It all comes down to this. 

Iowa State enters the final game of the season against No. 17 Missouri (8-2, 4-2 Big 12) at 5-6. With a win, the Cyclones will become bowl eligible, ensuring post-season play for the second straight year.

Sophomore quarterback Jerome Tiller will get his first start of the season as starting quarterback Austen Arnaud went down for the season with an ACL and MCL tear in the team’s loss to Colorado.

“Its obviously different,” said senior running back Alexander Robinson. “Austen has been there for awhile. I’m out there stretching and I’m getting ready to say something and he’s not there. It’s a difficult situation, especially with the way he ended his senior year.”

Offensive coordinator Tom Herman knows Tiller is going to have to be on to top of his game if he is going to manage the offense effectively.

Tiller was effective after going in for Arnaud against Colorado and has had experience this year against Kansas State. He also has last year’s victory over Nebraska under his belt.

“He’s got to protect the ball,” Herman said. “He’s done a nice job in games he’s been in this year. He’s got to manage the game, keep the tempo up. He doesn’t have to do anything superhuman, but if he can protect the ball and manage the game, it will be a successful night for him.”

Iowa State will have the same defensive personnel on the field, but they will need a much different performance from them than they got against Colorado. Missouri features a balanced, spread offensive attack that gets the ball in a number of different players hands.

The Tigers feature three capable running backs that are each averaging nearly six yards per carry this season. Their leading rusher, De’Vion Moore, has 415 yards on 73 carries.

Running backs Henry Josey and Kendial Lawrence have also been effective in the backfield. Josey has 61 carries for 356 yards and Lawrence has racked up 302 yards on 56 carries.

“They’re one of the most difficult teams we’ve had to prepare for,” said defensive coordinator Wally Burnham. “They have all kinds of formations you have to adjust to and you have to stop the run because they run the ball so well.”

Missouri doesn’t have a slouch at quarterback, either. Blaine Gabbert has thrown for 2,401 yards this season with an average of 240 passing yards per game. 

His two favorite targets are wide receivers Michael Egnew and T.J. Moe. Egnew has caught 71 passes for 586 yards while Moe has contributed 94 yards on 70 receptions.

Gabbert also has 171 yards rushing on 82 carries this season.

“He’s a big kid that can run better than you’d think he can,” Burnham said. “He throws the ball real well and he’ll scramble on you. He’s the complete package.”

The defense’s performance against Colorado came down to a lack of execution. Burnham saw too many missed tackles and didn’t think the team played with a lot of energy.

Linebacker Jake Knott is coming off a performance in which he recorded a career-high 16 tackles. 

“They spread the ball out and try to get you to key on the pass more than the run, but they run it just as well as they pass it,” Knott said. “They can gash teams for a lot of yards at any given time, so we have to be able to read our keys at all times.”

This will be the final home game for 18 seniors — nine of them starters — including captains, Robinson, Michael O’Connell, Rashawn Parker, and Arnaud.

“[This game] is extremely important,” Robinson said. “Not only for the seniors, but the direction we want to take the program. This game is huge for us.”