Ever since the ISU football team beat Kansas on Oct. 3, it has struggled to win games, aside from the 24-0 shutout of Texas on the last day of October. 

Luckily for Iowa State (3-7, 2-5 Big 12), it will take on Kansas State (3-9, 0-6 Big 12) this Saturday — a team mired in struggles and riding a six-game losing streak.  

The trip down to Kansas State will mark Iowa State’s first of two road games that end the season. But playing away from Jack Trice Stadium won’t deter the Cyclones.

After dropping its last home game of the season against Oklahoma State on Saturday, Iowa State has something to prove on the road. Plus playing in front of a hateful crowd creates incentives to pull out a victory. 

“Being away is fun because when you run out there and there’s 50,000 people booing you, it’s a different experience,” said quarterback Joel Lanning. “But it’s fun. It’s always awesome to get a win at home, but it’s better to get a win on the road.”

That win won’t come easily if recent history means anything. In the last five meetings, excluding a 41-7 Kansas State drubbing of Iowa State in 2013, the games have been decided by a combined 24 points, but all have ended in favor of the Wildcats.

Kansas State sports a seven-game winning streak against the Cyclones. 

In those close finishes, there are a handful of significant plays that have determined the outcome.

“You could probably point to one, three or five plays in each of those games,” said head coach Paul Rhoads. “I think it’s just clutch players making big plays — plays that Allen Lazard is capable of making, plays that I think Joel Lanning is capable of making, plays that Demond Tucker is capable of making. We’ve got to get those guys doing those things at the right time.”

Iowa State implemented an effective run game against Oklahoma State, thanks to the duo of Lanning and Mike Warren. Lanning rushed for 130 yards on 14 carries, while Warren eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season with his 73 yards on 15 carries.

But the KSU defense may not be as easy to run on. Although the Wildcats rank 52nd in the nation in run defense, conceding 156.6 running yards per game, they still can shut down a running game by chasing down the ball carrier.

“They’re pretty stout up front,” said offensive coordinator Todd Sturdy. “Their fundamentals are really good. They tackle, [and] they pursue.

“It’s a tribute to what they do, and it presents problems for anyone who plays them.”

The running game may be the key factor for the Cyclones to get out of Manhattan, Kan., with a win. In last season’s matchup against the Wildcats, the Cyclones ran for a measly 105 yards, and no individual runner had more than 40 yards.

This season, Iowa State enters with a revamped ground attack. Warren has headed the charge, but Lanning’s ability to the keep the ball himself has made defenses think twice about focusing only on Warren.

“Me running the ball can spring Mike a little bit because some defenders are looking at me and not Mike,” Lanning said. “And maybe it will help in the play action a bit, drawing the linebackers up so wide receivers can beat them deep.”

Another essential aspect of the game for Iowa State will be getting off the field quickly and shutting down the opposition’s offense on third down. Oklahoma State went 11-for-17 for third downs Saturday and converted on multiple third-and-long situations.

Passing defense was central to that problem as the Cowboys went 8-for-10 through the air while averaging 8.8 yards per play on third down. 

This week in practice, the Cyclones put the defense through game-type situations to be better prepared for third-down situations. 

“We’ve got to be in a position to make plays on balls,” Rhoads said. “That’s the first thing. There were too many balls that were completed with [defensive backs] in the vicinity that we didn’t get a ball out. We didn’t get the ball on the ground. The pass game piece was the biggest piece of that damage.”

Iowa State will attempt to turn around those woes when it takes on Kansas State at 11 a.m. Saturday in Manhattan, Kan. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.