No. 11 Iowa State:
Abu Sama III – Running back
Having Sama as a player to watch after just 10 carries for 23 yards combined in the last two games may be a surprise, but I’m very curious to see how he will perform this week.
Before the season, Sama was projected to be the lead running back for the Cyclones. I even had Sama in my players to watch and I said that I was excited to see Sama get a large workload.
That has not been the case. Redshirt sophomore Carson Hansen and senior transfer Jaylon Jackson have seemingly passed Sama in the pecking order after Sama’s underwhelming start to the season.
Last week was the first time where one could really see the discrepancy between Sama and the other running backs. Hansen ran the ball 20 times, Jackson ran the ball 12 times and Sama only ran the ball twice.
It will be interesting to see how Sama performs in the face of this adversity. However, that depends on whether he even gets enough opportunities because Hansen and Jackson have outperformed him a lot in the last two games.
Eli Green – Wide receiver
Something that my fellow football reporters and I have talked a lot about this season is the need for the Cyclones to find a third receiving threat behind senior wide receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins.
I’m not saying that Green is going to be that guy for sure, but he showed flashes last week against West Virginia when no one else did.
Green put up impressive numbers last season at North Dakota State before transferring to Iowa State, with 1,197 all-purpose yards and 877 receiving yards, but has yet to find his groove in the Cyclones offense.
The redshirt junior has just six catches for 90 yards on the season, but 46 of those yards came on back-to-back plays in last week’s game against West Virginia.
His receptions were very important, as they led to an eventual Hansen touchdown that made the game 21-6, essentially putting the game away.
Maybe that performance is what gives the Cyclones offensive staff the trust to target Green more. We’ll see it play out Saturday night.
Rylan Barnes – Linebacker
The Cyclones linebacker room has been riddled with injuries all season, and last week’s game against West Virginia was even worse. Freshman Cael Brezina was added to the long list of injured linebackers after suffering an injury against Baylor, and it was Barnes who was called on to step into his place.
The walk-on redshirt freshman from Britt, Iowa, had a significant role in his first-ever start. Barnes was second on the team in tackles with nine, trailing only defensive back Malik Verdon.
Before that game, Barnes had only four tackles the whole season. If he makes another start against UCF, he is definitely a player to watch.
UCF:
RJ Harvey – Running back
If there is a weakness in the Iowa State defense, it would be stopping the run, which has a lot to do with the injuries to the linebacker room that I mentioned previously.
Harvey is not the running back you want to face if you’re struggling to stop the run.
Harvey has 694 yards at an average of 6.4 yards per attempt and leads the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns with nine. He has been solid in the passing game too, with 195 reception yards and two touchdowns.
Harvey has been the focal point in the offense for the Knights all season, and given the Cyclones’ struggles to stop the run from time to time, I expect there to be a heavy dose of Harvey in this game.
Iowa State’s number one objective should be limiting Harvey because it’s going to be hard to outright stop him.
The UCF Quarterback Room
It’s still not clear who’s going to be starting as quarterback for UCF on Saturday night.
Arkansas transfer KJ Jefferson was the starter to begin the season for the Knights. The sixth-year senior has completed 59.7% of his passes for 1,012 yards and has seven touchdowns to four interceptions.
On the ground, Jefferson has run for 193 yards and two touchdowns. That number would be higher, but he was benched before the Knights game against Cincinnati last week.
UCF head coach Gus Malzahn opted to start 17-year-old EJ Colson, who ended up only throwing four passes before the Knights turned to Miami transfer Jacurri Brown.
Brown played well in the game, going 13-20 for 207 yards and a touchdown through the air. He added 84 yards on the ground, but the Knights offense struggled and scored 13 points in the loss to Cincinnati.
Malzahn has not named a starting quarterback for Saturday night, but it seems like there is a decent chance that we’ll see more than just one quarterback for UCF.
Deshawn Pace – Linebacker
Pace, brother of former Cincinnati standout and current Minnesota Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., transferred to UCF from Cincinnati over the offseason. The fifth-year senior has already made a big impact for the Knights this season.
He leads the team in total tackles with 28 and is the only Knight to have multiple interceptions with two.
Pace is coming off his least productive game of the season, recording just one tackle, but look for him to have a much bigger performance in this game.
