3 keys for Iowa State football against Iowa

It’s Week 2 of college football and the annual Cy-Hawk battle, but this is Iowa State’s first trip to Kinnick Stadium since 2018.

Here are three keys for the Cyclones against Iowa.

1. Spread the field

Iowa State gave new starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers the opportunity to get comfortable — and active — in its easy season-opening win.

Fifteen of the Cyclones’ first 22 plays called on Dekkers to pass and he delivered, going 15 of 19 for three touchdowns in that span.

ISU could use the same blueprint against Iowa, which consistently smothers the run, but can be vulnerable to a quick-hitting and broad-ranging passing game.

If ISU chooses to go that route, Xavier Hutchinson could have a big day, but if he attracts extra attention, expect several other Cyclone pass catching threats to emerge, as well.

2. Pressure Iowa’s quarterback(s)

Hawkeye quarterback Spencer Petras’ struggles are well-chronicled. Backup play-caller Alex Padilla hasn’t been tabbed to replace him (yet). Those two facts indicate Iowa believes Petras will finally get back on track, but that shouldn’t dissuade the Iowa State defense from showing him multiple potential blitz packages and signs of pressure from all angles.

Petras didn’t make a mistake of more than mild magnitude while posting pedestrian numbers in Iowa’s turnover-framed, 27-17, Cy-Hawk win last season. That must change for the Cyclones if they’re to snap a six-game skid in the series.

3. Flip the script — and the field

Iowa punter Tory Taylor was arguably the most valuable player on the field in last season’s Cy-Hawk game. The junior from Australia consistently pinned Iowa State deep in its own territory, which helped set the stage for critical Cyclone mistakes such as a rare Breece Hall fumble that turned into a scoop-and-score touchdown for Iowa’s Jack Campbell.

ISU head coach Matt Campbell said it’s imperative that his team has a solid game plan to limit Taylor’s impact, but it’s unclear what that would look like outside of fielding more punts the Cyclones typically leave alone, or seeking to block his kicks more often than usual. Perhaps it includes both of those things. Perhaps not.

Either way, there will be plenty of pressure on ISU true freshman punter Tyler Perkins, who averaged 46.7 yards per boot in the season opener.

What’s at stake

Quite a bit more than usual, actually. If the Cyclones can find a way to (a) not lose the turnover battle in this game for the first time in the Campbell era, and (b) use every inch of the field to puncture Iowa’s vaunted defense, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be 2-0 for the first time since the 2012 season.

A home date with middle-of-the-pack MAC team, Ohio, follows — and then it’s on to Big 12 play against defending conference champ and ninth-ranked Baylor in Ames.

Beating the Hawkeyes for the first time since 2014 would give ISU considerable juice to continue a strong push to start the season. But that remains a big “if” because of Iowa’s propensity to make teams beat themselves and the Cyclones’ tendency to fall into that trap.

Prediction

Dekkers plays with poise and panache. Hutchinson and company help him throw two touchdown passes while avoiding a spate of turnovers. And ISU’s defense does just enough to help the Cyclones finally snap a six-game losing skid in the series.

Iowa State 17, Iowa 16