Iowa State picked a poor time to play like it did on Saturday. With that said, Texas also executed almost perfectly throughout its 24-10 win in Austin, Texas.

Most aspects of the game Iowa State struggled with, the Longhorns thrived in.

Passing

Freshman quarterback Brock Purdy finally struggled in a game. He missed a couple throws, but the lack of a passing attack doesn’t fall solely on him.

The Cyclone offensive line was bad in pass protection. Texas tallied six sacks and five hurries. Purdy took a lot of hits and was forced out toward the end of the game.

Purdy’s weapons were quiet outside of Hakeem Butler, who caught six passes for 99 yards. The second-leading receiver was David Montgomery with three catches for 22 yards in his one half of play.

A couple plays could’ve swayed the game and passing results. Butler reeled in a pass near the sideline, but his toe was just out of bounds. Matthew Eaton nearly put Iowa State in business near the end zone, but a Texas defender pried the ball out of his hands in the first half.

Defensively, it looked like the Cyclones caught a break with Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger reaggravating a shoulder injury.

It didn’t matter.

Ehlinger chipped in 137 yards and a touchdown on 22-of-25 passing. Shane Buechele relieved Ehlinger, tossing a perfect 10-of-10 for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Iowa State finished the game with three sacks and one hurry.

Rushing

Iowa State’s had an extremely solid defense the last two years, but holes have been exploited the last couple weeks. A glaring hole has been the rush defense.

The Longhorns compiled 179 yards with a 3.9 yard per carry average. Iowa State typically limits big runs, but Texas gashed the Cyclones with a 39, 20 and 14 yard run from three different players.

The Cyclone rush defense is certainly something to keep an eye on with Kansas State coming to Ames.

Offensively, Iowa State didn’t rush as heavily because of an early deficit. Kene Nwangwu and Johnnie Lang combined for 10 carries and 54 yards.

By the time Montgomery entered, Iowa State turned toward the passing game more to try and catch up. The junior running back received 10 carries for 33 yards and a score.

Looking ahead

Now that the Big 12 Championship is out of the picture, Cyclone fans can focus on the final two (maybe one) games. Kansas State — one of the biggest thorns in Iowa State’s side, historically — heads to Ames, searching for a sixth win to advance to a bowl game.

After the Wildcats game, Iowa State is currently scheduled to play Incarnate Word on Dec. 1. Incarnate Word secured a bid in the FCS playoffs. With a first-round win over Montana State, Incarnate Word advances in the playoffs, eliminating the opportunity to play at Iowa State.

With a loss, Incarnate Word plays against the Cyclones. If Iowa State rattles off two wins, it’s still a successful season to go 8-4 in Matt Campbell’s third season — even without a conference championship appearance.