Good Cop : Presley Polvere

After a loss to in-state rival the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, the Iowa State Cyclones are taking a cross-country road trip to Las Vegas to play the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels. 

Even with offensive struggles looming over head, the Cyclone defense proved stable against the Hawkeyes and the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Senior Jake Hummel has numbered 13 solo tackles this season. 

A plus for the Cyclones : the UNLV Rebels are 0-2 on the season. The Cyclones have the opportunity to take advantage of a team that has struggled to finish games with a win. 

Another plus : Cyclone fans from near and far in the stands at Allegiant Stadium. 

If the team is disciplined on both sides of the ball on Saturday, they’ll leave Las Vegas with an addition to the wins column. 

Prediction : Iowa State 34, UNLV 14 

 

Bad Cop: Andrew Harrington

The Iowa State offense has not shown up when the team has needed it so far this season, failing to score 20 points in each of the first two games to start the season.

UNLV has also had its fair share of struggles, as the team has not one a game since the 2019 season. The Rebels’ issue is on the defensive side of the ball, allowing 30 or more points in each of the last 10 games. If the Cyclone offense is going to get going this season, it is going to have to start against UNLV.

Despite this recent defensive slump for UNLV, they will likely be coming in with more confidence than the Iowa State offense, as they are coming off a loss in a rivalry game in which they underperformed. UNLV will have nothing to lose in this game against a highly ranked opponent.

The Rebels have done most of their offensive damage in the run game this season, recording more rushing yards than passing yards in each of the first two games of the season. The Iowa State defense has had a very strong start to the season, but the run game of UNLV may be able to crack the code.

I believe that the UNLV defense will step up with a couple of early stops before Iowa State can get comfortable. The Cyclones will eventually begin to click, earning a close victory over UNLV.

Prediction: Iowa State 27, UNLV 24