2-Minute Drill: Texas Longhorns at Iowa State Cyclones

Breaking down Thursday's Iowa State football game against Texas at Jack Trice Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m., televised on ESPN.

Iowa State rush offense vs. Texas rush defense

This is a classic 'strength vs. strength' scenario. Iowa State's rushing attack is led by star running back David Montgomery, who's averaging 107 yards per game, good for third in the Big 12. Texas' front seven is led by defensive lineman Poona Ford, a 305-pound disrupter up the middle. Iowa State is averaging 5.12 yards per carry while Texas is only allowing 3.61.

Texas uses a swarming, attacking defensive scheme that incorporates a variety of blitzes to try and disrupt the opposing team's offense. The Longhorns' defense has 14 tackles for a loss and five sacks through three games. Outside of Ford, Texas is led by linebacker Mali Jefferson, who is second in the Big 12 in tackles with nine per game.

*Dikembe Mutombo finger wag* pic.twitter.com/k4m42KTdkT

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On the other side, Iowa State likes to use outside runs to get Montgomery in space. The sophomore leads the nation in broken tackles with 36 through three games. The outside run also allows Iowa State to incorporate one of its best blockers, wide receiver Allen Lazard.

More: Pressure fuels David Montgomery as ISU prepares for Texas

The problem arises when Iowa State has to run up the middle to keep the defense honest. It's going to be tough for Iowa State to move Ford and stop the linebackers from shooting through the gaps.

Advantage: Texas

Iowa State pass offense vs. Texas pass defense

Iowa State's passing attack is potent, ranking 26th nationally in yards per game with 296. The Cyclones are led by quarterback Jacob Park and receivers Allen Lazard and Hakeem Butler. Lazard and Butler rank in the top 10 in the Big 12 in receptions with 6.3 and 5.0 receptions per game, respectively. Very few teams can match up one-on-one with the Cyclones outside. Lazard checks in at 6-foot-5 and is nearly impossible to stop in the red zone, catching three touchdowns. Butler checks in at 6-foot-6, also hauling in three touchdowns.

That outside size, combined with the speed on the inside from Trever Ryen and Deshaunte Jones, makes Iowa State's passing attack hard for the best passing defenses to slow down.

Not to mention Montgomery has 10 catches in his last two games for 99 yards.

Texas' secondary has size with all of its starters listed at 6-foot or above.

However if Iowa State's line, which has only allowed one sack all season, keeps Jacob Park upright, the Cyclones should find a lot of success.

Advantage: Iowa State

Texas rush offense vs. Iowa State rush defense

The line is the strength of Iowa State's defense. The Cyclones have only allowed 108 yards per game on the ground, good for No. 23 in the nation. They are led inside by Ray Lima and Vernell Trent, who, like Poona Ford, doesn't put up mind boggling stats, but disrupts the point of attack to allow teammates to make the play. Teammates like linebackers Willie Harvey, Joel Lanning and Marcel Spears.

Lanning and Spears average more than eight tackles per game and Harvey is ninth in the Big 12 in tackles for a loss with 4.5.

The Longhorns don't boast a prominent rushing attack, but they are respectable, led by Chris Warren III who's averaging 70.7 yards per game to go along with two touchdowns.

Advantage: Iowa State

Texas pass offense vs. Iowa State pass defense 

Going into the season, Iowa State's secondary was supposed to be the strength of the defense. However, through three games, the secondary is allowing 294 yards, 117th in the nation.

Iowa State's first three opponents, however, all have been run-first teams. The Cyclones have geared up to stop the run first, bringing the safeties closer to the line of scrimmage, taking away help on the back end of the defense. Will they be able to make the adjustment to stop the pass first?

Offensively, Texas' receivers are a lot like Iowa State's. They're big, tall and physical. The Longhorns also get quarterback Shane Buechele back for this game. It's going to be tough for Iowa State's defensive backs to match up, even though they go against similar size everyday in practice.

Tom Herman on naming a starter for Iowa State game Thursday night. pic.twitter.com/1UM1Q5HMPS

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But the offensive line is a huge question mark for Texas. During last week's conference call, Texas Coach Tom Herman said he only trusts five of his offensive linemen, after All-American left tackle Connor Williams went down with a season-ending injury. If Iowa State gets to Buechele, it could be a long day for the Longhorns.

Advantage: Texas

Special teams

Iowa State and Texas boast two of the three best punters in the Big 12. The Cyclones also have playmakers in the punt return game in Ryen and Lazard. Ryen has returned six punts for 28 yards with a long of 17 yards. In the kick return game, Mike Warren is second in the Big 12 at 20.8 yards per return, and a long of 35. He's had some questionable returns this season so it wouldn't be surprising to see freshman Johnnie Lang get some time returning kicks.

Texas doesn't have any players listed in the Big 12 stat book for returns, but they do have some game-breakers. Reggie Hemphill-Mapps has a punt return for a touchdown and Devin Duvernay has four kick returns, averaging 22 years per return.

The kickers are where Iowa State and Texas separate themselves. Iowa State kicker Garrett Owens has four field goals on five attempts with a long of 40 yards. Texas kicker Josh Rowland has struggled. A lot. He's only made one 20-yard field goal all year. If Texas makes it into the red zone it's almost touchdown or bust.

Advantage: Iowa State

Intangibles

1. Texas leads the all-time series 12-2. Iowa State has made the series more competitive recently, but hasn't consistently gotten over the hump.

2. Texas used to be a big area of concentration for Iowa State's recruiting under previous staffs. While Campbell has cooled off a little, ISU still has 10 players from the state.

3. Texas Coach Tom Herman was Iowa State's offensive coordinator from 2009-11. He helped lead Iowa State to the biggest win in program history, defeating No. 2 Oklahoma State in Jack Trice Stadium in 2011.

3 and Out

1. Get off the field — Iowa State ranks last in the Big 12 in opponent third down conversion rate at 48 percent. The Cyclones need to get off the field against Texas at a much better rate. Iowa State puts itself in good position with third and long situations, but too often the Cyclones allow a big play to keep the chains moving.

2. Get the running game going — Iowa State should be able to move the ball through the air, but getting David Montgomery going will be key.

3. Take advantage of Texas' offensive line — The Longhorns have a pieced-together line. JaQuan Bailey and the linebackers need to take advantage of that and create chaos in the backfield.

Texas-Iowa State prediction

ISU WILL WIN IF ... David Montgomery gets more than 100 yards on the ground. Getting Montgomery going is key to the Cyclones' offensive attack.

TEXAS WILL WIN IF ... The game doesn't become a shootout. The Longhorns need to contain the Cyclone offense using their swarming style of defense and create negative yardage plays.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 38, Texas 35