Texas Longhorns Week 12 Opponent Preview: Iowa State Cyclones

The Texas Longhorns square off against the Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday, with a Big 12 title chance on the line.

Matt Galatzan | Nov 13, 2023

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Texas Longhorns

Last season, the Texas Longhorns and Iowa State Cyclones went down to the wire in Austin.

A 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Quinn Ewers to wide receiver Xavier Worthy with 4:43 to go was the difference in the game, giving Texas the 24-21 victory after surrendering a 17-7 lead in an eight-minute span.

In that game, Cyclones quarterback Hunter Dekkers completed 25 of 36 passes for a season-high 329 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown.

This season, it very well could come down to the wire again, with the Longhorns heading to Ames for an evening kick-off on Senior Night for the Cyclones. Not to mention, everything will be on the line for the Horns on Saturday night.

And of course, four of the last five Longhorns games have come down to the wire and ended with a one-score difference.

Let's take a look at the Cyclones heading into the matchup:

Iowa State Cyclones

2022 Record: 6-4, 5-2 Big 12

Head Coach: Matt Campbell

Offensive Leaders:

Passing: QB Rocco Bect

2023 stats: 177 of 285 for 2,121 yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions

Rushing: RB Eli Sanders

2023 stats: 96 carries, 467 yards, four touchdowns

Receiving: WR Jaylin Noel

2023 stats: 52 receptions, 536 yards, 10.3 yards per catch, four touchdowns

Defensive Leaders:

Tackles: DB Beau Freyler, 74

Interceptions: Jeremiah Cooper, five

Sacks: DL J.R. Singleton, 3.5

Published Nov 13, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns In SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks with the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com for 247Sports. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, as well as countless other recruits and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.