Iowa State football: Three keys to victory for the Cyclones vs. Kansas this Saturday

Here are three key takeaways for Iowa State as they prepare to meet the Jayhawks on the road

Carson Hansen and the Iowa State football team hit the road Saturday for a Big 12 Conference showdown with Kansas. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Technically, Saturday’s Big 12 Conference matchup between the Iowa State football team and Kansas is a home-game for the Jayhawks. But honestly, the crowd will likely be pretty split - if not more in favor of the visitors.

With the school conducting upgrades to its usual home field, the Jayhawks have been playing games at two different venues this fall. First, they hosted games where Sporting KC plays MLS matches. Now with the conference slate in full motion, they have shifted to GEHA Field at Arrowfield Stadium, home to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

But with how well Iowa State travels to Kansas City for the annual Big 12 Conference basketball tournament, one would have to think the Cyclone faithful will do the same this week. And the players will need it after suffering their first loss of the season to Texas Tech last Saturday.

Here are three keys for Iowa State when they travel to Kansas Saturday:

1. Fast start

For the Cyclones to be successful, they need to take the Jayhawks out of the game early. Do that, and you force them to play from behind while trying to overcome some of the same woes that have cost them games this year.

Kansas has lost four of its last five, with three of them being single-digit defeats. In a 42-14 victory over Houston last month, they were able to build a quick 14-0 lead after one and take a 21-0 advantage early in the second. 

In a two-point loss at Kansas State last weekend, the Jayhawks fell behind 16-7 in the first half before rallying, only to see the Wildcats kick to fourth quarter field goals to win. 

Build a big enough lead and you can take star running back Devin Neal out of play for the Kansas offense and force quarterback Jalon Daniels to beat you with his arm.

Kansas running back Devin Neal will be a focal point of the Iowa State defense this weekend. / William Purnell-Imagn Images

2. Slow down Devin Neal

Which leads to takeaway two heading into the game: slow down Neal. A senior who will go down as one of the greatest running backs the school has ever produced, Neal has rushed for 758 yards with eight touchdowns this year.

He had a string of four consecutive 100-yard games to begin the season, surpassing the number in the win over Houston. In the last three losses, though, he has been held to under 71 yards. 

The Cyclone did an excellent job on Neal last year in a 28-21 win for ISU, holding him to just 57 yards on 21 carries. The 2.2 average per rush was his lowest of the season, though, he did find the end zone twice. Iowa State also held him down in the passing game, allowing just four yards over two receptions. 

3. Run the football

In much the same light, Iowa State needs to get back to what was working for them earlier in the year. And that means running the football behind the likes of Carson Hansen, Abu Sama III and Jaylon Johnson and even quarterback Rocco Becht. 

Hansen, who has been banged up the last couple of weeks, leads the team with 444 yards and seven touchdowns. Sama, who exploded late last year, is now up to 377 yards while Jackson has 341. Becht has added another 153 with four touchdowns, which ranks second on the team.

Sama, a sophomore, went off in two of the final three regular season games last fall. He rushed eight times for 110 yards with two TDs in a win over BYU before going for 276 on 16 carries with three scores in the snow over Kansas State. Expectations coming in were high for the former Southeast Polk star, but he had cracked 60 yards just once prior to last week.

With Hansen working his way back to health, Sama had 74 yards on 13 carries, posting one of his highest yards-per-rush mark of the season. The 74 yards were the most since rushing for 101 in a win over Houston.