Good Cop

By Noah Rohlfing 

Is Texas football “back?” I say not yet.

Sure, Texas has shown some signs of improvement, taking USC to overtime in week three thanks to a solid rush defense. They did, however, have a 51-41 home loss to a Maryland team that just lost 38-10 to Central Florida at home. That loss highlighted just how far away Texas is from really being “back” as a college football power. 

Iowa State has improved from last year, but had what can be described as an unconvincing 41-14 win over Akron in their last outing. Coach Matt Campbell wasn’t happy with the team’s sloppy first half performance, and he’ll be wanting more consistency on both sides of the ball from start to finish this week.

Iowa State will either be going up against Shane Buechele or Sam Ehlinger at quarterback, and both have looked impressive at times this season. Kamari Cotton Moya and co. will need to have a mistake-free game to contain the Texas offense. 

But so will the Longhorns’ defense. USC’s heralded quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 397 yards against the Longhorns in Texas’ last game. Jacob Park certainly has the tools at his disposal to do some damage, so look for the Cyclones to air it out and test the Texas secondary with regularity. 

I’d count on Iowa State winning a close game. Texas will have to wait one more week before being “back.”

Prediction: 

ISU 28, UT 25

Bad Cop 

By Garrett Kroeger

Unlike Noah, I believe Texas football is back.

Yes, the Longhorns are only 1-2. But they are an impressive 1-2 team.

Two weeks ago, Texas took on the then-No. 4 USC Trojans. In that game, the Longhorns gave the Trojans all that they could handle. However, they lost in double overtime, 27-24.

If you look beyond the final score, you will see that Texas is truly back.

Freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger stepped up when it mattered most for the Longhorns. Also, the defense forced two interceptions out of USC’s Sam Darnold and he is projected top-10 NFL Draft pick. Imagine what the Texas defense will do to Iowa State’s Jacob Park.

Do not get me wrong, the Cyclones are on the up and up. However, they are still a bottom dweller in the Big 12. 

The momentum that the Longhorns will build and with coach Tom Herman returning to Ames, it will be a sad Thursday night. 

Prediction:

UT 35, ISU 27