AMES — Following Iowa State’s impressive 52-7 win over Arkansas State on Saturday, the Cyclones officially finished their non-conference slate by going undefeated in the three games they played.
With this win, Iowa State also rose two spots in the AP Top 25 to No. 18, which lands the Cyclones as the second-best-ranked team in the Big 12 conference, only behind No. 10 Utah.
Now, No. 18 Iowa State begins its quest for the Big 12 title by traveling to Houston to take on the Cougars. This game will also be the first time these two programs have ever faced off against each other.
However, the duel between these two programs has a chance to set some new records for the Cyclones.
Perhaps the biggest record that can be set would come from head coach Matt Campbell, as he can officially solidify himself as the winningest head coach in Iowa State history. Over the past weekend, Campbell tied Dan McCarney for the all-time lead in wins as the head coach of the Cyclones with 56, but now he looks to surpass McCarney.
Senior defensive back Beau Freyler has played under Campbell throughout his four years at Iowa State, and knows that the team is excited to potentially get this record-setting win for his coach.
“We all love coach Campbell,” Freyler said. “He won’t say anything about it, but we’ll be happy for him.”
Along with Campbell’s potential record-setting win, an Iowa State player has a chance to set a new record in another category that would make him the lone member of this specific record.
That record would end up being the most consecutive games with a touchdown reception, and the player who has the honor of setting himself apart is senior wide receiver Jayden Higgins. As it currently stands, Higgins has five consecutive games with a touchdown reception which is tied with Todd Blythe and Ty Watley for the most in Iowa State history.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht is about to enter conference play for the second time with Higgins by his side, as he compliments the standout receiver for his ability to bring out a comedic side during a game.
“He’s the same guy on and off the field,” Becht said. “Whenever I make a bad pass, but he catches it, I’m always going over to him and saying sorry and he’s like, ‘Man get out of here, I know,’ so having that guy on the field who has that joking ability within the game helps.”
Ending with an overall team-setting record, if the Cyclones go into Houston and take down the Cougars, they can tie the best start that Iowa State has ever had with a potential 4-0 record. The last time that the Cyclones started the season with four straight wins was back in 2000.
But, it doesn’t look like this stat matters to the players on the team, as they have the same goal every week: to go out and perform to try and get the win, no matter the circumstance.
“I didn’t even know that stat,” Becht said. “We’re just going into every single week playing our game and not thinking about who’s playing us.”
Speaking on who Iowa State plays, the Cyclones take on a Houston team that has struggled to find ways to win games this season. The Cougars come into this matchup with a record of 1-3 and have already fallen to a conference opponent this season when they were shut out by Cincinnati 34-0.
One of the few strengths that Houston has is its defense. The biggest accomplishment that this Cougars defense has done is hold a team like Oklahoma to 16 total points on the road.
“This is a dynamic football team,” Campbell said. “They have guys who can make plays with their hands on the ball.”
It is hard to not overlook this team, considering what they have done this season, but it will still be a tough challenge considering it is a Big 12 conference game.
No. 18 Iowa State will take on Houston at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Lone Star State. The game will be televised on FS1.
