AMES — Iowa State is back in the College Football Playoff Top 25 after beating Cincinnati, landing at No. 22. The win over the Bearcats also puts the Cyclones back in contention to reach the Big 12 title game, but first they’ll have to get through a tough test in the Utah Utes.
The last time Iowa State made the trip to Salt Lake City was in a 1975 game that saw the Cyclones defeat the Utes 31-3.
A lot has changed for the Utah program in the 49 years since. Back then, the Utes were in the Western Athletic Conference and in the middle of their second straight 1-10 season. Now, 49 years and three conferences later, Utah is in the Big 12 and one of the most consistent programs in the country, boasting 10 straight winning seasons.
Since Kyle Whittingham became Utah’s head coach in 2005, Utah has had a winning record in 17 of 19 seasons, winning a Mountain West championship and two Pac-12 championships.
“Coach Whittingham, and I don’t know him, but, man, my respect factor would be maybe one of the best coaches in college football,” head coach Matt Campbell said. “Championship level football, it doesn’t matter what conference they’ve been in.”
This season has been a bit of a different story though. The Utes currently sit at 1-6 in the Big 12 and 4-6 overall, needing to win their last two games to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 2013 (no bowl game in 2020 due to COVID-19).
A lot of Utah’s struggles can be attributed to the injury of starting quarterback Cameron Rising, who has only appeared in three games this season due to a hand injury.
Rising’s injury has greatly hindered Utah’s offense. Utah currently ranks 14th in the Big 12 in scoring offense, averaging 22.7 points per game and 15th in total offense, averaging 353.8 yards per game.
However, the Iowa State defense knows that they can’t overlook their upcoming opponent.
“They’re a talented group,” senior defensive back Darien Porter said. “They’re a little banged up, but they still got a lot of talent on the offensive side, so it’s just another week for me, the defensive backs and the whole defense to prove ourselves again.”
Despite the struggles offensively, Utah has been within striking distance in almost all of its losses, with four of the six losses being by eight points or less.
“They’ve been through heck and back with injuries and they’ve been right there to win all these football games,” Campbell said. “I think it tells you about the character, about what resides there at Utah.”
The reason why the Utes have been able to hang tight in almost every game is their defense.
Utah’s defense ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring defense, allowing 20.3 points per game, and ranks second in the Big 12 in total defense, allowing 317.2 yards per game.
“This is, bar none, the best defense that we will have played,” Campbell said. “You look at their front seven, all fifth and sixth-year seniors. Some of the best defensive players in the country at their position.”
The strength of the Utah defense, plus the tough environment that Rice-Eccles Stadium is known for, has the potential to cause a lot of problems for Iowa State.
“They’re a very stout defense,” tight end Gabe Burkle said. “We’re gonna have to be ready for the environment as well. It’s a really loud place.”
This will be the last time Iowa State will have the chance to go on the road into a tough environment and make a statement this season, and it is also a must-win in terms of the Cyclones’ hopes of a Big 12 title game appearance.
Simply put, this is the biggest game of Iowa State’s season.
“The challenge for Iowa State football and this young team to go out into this environment, what a great opportunity, what an unbelievable challenge,” Campbell said.
Iowa State and Utah are set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Saturday from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The game will be broadcast live on FOX.
