Good Cop

By Noah Rohlfing 

Two losses in a row for me. That’s a shame.

The 49-42 score wasn’t exactly the scoreline I was expecting, but it shows that Iowa State still has the ability to put points on the board at a high rate. The defense, though, had some issues with Justice Hill and company. 

Luckily for Iowa State, though, Baylor is this week’s opponent. This is a bounce back opportunity. That’s because Baylor is, well, not good. 

Baylor is 1-9 on the season and has had a doozy of a time under first-year head coach Matt Rhule. I think Rhule is a good coach and that the Bears will be good in a few years, but there’s no hiding how atrocious they’ve been this season. Things aren’t going well when you loose to a constitutional principle (Liberty) or a character from Bugs Bunny (the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners). 

So who does Baylor have that can actually make a difference?

Quarterback Zach Smith is questionable with an AC joint sprain, so it looks like Charlie Brewer will run the show for the Bears. He’s averaged 7.6 yards per attempt and in parts of six games has thrown for 1,063 yards. He hasn’t gotten much help from the running game, with leading rusher John Lovett only contributing 419 yards. 

On the offensive side of the ball, whoever starts at quarterback for the Cyclones (personally, I’m rooting for the David Montgomery single-wing approach) will face a Bears secondary that ranks 119th in yards per game at 465.2. Eleven Garrett Kroeger clones could play better defense. 

I don’t think the Bears will be able to keep up with the Cyclones’ attack if they play the way they did against Oklahoma State. Easy win incoming.

Prediction:

ISU 43 | BU 13

Bad Cop

By Garrett Kroeger

I was right again Cyclone fans. I told you Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver Marcell Ateman were going to burn the Iowa State defense.

Now, I am back to tell you guys once again that the Cardinal and Gold will lose for the third straight week.

This Saturday, Iowa State takes on the Baylor Bears. While the Bears are a 1-9 team, this is definitely a trap game for the Cyclones.

On paper, Baylor has been bad this season. In fact, it has lost to teams like Texas-San Antonio and Liberty. However, as of late, the Bears have been on the up and up, and that’s because of freshman quarterback Charlie Brewer.

Brewer replaced former starter Zach Smith in the West Virginia game. Ever since, Brewer has been the man. On the season, Brewer has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,063 yards, eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. Even Iowa State coach Matt Campbell knows that Brewer could quietly dominate the Cyclones come Saturday.

Yes, Baylor isn’t good. But with Brewer and coach Matt Rhule at the helm and with Iowa State limping into this game, the Bears will defeat the Cyclones on Saturday.

Prediction:

BU 31 | ISU 21