Iowa State vs Kansas Football Preview: A Stout Defense Takes on an Explosive Offense

The Jayhawks are back at The Booth for homecoming against the 3-1 Cyclones.

We’ve completed one month of the college football season and Kansas has been as good as could possibly be expected (and beyond what virtually everyone did expect).

Now the Jayhawks kick off October with homecoming weekend where they will host Iowa State at 2:30 p.m. inside The Booth.

As I pointed out during my summer preview into this matchup, many of the Cyclones at key positions the past 3-4 years are gone and it’s a new group looking to continue coach Matt Campbell’s winning streak against Kansas.

Opponent Overview

Team: Iowa State

Record: 3-1

Line: ISU -3 (opened ISU -3.5)

Team Form

Iowa State was only tested once in the non-conference slate, and that was a rivalry win against in-state Iowa in a 10-7 battle against one of the country’s best defenses and worst offenses in Iowa. The other two games were against FCS SE Missouri State and 2-2 Ohio.

The Cyclones’ first Big 12 matchup came last week against Baylor in Ames. The teams were evenly matched in yards but Baylor was able to keep Iowa State at arm’s length to win 31-24.

Players to Watch

Replacing four-year Cyclones’ star Brock Purdy at quarterback is redshirt sophomore Hunter Dekkers, who has been accurate (completing 71.6 percent of his passes) and turnover-prone (throwing five picks in four games and fumbling once as well). Dekkers has a clear favorite target at receiver and it’s Xavier Hutchinson. Hutchinson has 36 receptions, 403 yards, and 5 TDs already this year, while no other ISU receiver has caught more than eight passes on the year or eclipsed 100 yards receiving.

Meanwhile, Jirehl Brock has taken over in the backfield for Breece Hall and is averaging 5.5 yards per rush so far. Though the Cyclones rushing attack as a whole is averaging just 3.9 yards per rush and 133 yards per game after last year’s 5.1 ypr and 161 ypg.

On defense, Kansas should know where O’Rien Vance is at all times. The fifth-year linebacker leads the team in tackles, tackles for loss, and is tied for the most sacks, while also forcing two fumbles. Colby Reeder has also been a ball hawk so far, with two interceptions in four games.

Matchups to Watch

We’ve got an unstoppable-force-meets-immovable-object situation with Kansas’ running game and Iowa State’s defense. The Cyclones are only allowing 75.8 rushing yards per game on 2.7 yards per carry on the year. Baylor did rack up 123 rushing yards, but it took 42 carries. But ISU also hasn’t faced many dominant run games. Both Ohio and Iowa only average 100 yards on the ground per game. Meanwhile, Kansas puts up 247.5 yards and 6.7 yards per rush. Can Iowa State slow down Jalon Daniels, Devin Neal, and Daniel Hishaw?

Another question is whether KU’s secondary can contain Xavier Hutchinson, who is the clear spark to the offense. The Jayhawks will likely want to make anyone else but Hutchinson beat them in order to get off the field.

Prediction

Iowa State is the favorite here, but it feels like Kansas should have the momentum. It’s a home game in front of what should be another packed crowd. Not to mention it’s homecoming. And I wonder how much the team will have a chip on its shoulder from not being ranked or being considered the favorites in this game?

Iowa State’s defense will be a good barometer for how good Kansas’ offense really is. Meanwhile, KU’s defense is going to have to force Dekkers to make mistakes. I think the Jayhawks ride the crowd and make enough big plays for a 5-0 start that will get Kansas ranked in next week’s poll.

Kansas 35, Iowa State 28

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