5 Ohio players to watch against Iowa State football

AMES — Iowa State finds itself in a familiar position entering Saturday’s 11 a.m. (CT) game at Ohio: With a 1-1 record.

It’s the fifth time in Cyclone head coach Matt Campbell’s seven-plus seasons his team’s been on this neutral plateau — and each time ISU went on to compete in a bowl game.

What does that mean for this season? Nothing, of course, but at least the Cyclones will be facing a foe they handled, 43-10, at home in Week 3 last season.

That, however, is where the similarities end. Last year, ISU opened as a 21.5-point favorite against the 2-1 Bobcats. This year, the Cyclones opened as mere 2.5-point favorites, so while many of the same names populate Ohio’s roster, Vegas expects a vastly different result.

We’ll see — and here are five Bobcats to watch when they take on ISU on ESPNU:

QB Kurtis Rourke

The reigning MAC offensive player of the year got hurt in the Bobcats’ 20-13 season-opening loss at San Diego State and it looked like he’d miss a lot of time.

Instead, Rourke returned after a one-week absence and led Ohio to a 17-10 comeback win last Saturday against Tom Herman’s Florida Atlantic Owls.

The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Rourke struggled against ISU last season, completing 23 of 40 passes for one touchdown and two interceptions. Rourke shined against his other foes, compiling a 24 to 2 touchdown-to-interception ratio when not facing the Cyclones.

He’s 26 of 39 for 278 yards this season but has thrown just one touchdown while being picked off twice. Part of that early inefficiency undoubtedly stems from his less-than-ideal health situation, so expect Rourke to steadily improve from here on out, including on Saturday against ISU’s staunch secondary.

LB Bryce Houston

Houston, like Rourke, is a repeat selection for the “five Ohio players to watch” list — and for good reason. The 6-0, 246-pound graduate student working on his master’s in business administration led the Bobcats with 5.5 sacks last season and also recovered a pair of fumbles while scoring one defensive touchdown.

Houston totaled just one tackle against ISU last season but otherwise is picking up where he left off. He leads Ohio in tackles with 28 and is tied for second on the team in sacks (one) and interceptions (one). Houston already boasts two double-digit tackles games this season.

  Buy Photo

WR Sam Wiglusz

Fun fact: Wiglusz starred as a senior at Brecksville (Ohio) High School in 2017 alongside former Cyclone great Mike Rose. So Wiglusz has obviously been around.

The former three-star recruit spent four seasons mostly on the bench at Ohio State, then joined the Bobcats’ roster as a graduate transfer last season. How’d that go? Wiglusz led the team in catches (73) and receiving yards (877). He also scored 11 touchdowns to earn first-team All-MAC honors and leads Ohio in receptions through three games this season with 14. He hasn’t yet reached the end zone but remains Rourke’s most reliable target.

RB SIeh Bangura

Another repeat entry on this “Ohio players to watch” list, Bangura rushed for 1,078 yards and 13 touchdowns last season to become the MAC’s freshman of the year.

He also caught 35 passes for 388 yards and two touchdowns, so he’s a complete back at a relatively young age. But Bangura wasn’t able to showcase his wide-ranging abilities against top competition last season, totaling just 53 rushing yards on 13 carries in blowout losses to Penn State and the Cyclones.

That’s largely because the Bobcats’ defense wasn’t nearly as good as it appears to be now. If ISU struggles to score, Ohio’s offense can remain more balanced. That means more reps for Bangura, who can spring a big play at any time.

S Austin Brawley

Some guys just love to play football and Brawley is one of those guys.

The 6-0, 176-pound sophomore shares a hometown — Massillon, Ohio — with ISU’s Campbell. Brawley eschewed a redshirt last season and played in all 13 of the Bobcats’ games as a true freshman, mostly on special teams.

Now he’s a well-established starter and ranks third on the team in tackles (15). He’s also intercepted a team-leading two passes and has scooped up a fumble recovery.

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com