ISU 2-Minute Drill: Kansas State

ISU RUSH OFFENSE VS. K-STATE RUSH DEFENSE

Mike Warren finally broke 1,000 yards rushing last week and has 1,070 yards this season. But now he's got some reinforcement in the backfield. Joel Lanning and Joshua Thomas provide nice components to the running game, too, but will be challenged up front against Kansas State, which is second in the Big 12 in rush defense (156.6 ypg). The return of Oni Omoile and Daniel Burton to the ISU O-line should help. Advantage: Iowa State

ISU PASS OFFENSE VS. K-STATE PASS DEFENSE

Joel Lanning has been his own worst enemy at times with short-armed passes that fall at the feet of open receivers. He's shown glimpses of delivering nice throws to big targets like Allen Lazard, but needs to be more consistent and improve upon his 120.5 passing efficiency. The Wildcats give up 299 yards per game through the air with only three interceptions. Morgan Burns has six pass breakups on the season and could be the biggest challenge for Lanning in the pass game. Advantage: Iowa State

K-STATE RUSH OFFENSE VS. ISU RUSH DEFENSE

Junior Charles Jones is the primary back for the K-State offense with 477 rush yards this season, but the catalyst of late has been quarterback Joe Hubener. He's rushed for 100 yards twice and has 11 touchdowns on the ground (third nationally among quarterbacks). Demond Tucker and Dale Pierson are coming off productive performances last week, but mobile quarterbacks have proved to be problematic this season for the Cyclones front line. Advantage: Kansas State

K-STATE PASS OFFENSE VS. ISU PASS DEFENSE

Hubener is one of two Big 12 quarterbacks to start at least seven games and still be shy of 100 completions (97). He averages 155.9 passing yards and has eight touchdowns to seven interceptions. Kamari Cotton-Moya will be a game-time decision for Iowa State, but if he's able to go could lift up an ISU secondary that has struggled in third-and-long situations without him. The Wildcats will likely stick to the ground attack and try to control tempo. Advantage: Iowa State

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kansas State has shared field goal duties between Matthew McCrane and Jack Cantele, both seeing time the last two seasons. McCrane was injured against UTSA and Cantele has connected on 11-of-13 field goals in eight games, including four kicks to help K-State to a three-overtime win against Louisiana Tech. Since missing a PAT at Baylor and struggling with inconsistency early in the season, ISU kicker Cole Netten is 5-for-5 on field goals and 8-for-8 on PATs. Advantage: Push

INTANGIBLES

1. Iowa State leads the all-time series against Kansas State 49-45-4 with the Wildcats on a seven-game winning streak in the matchup.

2. K-State Coach Bill Snyder is 19-4 against Iowa State in his career and has won the last six since returning to the sidelines in 2009. It is tied with the most wins he has against any other opponent (Kansas).

3. Six of the last seven games between the schools have been decided by eight points or less. The outlier was a 41-7 ISU loss in 2013.

3 & OUT

1. Kansas State won its non-conference games to start 3-0, but has lost its last six (all in Big 12 play) to fall to 3-6. The Wildcats had narrow losses to Oklahoma State (36-34), TCU (52-45) and Baylor (31-24).

2. Iowa State's last win against Kansas State was 31-20 on Nov. 3, 2007 when Gene Chizik and Ron Prince were the head coaches in Ames and Manhattan. It was one of just two Big 12 wins in the Chizik era.

3. Kansas State and Oklahoma are the only Big 12 schools Iowa State Coach Paul Rhoads hasn't beaten in his seven seasons in Ames.

ISU WILL WIN IF ... It can keep the Kansas State offense off the field. The Wildcats and Cyclones are the top two teams in the Big 12 for time of possession (KSU 32:39; ISU 31:42). Establishing a running attack and chewing up the clock will be crucial.

K-STATE WILL WIN IF ... It can make long drives pay off with touchdowns. K-State has established its identity under Bill Snyder as a disciplined, heavy ball-control team, so scoring touchdowns on lengthy drives instead of settling for field goals could be the difference.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 31, Kansas State 28