On Tuesday, both offensive and defensive coordinators, along with Iowa State football players met with the media to discuss last weekend’s win against Kansas and the upcoming road game at Texas Tech. 

Here are some key takeaways from Tuesday. 

Marchie Murdock shows massive strides

In just his second year at Iowa State, Marchie Murdock, much to the surprise of no one, has shown drastic changes in his game since last season. 

The redshirt senior, a transfer from Illinois, recorded just two catches last season for 29 yards. In year two, Murdock caught three passes in the Cyclones’ first game, surpassing his career reception mark at Iowa State in just one game. 

“Marchie [Murdock] offers us a tremendous amount of consistency,” said offensive coordinator Tom Manning. “He’s kind of the same guy everyday. He’s always got a smile on his face and he’s just done such a good job I think.”

Thus far, Murdock has 16 receptions for 237 yards. He also has four touchdowns  and recorded a season-high 68 receiving yards against Iowa, a 44-41 overtime loss. 

Arguably the biggest catch of the season came on a bubble pass to Murdock against Oklahoma, which is a play the Cyclones have had a great deal of success with this season. 

“I think everything just started to click and just learning the systems, getting everything in my head and stuff like that,” Murdock said. “Just having the confidence also in myself, I think that’s what helped me out a lot.”

Defense continues to shine

In the last four games, outside of the Oklahoma game, the Iowa State defense has allowed just 31 points. The highlight of that stretch was a win at then-No. 3 Oklahoma and a shutout against Kansas. 

But what’s more shocking about this stretch that the defense is in the midst of is the fact they’ve been alternating between a three-man front and a four-man front, but have continued to succeed with both. 

“It allows us a little more rotation up front,” said defensive coordinator Jon Heacock of the three-man front. “You’re not using quite as many guys all at once. It keeps our guys a little bit fresher and it keeps our three linebackers on the field all the time.”

The three-man front also allows the Cyclones to play with an extra defensive back. That extra defensive back has proved crucial this season as the Cyclones have been able to force seven interceptions and allowed an average of just 237.17 passing yards per game. 

A big part of that defensive success has been highlighted by the play of Brian Peavy. He’s fourth overall in total tackles with 35 and has three tackles for a loss from the backfield. The redshirt junior also has an interception and a team-high five pass break ups. 

“Just basically doing my job,” Peavy said. “If my job is to drop back into a certain area, I need to make sure I’m in that area. [I] need to make sure my eyes are in the right place, that’s how cornerbacks and [defensive backs] get beat.”

Offensive battle set for Saturday

The offense will be key to Saturday’s game. Texas Tech is a fast paced team that has averaged 44.8 points per game, which is an absurd number of points. But at the same time, their defense has allowed an average of 30 points per game. 

“Every team is a little bit different in what their philosophy is and how they want to attack a defense,” Manning said. “Some people are more vertical down field, some are a blend of others and I think it comes down to what your players can do.”

However, for the Cyclones, David Montgomery finally hit the ground running and showcased the talents that he possesses. Against Kansas, the running back had three touchdowns, a career high. 

Passing wise, the offense has experienced a great deal of success on bubble passes out to the wide receivers. It helps when Trever Ryen and Murdock have speed, with Allen Lazard and Hakeem Butler blocking in front of them. The two speedy receivers have a combined five touchdowns and each have over 230 receiving yards. 

“A big smile on face and it’s a chance to showcase my speed and the great blocking by Allen and the other receivers on that perimeter,” Ryen said of executing screen passes.