It’s the matchup Kansas cornerback Aqib Talib has been waiting for all season. He’ll get it when he lines up against Cyclone wide receiver Todd Blythe when Iowa State (3-8, 2-5) travels to Kansas (10-0, 6-0) on Saturday.

“He started talking about me because I kind of got him my sophomore year at their place,” Blythe said. “So I can’t wait, it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a challenge.”

The talk came during the annual Big 12 football media day in July in San Antonio. There, the 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound Jayhawk told reporters he was looking forward to facing Blythe.

“We’ve been having a little bit of war of words so far this year,” Blythe said.

On Saturday they’ll continue that war on the field, a battle that hasn’t taken place in two years. After catching five passes for 86 yards and a touchdown in 2005, Blythe sat out of last season’s game with the Jayhawks when the senior was battling mononucleosis. Despite being on the sidelines in sweats, it didn’t keep him from talking with Talib.

“I asked him how his day off was last year because he didn’t get to go against me,” Blythe said.

It won’t be a day off for either of the teams on Saturday. Kansas, who is 10-0 for the first time since 1899, will bring in an offense that ranks second in the nation in scoring. Through the Jayhawks’ first 10 games, they’ve averaged 45.9 points per game.

“When you’re averaging 40-some odd points a game, you’re doing a lot right and especially when you’ve sustained that over a 10-game period,” said coach Gene Chizik. “If we give up big plays, we have no chance.”

Those big plays have stemmed from a variety of Kansas players, including quarterback Todd Reesing, who has passed for 2,657 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. The Jayhawks also have a threat in running back Marcus Henry, who has rushed for 885 yards and seven touchdowns.

“They’re going to have to drive the football continuously if we’re doing our job,” Chizik said. “It shouldn’t be a lot of quick scores, [but] it might be if we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do. The only way for us to win it is to make sure they have to continuously execute their offense and drive everything down the field.”

The Cyclones will also have to play a solid first half. After falling behind Colorado 21-0 at the break on Saturday, Iowa State rallied back for a 31-28 victory. Chizik said that won’t be an option when they travel to Lawrence.

“We don’t have one chance to win if we play in the first half like we did last week,” Chizik said.

The second half of the Colorado game is what has Reesing concerned – that and the two-game winning streak Iowa State is riding after wins against Kansas State and the Buffaloes.

“Iowa State is coming off two big wins and is playing at the peak of their season right now,” Reesing said. “They would love nothing more than to come in here and cap their season off with a big upset.”

Blythe said he is looking forward to some more conversations with Talib, who leads the team with four interceptions and has 31 solo tackles.

“It’ll be fun,” Blythe said, smiling. “I’m sure we’ll talk about our families, what we’re doing over break and stuff like that.”