Good Cop

Jack Shover

Despite a coming off of a road win versus Northwestern, don’t expect Akron to give Iowa State any trouble.

Yes, Kato Nelson is a quality quarterback, but he is no Kyler Murray, and Akron’s offense shouldn’t be treated as such.

Against Northwestern, Akron was only able to muster up 367 total yards and 39 points despite Northwestern committing three turnovers, two of which were pick sixes.

On third-down conversions, Akron went 4-16 on the night.

In addition, Northwestern, who is no offensive juggernaut, dropped 34 points and 491 yards on the Zips.

To add on, the Zips committed 15 penalties that totaled 140 yards.

On Saturday, Iowa State will dominate on defense, especially against the run. Iowa State’s defensive line, with the help of physical linebackers like Mike Rose and Marcel Spears, will suffocate any run game Akron tries to get going.

Through the air, Iowa State’s defensive backs will not be facing the same caliber of receivers that they faced against Oklahoma, which should mean less explosive plays down the field for Akron.

Offensively, Iowa State’s passing attack will be unstoppable with Hakeem Butler as the anchor.

Against Oklahoma, Butler totalled five receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns as Zeb Noland played a relatively mistake-free game until Iowa State’s final drive.

With Butler as his security blanket, I expect Noland’s confidence to increase, which will allow Iowa State to get more creative with their play calling and utilize Noland’s arm down the field.

In the run game, Iowa State has struggled to get David Montgomery going, but there were flashes of his big play potential last Saturday. This weekend, I finally expect the Iowa State rushing attack to click.

Despite the hype, Akron is in no way the team that they are billed to be, which should lead to a strong Iowa State win.

Final: Iowa State 41, Akron 17

Bad Cop

Spencer Suckow

When I first looked at Iowa State’s 2018 schedule, I thought that the game against Akron would be one of the only sure wins for the Cyclones.

All the way up until last Saturday, I still believed that. Then, Akron went into Evanston, Illinois, and beat Northwestern, a Big Ten team who went 10-3 last season, on the road. Not only did the Zips beat the Wildcats, but they hung 39 points on them.

Now, I’m not so sure.

The Zips are no joke. This isn’t the same team that lost 41-14 at home to Iowa State last season. Instead, this is a team that can take advantage of mistakes, as evidenced by their 21 points off turnovers last week. Zeb Noland, being a quarterback with a strong arm who likes to take chances, will be at risk for turnovers if he gets too aggressive.

If there is a bright spot for the Cyclones, it’s that the offense came alive last week and hung tough with a top-five team in the country. The running game is still struggling as teams key in on David Montgomery and the offensive line struggles to get a push up front, but Noland clearly adds a big play element to the passing game that was previously lacking.

The defense will have to perform better, but last week’s performance feels more like an outlier, given that Oklahoma’s offense may be the best in the country.

Even with that fact, though, it’s important to remember that Akron actually hung tough with Iowa State last season for at least a half of football. This game will not be a cake walk for the Cyclones, and if they aren’t careful, the team could easily fall to 0-3.

I don’t have the courage to predict that outcome, however, and I ultimately believe that the Cyclones will get their first win of the season in what’s sure to be an emotional day at Jack Trice Stadium.

Final Score:

Iowa State: 31, Akron: 20