West Virginia's Keys to the Game vs Iowa State

If the Mountaineers do these three things, they have a chance to pull off the upset in Ames

West Virginia will be looking to pick up their sixth win of the season this Saturday on the road against the Big 12's top team, Iowa State. It will be a tough challenge for the Mountaineers, but if they do these three things, they have a chance to pull off the upset.

Carve up Iowa State with T.J. Simmons 

Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock has done a tremendous job with the Cyclones' defense over the last five years. They have an "umbrella" look that drops seven, sometimes eight guys into coverage, making it really hard for opposing quarterbacks to find a soft spot in the zone coverage. One way to counter this is to get the ball out quick and underneath to guys in the slot like T.J. Simmons. Over the last three games, Simmons has caught fire hauling in 10 receptions for 214 yards and two touchdowns. If Doege can connect with Simmons early, it may open up other areas of the passing game, particularly on the perimeter. 

Take away the run, make Brock Purdy uncomfortable

Iowa State running back Breece Hall leads the nation in rushing with 1,034 yards. He is a monster of a back and does not go down easily. West Virginia has done a fairly good job in containing the run this year allowing 112.5 rushing yards per game, which is good for 22nd in the country. If the Mountaineers are able to limit Hall's impact on the game, it will allow for West Virginia to get aggressive with their play calls and put pressure on QB Brock Purdy. The Mountaineers are tied for 7th in the country with ten interceptions, so forcing Purdy to make tough decisions plays into the hands of West Virginia's defense because you can trust those guys in the secondary to make plays on the ball.

Touchdowns in the red zone

I don't anticipate this being a high-scoring affair by any means, but to beat a quality team on the road you can't settle for field goals in the red zone - play to your strengths. Run the ball in between the tackles and win the early downs. You don't want to get to the red zone and have a negative play on first or 2nd down. Getting into 3rd down and manageable will be key. 

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