KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The first message that made its way through the Iowa State locker room after Texas Tech ended its perfect start to the season, scoring in the final seconds last weekend to spring the upset and spoil homecoming for the Cyclones, was that nothing had changed.
“Hey,” Cyclones linebacker Kooper Ebel recalled his team saying, “all of our dreams, all our aspirations are still right in line.”
They will be if the No. 17 Cyclones (7-1, 4-1 Big 12, No. 17 CFP) can get back on track Saturday against Kansas.
Iowa State is only a game behind unbeaten BYU in the conference and tied with Colorado, neither of which Matt Campbell's team would play until a potential Big 12 title showdown. But the top of the standings are a jumbled mess, and another slip-up against the desperate Jayhawks (2-6, 1-4) in their matchup at Arrowhead Stadium could be a crippling blow to not only the Cyclones' title aspirations but also their hopes of landing in the College Football Playoff.
“I would say there's definitely a sense of urgency, like there has been all season, but even more prominent here at practice," Ebel said. “There was a sense of urgency to row and get better. At times, we're just inches off, and those inches really matter, and they showed up last Saturday. We're honing in on those details — those little details.”
The Jayhawks, who had last week off, are just as in need of a win as the Cyclones. They have lost their six games by a combined 30 points, the latest the most gut-wrenching yet: a loss to rival Kansas State on a field goal in the closing minutes.
Now, the Jayhawks need to win out just to reach a third straight bowl game. They not only face the Cyclones, they also have games against No. 9 BYU and No. 21 Colorado in successive weeks.
"I can’t tell you how proud I am of this football team, of how they’ve stuck together, through frustration and disappointment,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said. “They continue to work hard and be coachable. They continue to see the margin is very small and own it, that we haven’t made the plays at the right opportunities. ... But at the same time, they continue to work hard and see that winning football is not far from our grasp.”
At a glance
No. 17 Iowa State (7-1, 4-1 Big 12, No. 17 CFP) at Kansas (2-6, 1-4) in Kansas City, Missouri, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Iowa State by 3.
Series record: Kansas leads 52-45-6.
Bye, bye, bye
The Jayhawks have won four straight when they have at least an extra week to prepare, dating to the 2022 season, and a couple of them have been notable. They beat No. 18 Oklahoma State two years ago and No. 6 Oklahoma last season.
“Obviously we've had decent success off of it,” Leipold said, “and hopefully it can repeat itself.”
Strange surroundings
The Jayhawks won the first meeting of the schools 11-6 on Oct. 15, 1898, and the teams have played 103 times — with six ties — over the years. But this will be the first time they play anywhere other than Ames, Iowa, or Lawrence, Kansas, instead meeting at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, while the Jayhawks renovate their campus stadium.
“It will be really cool just to be able to play in a stadium like that,” said Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel, who grew up across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas, and was a standout at Park Hill High School. "I grew up going to games there and watching my favorite team there so, yeah, it’ll be pretty cool.”
Record watch
Kansas running back Devin Neal needs seven yards rushing to break June Henley’s school record of 3,841, which he set from 1993-96. The native of Lawrence, Kansas, also needs just one TD run to break Henley’s record of 41.
“We all know in this room what kind of person he is, his contributions off the field,” Leipold said. “What I’ll always remember is the guy who walks in the building every day and you know, from where he was as a freshman to where he is now as a confident young adult is probably impresses me most.”
Better starts
Iowa State's defense has struggled on the opening possession in each of its last four games. Texas Tech, UCF and West Virginia each drove 75 yards for a touchdown while Baylor needed to go just 59 yards for a score.
“Sometimes I think a little bit of it is we know who we are, our base defense, and some people scheme us up pretty well early in the game and we have to make some adjustments," Campbell said. “What’s most impressive is when maybe it hasn’t gone well right away is our kids’ ability to hang in there, reverse the tide and give ourselves a best chance.”
What’s at stake?
Iowa State is coming off an upset loss to Texas Tech, its first of the season, and is now tied with Colorado for second in the Big 12 behind unbeaten BYU. The Cyclones need to beat Kansas to keep pace in the standings and keep alive their hopes of playing for a conference championship. Kansas needs to win out to become bowl-eligible.
Key matchup
Iowa State's run game against the Kansas run defense. A big part of the Cyclones’ game plan is to maintain possession, and they’ll lean on their running backs if they can. They spread the work among Carson Hansen, Abu Sama III and Jaylon Jackson while averaging 179 yards per game. Teams committed to running the ball have had success against the Jayhawks, who surrendered 226 rushing yards to Kansas State and 309 to Arizona State.
Players to watch
Iowa State: WR Jayden Higgins is one of Rocco Becht’s go-to receivers, especially if the Cyclones have to play from behind. He caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown in last week’s loss to Texas Tech, but Becht struggled to connect with him when it mattered most in the second half.
Kansas: Jalon Daniels looked as if he had overcome his early season turnover problems, but they surfaced again in a loss to Kansas State two weeks ago. He threw an interception, then lost a critical fumble, which helped the Wildcats rally for the 29-27 victory.
Facts & figures
- Kansas has won the past two games in the series, but Iowa State had won the seven prior.
- The game is taking place at Arrowhead Stadium while Kansas rebuilds its on-campus stadium.
- The Cyclones have intercepted a pass in all eight games this season, the first time doing so in eight straight since 2009.
- Becht has thrown for a touchdown in 12 straight games, tied with Brock Purdy (2019) for the program’s longest streak.
- Kansas RB Devin Neal needs seven yards rushing to break June Henley's career record of 3,841 set from 1993-96. Neal needs one TD run to break Henley's record of 41.
- Jayhawks CB Cobee Bryant's 13 career interceptions are tied with Nohl Williams of Cal for the most among active FBS players.
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