'What A Great Challenge': Iowa State Cyclones Look To Upset Texas Longhorns On Senior Night
Both Texas and Iowa State have something to play for Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium.
And it so happens to be the exact same thing.
The No. 7 Longhorns (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) need one more win to secure their spot in Arlington for a shot at the Big 12 title. The Cyclones ( 6-4, 5-2) became bowl-eligible in their win over BYU, and remain in the hunt for a trip to AT&T Stadium on Dec. 2.
But Texas is looking for a statement victory. Few programs leave Ames without being tested and given a scare. Iowa State remains one of college football's peskiest programs under Matt Campbell, and it intends to put up a fight against the conference leaders one more time.
“What a great challenge,” Campbell told reporters Tuesday. “For this young team (Iowa State) to step into an arena with this kind of football team (Texas). We’ll have to have a great team game plan to be able to win the football game.”
The Cyclones have had mixed results at home in 2023, posting a 3-2 record. They kickstarted conference play with an emphatic win over Oklahoma State and rattled off victories against Northern Iowa and national champion runner-up TCU.
But Iowa State struggled to find an offensive identity against Iowa in a 20-13 loss for the Cy-Hawk Trophy. The Cyclones also allowed Kansas to total 381 yards in a 28-21 loss earlier this month.
Every win for Texas is crucial at this point in the season to keep pace with the top programs looking to garner a spot in the College Football Playoff. A win over Alabama on the road will only carry so much weight as teams continue to carve out ranked victories in other conferences to bolster their resumes.
And the Longhorns have been prone to several close calls thanks to uninspiring second-half play, most recently against TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium. After leading 26-6 heading into the fourth quarter, the Horned Frogs scored 20 unanswered points to nearly complete the comeback.
Quinn Ewers, who returned for the first time since Week 8's win over Houston, connected with Adonai Mitchell for a 35-yard gain on 3rd-and-12 to ice the game. The Longhorns also survived fourth-quarter comebacks against Houston and Kansas State.
“Uber talented everywhere you look,” Campbell said of the Longhorns. “It is Texas. It’s what they’ve been about, it’s what they stand for. They’re clicking on all cylinders in every phase of the game.”
Ewers is back under center and did enough to show promise heading into the final two games, throwing for 317 yards and a touchdown. The Longhorns could rely more on the passing attack with Jonathon Brooks out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL.
Iowa State Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht (3) calls a play against the Brigham Young Cougars in the first half at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Campbell praised Steve Sarkisian's ability to have Texas well-prepared for gameday, even in matchups too close for comfort. In a sense, he's right. Longhorn teams of the past would allow opponents to pull off the upset.
This season, fans have only had to sweat bullets.
“You look defensively, across the board…they’ve got great football players," said Campbell. "And then flip it over to the offensive side, they’ve got elite playmakers on the outside, certainly an elite quarterback, veteran offensive line.”
Texas' mission is simple: win, and it's headed to Jerry World in three weeks. For Iowa State, it's more complicated. The Cyclones are currently in a four-way tie for second place heading into Week 12 with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
The Big 12 released a statement Tuesday clarifying what would occur in a tiebreaker situation.
“In the event of a multiple-team tie, head-to-head wins take precedence,” the release said. “If all the tied teams are not common opponents, the tied team that defeated each of the other tied teams earns the Championship berth.
“There have been no changes to any rules regarding Big 12 Football tiebreaker procedures, which were agreed upon prior to the season and went into effect August of 2023.”
For now, the Cyclones aren't concerned with how they make it to Arlington. Focus on winning Saturday is for senior night and sending the veterans out on top at home.
"We want to play meaningful football in November,” Campbell said. “We certainly celebrated the milestones of winning on the road last week, the opportunity to become bowl eligible, (but) the focus this week is on these seniors and you’re playing an incredibly exceptional football team.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
