Iowa State: Breece Hall, (RB)

The Cyclones’ offense struggled to have any momentum in their season opener against the Northern Iowa Panthers. A big reason why? Breece Hall wasn’t himself.

The junior tailback finished the opener with 69 yards rushing on 23 carries and one touchdown. For reference, it was the first time Hall finished a game with under 70 yards rushing since his sophomore season. Iowa State’s workhorse will be the key to a Cyclones’ victory or defeat on Saturday.

Hall is his own biggest critic. I’m watching to see what his running lanes look like on Saturday against a stout Hawkeyes defense and if he’s back to himself the Cyclones could finally takedown their arch rival.

Iowa: Riley Moss, (DB)

Turnovers have been the turning points in the last four CyHawk match-ups and I don’t think that will change Saturday. The Hawkeyes’ secondary was described as “ball-hawks” by Matt Campbell on Tuesday, and he’s right.

But Riley Moss stands out above the rest.

The 6-foot-1, 194-pound defensive back had two pick-sixes in Week One against Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. His presence alone is a threat but to combine him with an Iowa defense that has won the turnover battle 1-0 in the last four years is a big challenge for Brock Purdy and Iowa State.

If Iowa State is going to win Saturday, keeping Moss to a quiet day will be a big help.