkansas State allows 233 rushing yards per game – that’s ranked at No. 127 in the country. If Iowa State’s run game is where the staff wants it, it should have no trouble in the ground game this week.
Win the turnover battle
Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor has thrown three interceptions to his three touchdowns this season, despite lighting up the passing yards with 712 through the season so far. The dual threat quarterback will be a good test to Iowa State’s young linebackers – and the Red Wolves’ quarterback has been sacked five times this season already. If the defense can disrupt Raynor and force some turnovers, the comfortable blowout that fans want should follow right behind it.
Avoid the injury and tie the record
Iowa State fans saw linebacker Caleb Bacon get hurt during the team’s season opener against North Dakota. There’s no way to truly eliminate the possibility of injury, but with the Big 12 opener looming next week, it’s imperative that the depth pieces get as much run time as possible here. Grab an early lead, get the starters out early and celebrate coach Matt Campbell tying Dan McCarney for the Iowa State career wins record.
| Big 12 Standings | ||
| Team | OVR | Big 12 |
| UCF | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| No. 12 Utah | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| No. 13 Kansas State | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| No. 14 Oklahoma State | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| No. 20 Iowa State | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| Arizona State | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| BYU | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| Arizona | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Baylor | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Cincinnati | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Colorado | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Texas Tech | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Houston | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| Kansas | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| West Virginia | 1-2 | 0-0 |
| TCU | 2-1 | 0-1 |
Saturday, September 21
11:00 a.m. | Houston @ Cincinnati (FS1)
11:00 a.m. | Kansas @ West Virginia (ESPN2)
1:00 p.m. | Arkansas State @ No. 20 Iowa State (ESPN+)
2:30 p.m. | Arizona State @ Texas Tech (FS1)
3:00 p.m. | No. 12 Utah @ No. 14 Oklahoma State (FOX)
4:00 p.m. | TCU @ SMU (The CW)
7:00 p.m. | Baylor @ Colorado (FOX)
9:30 p.m. | No. 13 Kansas State @ BYU (ESPN)
