Iowa State vs. Kansas State Predictions Thread

[cyatheart]

I think we lose this one, by a pretty large margin. I'm thinking 24-10 KSU. I think I personally overrated the talent on the offensive line (losing Haughton was a lot bigger than I anticipated) and the defense, especially now that Tau'of'ou is out. Have you seen the depth chart for this week versus one of the best running backs in the country?

Agree. Hope I am wrong. I can't see how people think our linebackers are going to match up as the year goes on. Depth at linebacker is a major problem, you can't have 200 pound guys tacking on 300 pound linemen all year with the scheule we have and not expect some injuries and we just can't afford it. AJ and Knott are great, we just need 10 more of them. Just too thin on D to stop anyone I think.

People totally understimating the loss of Reggie as well.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

I think it less about K-State being good and more about not knowing for sure how good Iowa State is.

I know... the hangover from the Iowa game has raised a ton of doubt about this team but I don't buy it. Iowa played a great game and Iowa State didn't execute much of anything. It happens and it happens to a ton of teams when they play on the road against a top 10 team with a D as good as Iowa's. Hell... I am not concerned all that much with our D. When your defense is on the field pretty much the entire game they are going to get hammered no matter how good they are. Iowa's Defense won that game by completely shutting down our mistake prone offense. As I stated... if Missouri State can move the ball at will against that Pussycat defense then I see no reason why ISU won't be able to execute offensively and put points on the board.

 

[Nedrick]

Uh-oh... had a dream last night that KSU beat ISU 8-6. (Don't ask me details -- can't remember them!)

 

[ajk4st8]

Im shocked so many people think that we are going to score much this weekend.

I think our offense has put together only 1-2 nice scoring drives this year. The defense gave us some great field position week one on some scores, and AROB hit a homerun.

I wish I could have some of what you guys are thinking..... Seriously 25-30 points? by ISU? You have to be kidding me. What have we shown in the last 4 years to do that?

 

[tazclone]

Im shocked so many people think that we are going to score much this weekend.

I think our offense has put together only 1-2 nice scoring drives this year. The defense gave us some great field position week one on some scores, and AROB hit a homerun.

I wish I could have some of what you guys are thinking..... Seriously 25-30 points? by ISU? You have to be kidding me. What have we shown in the last 4 years to do that?

Weakest defense we have faced, yet. They gave up 4.2 YPC to Mizzoouri St and 5.8 to UCLA. We will be able to run on them. K- State has thrown 44 passes all season and they threw for 66 yards against UCLA. They are the definition of one dimensional. Thomas had their longest recpetion against UCLA as well.

They threw better against Missouri St but who knows what Missouri St has for corners. I think we can handle their passing game the way we tried with iowa. Reeves on Smith with safety help and LJ on the other. We won't stop Thomas but if our KBs learn to hit the right gaps we can contain him. Stop the big runs and we can win.

27-24 ISU wins.

 

[heitclone]

IS it just me or am I the only one that is not buying into the K-State hype? What is scaring people so much about K-State? Did they look all that impressive last week against Missouri State or even against a mediocre UCLA team in week 1?

Missouri State owned the time of possession, 1st downs, racked up 447 total yards of offense (166 on the ground), converted nearly 50% on 3rd downs, converted 100% on 4th down (2 for 2), and with the exception of a 45 yard run they held Daniel Thomas to 20 carries for 92 yards....

Hell.... Missouri State put up more yards on offense and converted a much higher percentage of 3rd downs against K-State then they did week 1 against Eastern Kentucky. I am not sure if any of you have seen UCLA yet this year but they look awful. Just saying.

This is a game that Iowa State can and more importantly should win.

I think all of us should be pretty concerned about stopping the run, especially after the way the defense played against Iowa. Thomas is even scarier when you look at just how poor this team team tackles. I won't go as far as to say we SHOULD win this game but totally agree that its not hopeless. But either way you look at it, ISU will have to play their best game of the year to win.

 

[dualthreat]

k-state lost to some 1AA team last year the week before they beat us. So claiming Mo State did pretty well on them is pretty weak.

This will be a very tight game between two evenly matched teams again. Last year, we lost. And whether we win or lose this game, it won't really tell us how good of a team we are, it will just determine whether or not we go to a bowl game.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

I think all of us should be pretty concerned about stopping the run, especially after the way the defense played against Iowa. Thomas is even scarier when you look at just how poor this team team tackles. I won't go as far as to say we SHOULD win this game but totally agree that its not hopeless. But either way you look at it, ISU will have to play their best game of the year to win.

I think our hopes rest entirely on the offense. Let's face it... Our defense got run over against Iowa because they were on the field for the ENTIRE game. I didn't even bother worrying about how our defense played because they got completely gassed playing 13 minutes and 30 seconds of the 1st quarter on the field at Iowa. If they weren't so worn out they probably would have performed at a higher level. The offense is going to have to move the ball. Obviously they need to sustain drives and put some points on the board but they can't continually go out and have 3 and outs or our defense will be dead meat. I think the offense will be able to move the ball and sustain drives against K-States weak defense. If they can manage that then our defense will have a fighting chance.

 

[heitclone]

I think our hopes rest entirely on the offense. Let's face it... Our defense got run over against Iowa because they were on the field for the ENTIRE game. I didn't even bother worrying about how our defense played because they got completely gassed playing 13 minutes and 30 seconds of the 1st quarter on the field at Iowa. If they weren't so worn out they probably would have performed at a higher level. The offense is going to have to move the ball. Obviously they need to sustain drives and put some points on the board but they can't continually go out and have 3 and outs or our defense will be dead meat. I think the offense will be able to move the ball and sustain drives against K-States weak defense. If they can manage that then our defense will have a fighting chance.

I agree, our defense didn't help itself out much against Iowa but no one can expect much out of an already thin defense if they are out there all day. I watched the Kstate/UCLA game and UCLA definately wore down late in that game, so I agree keeping out D off the field will be huge. I also think if we can get ahead of Kstate early we'll be sitting pretty.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

k-state lost to some 1AA team last year the week before they beat us. So claiming Mo State did pretty well on them is pretty weak.

This will be a very tight game between two evenly matched teams again. Last year, we lost. And whether we win or lose this game, it won't really tell us how good of a team we are, it will just determine whether or not we go to a bowl game.

K-State lost to a 6-6 Louisiana Lafayette team on the road last year 17-15 and it was several weeks prior to beating us. They are not a 1AA team. The fact that a 1AA team like Missouri State who isn't very good historically racked up a ton of yards on offense against K-State tells me that we should be able to move the ball on K-State.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

I agree, our defense didn't help itself out much against Iowa but no one can expect much out of an already thin defense if they are out there all day. I watched the Kstate/UCLA game and UCLA definately wore down late in that game, so I agree keeping out D off the field will be huge. I also think if we can get ahead of Kstate early we'll be sitting pretty.

Totally agree. I was slightly irritated with how we played against NIU. We jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and then we just started sitting on the ball trying to run clock like Mac used to do. We don't have a defense that is going to be able to consistently stop our opponents offense so no matter what the score is our offense needs to keep their ******* foot on the gas and always continue to try and score. We can't afford to grab a lead and then milk the clock and hope our D can continually keep the other team out of the end zone. Sorry... this offense needs to be aggressive and looking to score every time they have the ball even if we are up 3 or 4 scores. We can't afford to ever let up.

 

[ISUFan22]

Totally agree. I was slightly irritated with how we played against NIU. We jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and then we just started sitting on the ball trying to run clock like Mac used to do.

I remember it differently, more that the execution went downhill and there were too many mistakes that led to stalled drives/turnovers. That game absolutely should have been a 28+ point differential and it wasn't the gameplan/adjustments that stopped that from happening.

As far as K-State - I have no idea what to expect. In week 1 I saw a team with flashes of great potential that was not able to sustain it. In week 2, we saw nothing.

This game and the next will define this season. The only logical prediction I can make is - the beer inside Arrowhead stadium will be cold. Otherwise, the on-the-field stuff is a complete "go figure". I hope it's a surprise we enjoy.

 

[synapticwave]

IS it just me or am I the only one that is not buying into the K-State hype? What is scaring people so much about K-State? Did they look all that impressive last week against Missouri State or even against a mediocre UCLA team in week 1?

Missouri State owned the time of possession, 1st downs, racked up 447 total yards of offense (166 on the ground), converted nearly 50% on 3rd downs, converted 100% on 4th down (2 for 2), and with the exception of a 45 yard run they held Daniel Thomas to 20 carries for 92 yards....

Hell.... Missouri State put up more yards on offense and converted a much higher percentage of 3rd downs against K-State then they did week 1 against Eastern Kentucky. I am not sure if any of you have seen UCLA yet this year but they look awful. Just saying.

This is a game that Iowa State can and more importantly should win.

I'm not saying we can't or shouldn't win. But I think just looking at the box score of the KSU MoSt game is quite misleading.

KSU had their 2nd string in the entire 4th quarter, and that is very important because not only did MoSt rack up most of their stats in the second half but also because Daniel Thomas didn't play when he would be his best when the D was tired. Actually, MoSt had only ~190 yards of offense in the first half with 66 of those coming on their only meaningful TD pass. They only had 5 first downs in the first half. They punted 5 of their first 6 possessions (and the one they didn't was after a turnover in KSU territory). They were behind in time of possession until the fourth quarter. And, most (5) of their 3rd down conversions came on their last two drives in fourth quarter, not to mention KSU was able to put them in 3rd down 20 times. I think KSU's defense is much better than you're giving them credit for. KSU's D isn't great, but given that we've had a median ppg of 21.5 over the last 2 years and the way we played against Iowa and I don't see how we can expect anything better than 28 points and I expect to see something closer to our average maybe putting up 21 or 24 points.

Hopefully we can get a Defensive or Special Teams points and that would make all the differnce in this game as I think our D will contain Thomas to around 150 yards and 2 TD and I'll give them credit for 1-2 passing TDs as well.

We must win the turnover battle and AA must take care of the ball. If we do that, I like our chances in this game. If we lose the turnover battle or even just have one costly turnover (pick 6) I don't think we have enough offensive firepower to overcome KSU's.

 

[jdoggivjc]

IS it just me or am I the only one that is not buying into the K-State hype? What is scaring people so much about K-State? Did they look all that impressive last week against Missouri State or even against a mediocre UCLA team in week 1?

Missouri State owned the time of possession, 1st downs, racked up 447 total yards of offense (166 on the ground), converted nearly 50% on 3rd downs, converted 100% on 4th down (2 for 2), and with the exception of a 45 yard run they held Daniel Thomas to 20 carries for 92 yards....

Hell.... Missouri State put up more yards on offense and converted a much higher percentage of 3rd downs against K-State then they did week 1 against Eastern Kentucky. I am not sure if any of you have seen UCLA yet this year but they look awful. Just saying.

This is a game that Iowa State can and more importantly should win.

You're not the only one not buying into the K-State hype.

I honestly think some Cyclone fans hate all things Iowa so much that they just cannot admit to themselves that Iowa is just that good this year. Okay. We got pasted by Iowa last week. We got pasted by Iowa last year and things turned out okay, but this year we throw up the white flag on the season? Most of us didn't even EXPECT to beat Iowa this year and accounted for that in our predicted records, most of which have us going to a bowl game, and then ISU goes out and does what we all predicted them to do in the first place and suddenly the season is over?

The bipolarness of ISU fans astounds me (and after all these years I don't know why it still does).

K-State is not that good, or not nearly as good as is being touted on this site. They beat up on a bad UCLA team and a "meh" Missouri St team (and allowed them to run all over them in the process).

On the other hand, ISU is not nearly as bad as being touted on this site. That NIU game was not nearly as close as the final score indicated and we got dominated by a top 10, potentially top 5 team.

I say ISU wins this in a similar fashion to how they beat NIU - 27-17.

 

[ISUFan22]

I say ISU wins this in a similar fashion to how they beat NIU - 27-17.

If we play tomorrow how we did against NIU, we lose by more than a touchdown.

 

[CyBobby]

We won big after the Iowa loss last year. And we won after losing to Iowa in 2006. And we won after losing to Iowa in 2004.

Wrong.

Oh, and what was Danny Mac's record against Iowa his first 2 seasons? Wait for it, wait for it, .... 0-2. **** off, Bobby.

why dont you F**K OFF Buddy......

 

[jdoggivjc]

k-state lost to some 1AA team last year the week before they beat us. So claiming Mo State did pretty well on them is pretty weak.

This will be a very tight game between two evenly matched teams again. Last year, we lost. And whether we win or lose this game, it won't really tell us how good of a team we are, it will just determine whether or not we go to a bowl game.

First of all, K-State beat the team they played the week before they played us:
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - September 26, 2009 - ESPN

Second, K-State beat both of the FCS teams they played last year - it's the whole reason why they were bowl-ineligible with only 6 wins.
Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - September 05, 2009 - ESPN
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - September 26, 2009 - ESPN

Third, yes, K-State did lose a team in their noncon that they shouldn't have lost to:
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns - Recap - September 12, 2009 - ESPN
Okay, granted, Sun Belt football is most likely of a lower quality than what you would find at the better FCS programs, but A. it doesn't change the fact that it was still a loss to an FBS team, and B. that loss was NOT the week before the ISU game.

 

[clone136]

cyclones 42- KSu 3

 

[heitclone]

We won big after the Iowa loss last year. And we won after losing to Iowa in 2006. And we won after losing to Iowa in 2004.

Wrong.

Oh, and what was Danny Mac's record against Iowa his first 2 seasons? Wait for it, wait for it, .... 0-2. **** off, Bobby.

To go even further, look at what this staff has done after losses. We bounced back fine after losing to Iowa, after the Kstate loss we played really well in a losing effort at KU, and after losing to Mizzou we won the bowl game. The only time we played bad after a loss was the Okie St game follwing the A&M loss but we were not full strength for that one so an exception could be made. Basically this staff has shown that they can get their team to show up the week after a loss, I'm not saying that this week is a lock "W" but I have no doubt the focus will be there.

 

[heitclone]

First of all, K-State beat the team they played the week before they played us:
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - September 26, 2009 - ESPN

Second, K-State beat both of the FCS teams they played last year - it's the whole reason why they were bowl-ineligible with only 6 wins.
Massachusetts Minutemen vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - September 05, 2009 - ESPN
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles vs. Kansas State Wildcats - Recap - September 26, 2009 - ESPN

Third, yes, K-State did lose a team in their noncon that they shouldn't have lost to:
Kansas State Wildcats vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns - Recap - September 12, 2009 - ESPN
Okay, granted, Sun Belt football is most likely of a lower quality than what you would find at the better FCS programs, but A. it doesn't change the fact that it was still a loss to an FBS team, and B. that loss was NOT the week before the ISU game.

Also that game against ULL was on the road and was a pretty big deal to that team/school because they rarely get BCS schools at home. It doesn't excuse the loss but its not as bad as what some people think.