In a game in which No.10 Iowa defeated No.9 Iowa State 27-17, Matt Campbell’s team consistently put themselves behind the metaphorical eight-ball.

Whether it was an incredibly rare Breece Hall fumble, or the Cyclones’ star quarterback Brock Purdy giving away the ball two times in a row that seemed to put the game away for good, it was the details and execution that Campbell and his team harp on consistently that doomed them in the end.

While Campbell and his team preached about executing at a high level and doing those little things to win football games, it was Iowa who was able to capitalize on the Cyclone’s missed opportunities and giveaways.

Whether it was the Cyclone offense failing to score more than 20 points for the second week in a row, or the positions they were put in, it’s clear that Iowa State was unable to win in the margins, something they did so well in their successful season last year.

Purdy, offense sputter through two games

In week one against Northern Iowa, Iowa State’s offense was good enough to get them a win but never really found a rhythm. Hall averaged just three yards a carry, and there was no big play that gave the Cyclones a true, sustaining jolt.

The Hawkeye defense presented a game-plan that Iowa State was never truly able to figure out. Whether it was the interception in the second quarter, or Hall averaging just 4.3 yards per carry, the Cyclones never found the rhythm they seemed to have consistently in the 2020 campaign.

Purdy’s final stat-line had him completing 13 of his 27 passes for 138 yards, along with the three untimely interceptions. With that completion percentage of 48.1, it’s easy to see why the Cyclones never really developed any sort of cadence in this game.

Something else that cannot be ignored is All-American Hall’s inability to have that big play or consistent string of plays that thrust him into Heisman talks at the end of last year. Hall had just 69 yards on his 16 carries and only added 24 yards in the pass-catching game.

His 93 total yards means Hall has failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark in either game this season, something Cyclone fans have become so accustomed to seeing since he has taken over.

“From a Breece standpoint, it’ll be really good to watch the videotape, really good to see ‘Hey, was there growth from week one to week two, and if not, why, and how do we continue to move that forward,'” Campbell said.

The game truly can be defined by the third quarter.

Before halftime, Iowa State got a 49-yard catch by Darren Wilson Jr. that set Breece Hall up to run it in from four yards. And with Iowa State getting the ball to start the second half, it was the momentum swing the home team needed to feel like they still had a chance in the game.

What followed as the third quarter unfolded made it very unlikely for the Cyclones to mount a comeback once the third quarter was all said and done.

It was Hall’s second fumble in his Cyclone career, and it turned into seven Hawkeye points within seconds. Purdy then threw two interceptions on his next two drives, and he was nowhere to be found for the rest of the game.

By the time the scoreboard shifted from the third to the fourth quarter, Iowa State completely fell apart with turnovers, while Iowa was well on their way to a sixth-straight victory against the Cyclones.

Field position, special teams loom large

The game started as the last did, with teams trading punts. However, the difference this time around was that Iowa State started its drives backed up against its own end zone, and Iowa consistently started around midfield.

Iowa went three-and-out on their first drive, but its punt gave the Cyclones the ball at their own eight-yard line. After the Cyclone offense punted, the Hawkeye offense started at their own 39-yard line.

The next two ensuing possessions ended in punts, but Iowa State started at its own six-yard line, and Iowa started past midfield. It’s important to note these trends that started the football game even though they didn’t result in any points.

While the visiting Hawkeyes were never truly able to capitalize on their advantage in the field position game, it became too big for Iowa State to ignore in the second half.

Tarique Milton fielded a punt for the Cyclones that bounced nearly 30 yards after Milton barely got out of the way, to not allow the Hawkeyes to take control of the football. That was the beginning of the end for the home team, as that started the whirlwind of negative yardage plays and eventual turnovers that proved to be the Cyclones’ demise.

“In my confidence and my opinion, I wasn’t comfortable sprinting up to catch (the punt), I mean obviously I should’ve caught it,” Milton said when asked about the misplay.

The discrepancy in winning the little battles within the game and doing the little things well can really be seen on the stat sheet.

Iowa State had 339 total yards of offense; Iowa had 173. Iowa State gained 21 first downs; the Hawkeyes only gained 11. The most telling stat, however, was the turnovers. Iowa State gave it up four times; Iowa did not give up a turnover.

Each one of those four turnovers led to points of some kind, 20 in all. That means that all but one score came after the Cyclones gave the ball back to Iowa.

It was the ugly second half that caused the Cyclones to eventually fall to the Hawkeyes, but there are signs from every point of the game that one could point to and use as a reason why Iowa State moves to 1-1.