AMES — The No. 11 Iowa State Cyclones have already made plenty of history throughout the first seven games of the 2024 season, but Saturday against Texas Tech, they have a chance to move to 8-0, something that has never been done in the 132 years of the program.
Head coach Matt Campbell isn’t putting much thought into what could be the most historic start to a season in Iowa State history, but instead, he’s concerned with how his team will finish the season.
“Again to me, my biggest chase is how we finish the season,” Campbell said. “What kind of team do we become through November? “We’ve done a lot of firsts here that haven’t been done. That’s all awesome, but the reality of it is you’re defined by how you finish.”
The first test of November is the aforementioned Red Raiders from Lubbock, Texas, who have been hard to get a read on this season.
Texas Tech did not look good through the first two weeks of the season. In week one, the Red Raiders barely escaped a game with FCS Abilene Christian, winning 52-51 in overtime. In week two, they got blown out on the road 37-16 at Washington State.
Then, Texas Tech went on a four-game winning streak, knocking off North Texas, Arizona State, Cincinnati and Arizona. It seemed like Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire had gotten his team heading in the right direction.
However, just as quickly as Texas Tech turned its season around, it came crashing back down. After getting blown out by Baylor and losing a tight contest to TCU last week, the Red Raiders brought their record to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12.
One factor that may have led the Red Raiders to drop last week’s game against TCU is losing starting quarterback Behren Morton midway through the game.
There has been no definitive statement on Morton’s status coming into the weekend, but if he is out, it’s not certain there will be a huge drop-off in production.
Freshman quarterback Will Hammond is who took over for Morton against TCU and he played quite well, going 10-15 for 121 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers.
“They have a unique system in what they do offensively,” Campbell said. “I think they’ve done a great job recruiting there. I think their confidence, no matter who is playing quarterback, can go in and run their system and be flawless at it.”
It’s that unique system that has led Texas Tech to have the No. 1 scoring offense in the Big 12, as they’ve scored an average of 38.1 points per game and have the No. 1 total offense in the Big 12 at an average of 457 yards per game.
For the Cyclones, stopping running back Tahj Brooks will have to be a focal point.
Brooks led the Big 12 in rush yards per game with 132.1 per game and the Cyclones have been the second-worst team in the Big 12 against the run, giving up 170.3 yards per game.
It’s going to have to be a complete team effort if the Cyclones want to slow down the Red Raiders high-flying offense.
“Offensively, they do a lot of stuff,” defensive back Darien Porter said. “They go fast, they throw the ball around a lot and they have a talented running back and a talented group in general.”
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cyclones, if they play to their capability, should find success in this game.
Texas Tech ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense, giving up 36 points per game and ranks second to last in total defense, allowing 466 yards per game.
Where the Red Raiders particularly struggle is in defending the pass.
The Red Raiders give up by far the most passing yards in the Big 12 at 308.3 per game. That is 47.3 yards per game more than second to last place West Virginia.
This could be the perfect chance for Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht to bounce back from a lackluster performance throwing the ball in his last outing against UCF, where he went 20-for-46 for 274 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
“The great ones, the great people, the great teams, the great players, their blip is a small blip,” Campbell said. “Then, bam, they have the ability to get themselves back on the trajectory of great.”
Despite what Texas Tech’s defense might look like on paper, the Cyclones know better than to just look at the numbers.
“I think their defense is really hectic and they have a lot of really good players on the defense,” offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said. “We’re gonna get everyone’s best shot every single week, so we prepare like that.”
That’s what happens when a team is 7-0 and ranked No. 11 in the country: they get everyone’s best shot.
Iowa State’s game against Texas Tech, with a chance to get off to the best start in school history, will take place at 2:30 p.m. Saturday from Jack Trice Stadium. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
