There couldn’t be more similarities between the two football teams that will take the field in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

Baylor (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) and Iowa State (2-4, 0-3 Big 12) own the longest and second-longest losing streaks in the Big 12. Both teams have struggled offensively, and both young teams have been anticipating playing each other for some time now.

“Whoever wins this game, you inject a shot of confidence and belief in and some more good things,” said ISU coach Dan McCarney. “The season won’t be over to the losing team, but boy would it be fun to jump on that plane with a victory.”

Baylor has dropped 10 consecutive conference games since last season’s victory against Colorado on Oct. 4; Iowa State has lost 13 straight since a win at home against Missouri on Nov. 2, 2002.

“It’s two teams fighting for respect and the credibility of their programs,” McCarney said. “I think it’s going to make for a heck of a football game.”

Bret Meyer will start the game at quarterback for Iowa State; against Colorado, Meyer had a career-high day, completing 16-of-33 passes for 239 yards.

“[Meyer] grew again as a quarterback last week and made some real good decisions and throws,” McCarney said.

For the opposition, Baylor quarterback Dane King has completed 55.1 percent of his passes for 1,081 yards.

Last week at Nebraska, King threw for a career high 281 passing yards in Baylor’s 59-27 loss.

“The third quarter at Nebraska was offensively scary,” McCarney said. “There weren’t any backups on the field for Nebraska, and [Baylor] scored 21 points in a short span of time.”

An advantage Baylor will have over the Cyclones is the play of their special teams. Punter Daniel Sepulveda leads the Big 12 with a 46.8-yard average, including a 69-yard punt.

Sepulveda’s punting average is good enough to place him in second place nationwide, trailing only Michigan State’s Brandon Fields, who boasts a 49.22-yard average.

Baylor place kicker Kenny Webb is 7-for-8 on field goal attempts. His only miss was a 51-yard attempt.

Webb has never missed a point after touchdown, converting 41 consecutive PAT attempts.

There will be a shake up in the Cyclones’ special teams unit. Junior college transfer Terrance Highsmith has moved up the depth chart and will take over punt returning duties for Todd Miller.

“Todd has struggled the past couple of weeks from a judgment standpoint. He’s just in a little bit of a slump,” McCarney said. “Terrance deserves a chance to be No. 1 based on his performance Saturday.”

Against Colorado, Highsmith had 57 yards on five punt returns, including a return of 25 yards.

Coming off last week’s loss to Colorado, the Cyclones want to build confidence to carry throughout their final five games.

“We just need to get the first one,” said nose guard Nick Leaders. “We haven’t won a Big 12 game in so long. Once you get one there isn’t that mental block any more, you never know what can happen.”

ISU keys to victory

1. Red zone productivity: No football team will win any game — let alone a road game — going 0-5 in the red zone. Iowa State must get the ball in the end zone. The team doesn’t have anybody to kick, so the offense will have to do it.

2. Overconfidence: Iowa State has more talent than Baylor, but it’s still a Big 12 road game, and the Cyclones have to show up to win. Yes, Baylor may have a 10-game conference losing streak themselves, but don’t be fooled by its record.

3. Special teams: The Cyclone’s special teams don’t have to do anything great for a win — they just can’t make plays that hurt the team. Fielding punts inside the 10-yard line won’t cut it; fumbling punts inside the 20 and putting enormous pressure on the defense won’t cut it. Missing chip shot field goals won’t cut it, either.

BU keys to victory

1. Force ISU turnovers: Baylor needs help to win this game, and forcing redshirt freshman quarterback Bret Meyer to turn over the ball is a good start. If Baylor can shut down the ISU running game, the Cyclones will have to throw; that will create more turnover opportunities.

2. Wear down the ISU defense: Easier said than done — Baylor’s rushing offense is ranked 109th in the country, while Iowa State’s rushing defense, ranked 38th, has anchored the team all season.

3. Take advantage of scoring opportunities: Baylor must score every time it’s in the red zone. It did against Nebraska last week, so they can do it.

Final Thoughts: The last time Iowa State played Baylor on Homecoming was in 1996; the Cyclones lost 49-21. Iowa State will win three straight games, starting Saturday and continuing with upcoming home games against Kansas and a deflated Nebraska squad. Bret Meyer is getting better every week, and, every week, Iowa State gets closer to getting a successful kicker — hopefully. Last week, Iowa State was 0-5 in the red zone but still had a chance to win at the end. Playing Baylor — even on the road — should give Iowa State momentum for the rest of the season.